The radiant Renee
From Strauss to Rossini to Elvish, Fleming is the soprano of the moment
Everyone loves Renee Fleming, the reigning diva of the opera world.
She's been called "The Great American Soprano," the successor to stars of years past such as Geraldine Farrar, Mary Garden and Lotte Lehmann. Of the latter, who specialized in Strauss, the composer whom Fleming calls "my bread and butter," she admits: "I emulate her the most." To anyone outside the opera universe, these artists -- along with fin-de-siecle divas Maria Jeritza and Emmy Destinn -- might seem like dusty footnotes. But they were the Britneys and Beyonces of their day.
Of course, Fleming has a much more exclusive fan club than those two. Outgoing Met general manager Joseph Volpe praises her endlessly. The esteemed maestros Sir Georg Solti and Christoph Eschenbach have championed her career. Susan Graham, now starring in "Iphigenie en Tauride" at Lyric, says of one of her best friends: "I have always been amazed by her ability to make her voice do anything she tells it to."
But she's also appreciated on other side of the pop culture spectrum. Jazz pianist Brad Mehldau, who composed two song cycles for Fleming (included on the 2006 disc "Love Sublime"), has said: "Working with her was a dream -- there is no one who can do what she does."
That might sound like hyperbole, but consider: Not many opera divas get invited to perform on "Late Night With David Letterman," as Fleming has. Or asked to sing in Elvish, as she did in "The Lord of the Rings."
Even goth-metal rocker Marilyn Manson grooves on her. He sought out Fleming at the annual Costume Institute Gala at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art in June and breathlessly told Vogue: "We both wear black underwear."
Who says classical music doesn't click with today's kids?
Even Fleming, who appears tonight in what Lyric Opera has billed as a Subscriber Appreciation Concert, is flummoxed by her own popularity -- which includes having a flower and a dessert named after her. "I'm holding out for a tree," she said, golden tongue firmly in cheek. This week's event marks her third sold-out local engagement this year, after dates in March for the annual Trustee Benefit Concert at Dominican University and in August with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at Ravinia. "I'm worried that I'll wear out my welcome," she said, speaking from her New York home.
Not a chance. Her Lyric program, which consists of selections from Gounod's "Mireille," Massenet's "Cleopatre" and Verdi's "Il Trovatore," neatly dovetails with her just-released disc, "Homage: The Age of the Diva" (Decca). In addition, she will sing the final scene from Strauss' "Capriccio." "It's a meaty program," she said. Joining Fleming in his first appearance after his recent surgery, Sir Andrew Davis will conduct the Lyric Opera Orchestra.
Fleming also will sing "The Letter Scene" from Tchaikovsky's "Eugene Onegin," which she will perform next spring at the Met. Chicago fans, who have longed for Fleming's return ever since she starred here in Massenet's "Thais" three years ago, will see her next season in Verdi's "La traviata." After the soprano's fabulous turns in Floyd's "Susannah," Mozart's "The Marriage of Figaro" and Handel's "Alcina" in Lyric seasons past, patrons might understandably feel deprived. But right now, Fleming's focusing more on recital and concert work than opera.
"I've been in this kind of model for several years, it fits my life better," said Fleming, 47, who has two young daughters. "I'm not doing as much opera because I need to be home, if I'm going to be a decent mother."
Still, she's looking ahead to the Met's 2009-10 season, when she will perform in Rossini's "Armida," directed by Chicago stage icon Mary Zimmerman. "I'm such a fan, I'm thrilled to be working with her," she said. "It's a great storthe same as 'Alcina,' but there are six tenors and only one soprano."
And if there's room for only one soprano, then why not the best? Especially a star who not only can negotiate Rossini's devilish coloratura but who also can sing in Elvish.