Renée has been announced as a winner of the Polar Music Prize 2008 for her contribution to music. The awards ceremony, which will take place in August, is the biggest Swedish music award and is given each year by the Royal Swedish Academy of Music.
The prize committee described Renée as having "sublime, unparalleled voice and unique stylistic versatility."
La Traviata
Two of opera’s biggest stars, Renée Fleming and Rolando Villazón, sing one of the world’s best-loved operas together on DVD, in the sumptuous Los Angeles production of Verdi's tragic masterpiece, La Traviata. For more details on this release click here to view the special e-card.
There have been some fantastic reviews of Renée Fleming’s performance in Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin. Here are just a sample of them below:
“Has just about everything going for it: an all-star cast in peak form, a great orchestra led by today's leading Russian conductor, and a striking stage production whose minimalist, often stark, sets manage to superbly suit this most Romantic of operas...Renée Fleming's Tatiana is a triumph, her gorgeous soprano voice, intense acting and precise characterization make the complex young woman come alive...an Onegin that's the DVD version to get.”
Dan Davis amazon.com
“The singing is marvelous. Fleming, in her first Tatiana at the Met, conveys the girl's impetuousness, tenderness, and brusqueness toward her nanny, her heartbreak at Onegin's rejection, and her resolve when she rejects him. Dmitri Hvorostovsky is an ideal Onegin, with just enough warmth under his surliness to make his conversion plausible. Ramon Vargas is a sweet-voiced Lensky. Conductor Valery Gergiev is exciting and impulsive, hot-wiring the polished Met orchestra.”
David Perkins Boston Globe
“The great event of last year's inaugural season. With a cast headed by Dmitri Hvorostovsky and Renee Fleming and conducted by Valery Gergiev, it's possible the performance couldn't have missed…Fleming sings to the heavens, with a soprano of creamy expressivity…In the pit, Gergiev shapes an account abounding in flexibility, nuance and penetrating theatricality. He has the musicians of the Met Orchestra playing with utmost depth of sound and attention to shading. Grade: A”
Donald Rosenberg Cleveland Plain Dealer
You can also see exclusive footage and information about the DVD, which is released on 4th February, by viewing the e-card for the release here.
Renée performs in Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin alongside Dmitri Hvorostovsky with Valery Gergiev.
Filmed at the Metropolitan Opera this operatic masterpiece will be released in February.
Fleming heads new 'La Traviata' cast
Jan 14th 2008: Tribune
So hotly pursued is Renée Fleming by so many opera houses that even a major theater such as Lyric Opera has no choice but to take a number and wait its turn. As a matter of fact, the last time America's reigning opera diva sang a complete opera at Lyric was in 2002-03, when the soprano took the title role in Massenet's "Thais."
Fleming returned to the Lyric on Friday night in the guise of a more familiar courtesan, Violetta Valery, heading a new trio of principal singers in Verdi's "La Traviata." The good news is that the second "Traviata" cast is decidedly superior to the one heard last fall. The bad news is that all six January performances are sold out. The scalpers should have a field day outside the Civic Opera House.
Not only does Fleming look gorgeous and deliver the vocal splendor Lyric audiences expect to hear, but she is surrounded by colleagues of comparable vocal quality and artistry: tenor Matthew Polenzani as Alfredo, Violetta's ardent young lover; and baritone Thomas Hampson as Alfredo's meddling papa, Giorgio Germont.
Fleming was born to sing Violetta, and she has made this touchstone role her own. She fully inhabits the strong yet vulnerable heroine who sacrifices her happiness and, eventually, her life to preserve the Germont family honor. The diva has mastered the elusive vocal and musical challenges, and knows how to project big emotions on an intimate scale, no small feat in a 3,500-seat theater.
Fleming's radiant, creamy soprano encompassed the glittering coloratura of "Sempre libera," the taut verismo singing of the second act and the limpid lyricism of the rest. Few Violettas these days sing the part more beautifully or develop the character more cogently in the course of an evening, from the free-spirited party girl of the first act to the dying Violetta literally rummaging through her trunk of memories in Act 3.
Reservations? Fleming simply looked too healthy for a young woman dying of consumption, and this undermined Violetta's motivation for giving up Alfredo. Her renunciation didn't tug at my heartstrings as other sopranos have done. On the other hand, I won't soon forget the bitter anguish with which she delivered the spoken line "E tardi!" (too late) upon learning of the imminent arrival of her estranged lover, who begs for her forgiveness.
The evening's most complete performance came from Hampson. I have never heard the American baritone in better voice or more intelligently invested in his character -- here a stiff-backed prig who winds up shattered with remorse over the lives he has destroyed. He and Fleming played to each other's strengths -- their dialogue crackled with so much tension that you could almost see the sparks. His magnificently sung "Di Provenza" stopped the show.
Polenzani more than held his own in such blue-chip company. With his light and bright, if not especially charismatic, lyric tenor, the Wilmette-born singer looked, acted and sounded convincing as the impetuous, passionate young man from the provinces. He fully conveyed Alfredo's desperation as he saw Violetta's life slipping away.
The supporting cast included fine made-in-Chicago performers Phillip Dothard as Marquis d'Obigny, Philip Kraus as Baron Douphol, Buffy Baggott as Flora Bervoix, Marjorie Owens as Annina and Paul Corona as Doctor Grenvil.
The dramatic arch and musical flow were united in Andrew Davis' idiomatic and superbly paced conducting of Verdi's great score. The orchestra played very well for him.
GRAMMY NOMINATIONS
We are thrilled to announce "Homage: The Age of the Diva" has been nominated for two Grammy awards in "The Best Vocal Performance" and "The Best Classical" Album Categories.
For more information please click here.
The Renée Fleming Iris
On November 19, 2007 the Renée Fleming Iris, created in porcelain by Boehm, was launched in Baton Rouge, Louisiana through a special commission by Lee Michaels Fine Jewelry. (add a “click here to read more” and then follow with the below) The Boehm Studio was founded in 1950 Helen Boehm and Edward Marshall Boehm and is known for creating natural life in fine porcelain. “I hope that creating this American made floral masterpiece by the Boehm artisans will live up to the beauty and grace that Ms. Fleming’s artistry has brought to the world’s opera stage!” – Helen Boehm
Renee Fleming was immortalized in bloom in 2004 with the announcement that an iris would be named in her honor by renowned Louisiana iris hybridizer Heather Pryor of Sydney, Australia and project leader Edna Claunch of Rochester, New York. The Renée Fleming Iris embodies the essence of its namesake – beauty, warmth and grace. With petals in pastel lavender, delicately veined violet with highly ruffled and scalloped edges, the Renée Fleming Iris is unmatched in its floral splendor. “It thrills me to see this magnificent flower captured forever in exquisite porcelain, and it is an honor to have my name associated with it.” – Renée Fleming
The Renée Fleming Iris is a limited edition and may be purchased on line at www.lmfj.com.
November 2007: Reviews of Verdi : La Traviata @ The Metropolitan Opera
New York Post – Nov 5 2007
Fleming, her voice all lyric cream and coloratura diamonds until it dramatically falters into gallant poignancy, has perhaps never been more touching or so completely convincing - it's not just a performance, it's a portrait of death as a young woman.
The New York Sun – Nov 5 2007
You know what a great Fleming performance is: I don't have to tell you much about it. She had supreme confidence, completely justified. The technique was secure; she could concentrate on the musical and dramatic. Her top notes were free and affecting; and, among sopranos, she has one of the great bottoms (pardon the expression).
The New York Times – Nov 5 2007
Renée Fleming was Violetta in this largely American cast, and she is very much the star… She looks good. The sound is pure and unassailably well tuned. The attention to musical matters includes a near-infinite variety of dotted rhythms, each adjusted to the vowel or consonant at hand.
July 2007: Reviews of Massenet's Thaïs
Sunday Express – ROH – 28 July 2007
…Fleming sings gloriously throughout. Her range of vocal shading and her creamy tone suits the role perfectly, and she attacks her set piece scenes with all the emotional commitment and attention to words that her detractors routinely claim she neglects.
The Daily Telegraph – 4 July 2007
Floating above the stave, Fleming spun sounds of sublime deliquescent radiance that defy my stock of adjectives. And that wasn't all: the richness and security of her middle voice, the firmness of line, the vivid characterisation of the Egyptian courtesan who turns to God were equally impressive in this unforgettable interpretation.
February 2007- Reviews of Eugene Onegin
From The New York Times - February 12, 2007 - By ANTHONY TOMMASINI
Star Power, Charisma and Ardor in ‘Onegin’
…Tchaikovsky’s impassioned and elegant idiom ideally suited her richly emotional singing. Ms. Fleming’s sympathetic, exquisitely sung Tatiana was a major achievement for her.
In the bedroom scene, when Tatiana — flushed with impulsive love for Onegin, whom she has just met — pours out her feelings in a letter, Ms. Fleming touchingly conveyed the character’s girlish giddiness. Yet in Tatiana’s pensive moments she brought subtle pianissimo shadings to some of Tchaikovsky’s most poignant melodic lines.
You will seldom see better acting in opera then the scenes between Ms. Fleming and Mr. Hvorostovsky.
New York Post, - 15 Feb 2007 - By CLIVE BARNES
RUSSIAN - WITH LOVE
…the formidable and beautiful Renée Fleming in the role of the poignant Tatiana for the first time at the Met. With the great Russian baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky as the arrogant Onegin, and under the batonless, charismatic hands of conductor Valery Gergiev, this was a performance to cherish.
…the key to this "Onegin," [is] Fleming's lustrous, rhapsodic Tatiana, who is just as marvelous in the great scene where she writes her letter to Onegin guilelessly declaring her love, as in her grand diva scene of final renunciation.
Associated Press Review: - , Sunday, February 11, 2007 - By RONALD BLUM
Met's 'Onegin' Revival Searing
NEW YORK (AP) — Dmitri Hvorostovsky and Renee Fleming wrestle each other to the stage, spitting out ardor and anger, faces twisted with torment. She sprints off, leaving the dashing baritone with the striking white hair alone on the stark set, crying out in agony.
..The starry quartet of Hvorostovsky, Fleming (Tatyana), tenor Ramon Vargas (Lenski) and conductor Valery Gergiev brings to life the minimalist Robert Carsen production that seemed misguided when it opened a decade ago and was revived in 2001…
…Fleming, who turns 48 on Valentine's Day, plays the youthful Tatyana of the first two acts with wide-eyed bliss, tilting her head back as she imagines a future life with Onegin. During one moment in her famous Letter Scene, when she puts fountain pen to paper to pour out her love for Onegin, she runs in circles around her bedroom on the Larina estate throwing leaves into the air with abandon…
Tatyana suits her voice well, especially the Final Scene, with its emotional faceoff between the soprano and baritone. She is able to float the creamy notes that brought her fame as Mozart's Countess and Strauss' Marschallin, and she balances Tatyana's latent love for Onegin with her growing consciousness of propriety set by the expectations of those around her.
Thursday February 8 2007 - Renée appears on new CD We All Love Morricone
Renée sings the song "Come Sail Away" on the new all-star tribute to Ennio Morricone entitled We All Love Morricone.
More information on the release is available here.
October 2006 - New album release - Homage 'The Age of the Diva'
Renée's new album is now available internationally. Our brand new album feature explains the album repertoire, features a video interview with Renée and Valery Gergiev, and also showcases some of the stunning new recordings from the album. Click here to launch the featureRead this recent review from the New York Sun, where reviewer Jay Nordlinger describes the album as; "Homage is one of the best albums she has ever done. It is a tribute, not just to divas past, or to the diva present, but to opera itself, and the human voice."
May 2006 - New DVD release - Sacred Songs: Live from Mainz Cathedral
On Sunday, 13 November 2005, Renée Fleming performed a selection of the world’s best-loved sacred songs and arias in front of a packed audience in Mainz’s beautiful Romanesque Cathedral. Accompanying her were the Cathedral’s choir and the celebrated Deustche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, under the lively direction of Trevor Pinnock. The concert was inspired by the success of Renée Fleming’s Sacred Songs CD, and was staged by ZDF and PBS (USA), for broadcast this Christmas and Christmas 2006. In addition to performings arias and songs from her album, Renée also gives special bonus performances of two Christmas favourites: The Holly and the Ivy from the atmospheric Cathedral cloisters, and Silent Night in front of the traditional crib in Mainz town square. The disc features both CD-quality stereo and a DTS 5.1 surround sound, as well as many extra items, including Renée’s promo video of Schubert’s Ave Maria, photo galleries of both Renée and Mainz Cathedral and City, as well as trailers and the Decca/Philips DVD showreel.
For more information about this DVD click here
August 2005
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'As Daphne, Fleming soared...'
The Independent on Sunday, 21 March 2004 following a concert performance
Celebrated for her glorious interpretations of the great soprano roles of Richard Strauss, Renée Fleming leads an international cast in this eagerly awaited new recording of Strauss' gorgeously lyrical mythical opera Daphne.
The performance is conducted by Strauss specialist Semyon Bychkov who conducted the work at the Vienna State Opera in 2004 to great critical acclaim.
Strauss's Opera is currently enjoying a revival in popularity with performances at the Vienna State Opera in 2004 and plans for concert performances with Renée Fleming in the US in 2005.
This is a very significant addition to the Strauss discography and will be a must have recording for all opera collectors, many of whom won't have a recording of this wonderful opera.
Daphne . . . Renée Fleming
Peneios . . . Kwanchul Youn
Gaea . . . Anna Larsson
Leukippos . . . Michael Schade
Apollo . . . Johan Botha
Herren des WDR Rundfunkchors
WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln
SEMYON BYCHKOV
25th July 2005 - Lincoln Centre Live
LIVE FROM LINCOLN CENTER PRESENTS NEW FREE ONLINE VIDEO VIGNETTES
PREVIEW THE SOLD-OUT MOSTLY MOZART 2005 OPENING NIGHT CONCERT
Music Director Louis Langrée Joins Soprano Renée Fleming and Pianist Stephen Hough for ‘A CONCERT AT MOZART’S HOUSE”
Thursday, July 28,2005 at 8:00 p.m. EST on PBS*
Millions of music lovers will have the chance to sit in prime seats in their own homes and see the live, sold-out performance at Lincoln Center, A CONCERT AT MOZART’S HOUSE, with acclaimed soprano Renée Fleming. The concert will be broadcast on July 28 at 8 PM EST over local PBS stations, presented by the Emmy Award-winning LIVE FROM LINCOLN CENTER.
In addition to viewing this performance, which recreates a concert one might have heard during Mozart’s time, when intimate chamber music and songs were performed between movements of larger orchestral works, audiences may preview, exclusively via the Internet, a glimpse of life of the composer’s Vienna through specially produced lively video vignettes featuring Ms. Fleming, Music Director and conductor Louis Langrée and program host Beverly Sills.
The Renée Fleming, Louis Langrée and Beverly Sills LIVE FROM LINCOLN CENTER VIDEO VIGNETTES can be viewed over the Internet at http://www.lincolncenter.org/lflc/lctv/index.html
15th June 2005 - Haunted Heart on NPR "Performance Today"
Click here to listen
10th June 2005 - Haunted Heart reviews
Fleming's 'Heart' beats, and it can swing, too.
This week, opera diva Renee Fleming takes a detour into pop...
Renee Fleming, Haunted Heart (* * * out of four) Fleming's latest foray into non-operatic territory finds the diva sounding more comfortable with pop, folk and soul textures. Making savvy use of the rich bottom of her lustrous soprano, Fleming delivers a warm, caressing medley of My One and Only Love and This Is Always and a bluesy take on Joni Mitchell's River, enhanced by pianist Fred Hersch and guitarist Bill Frisell's sterling accompaniment. Stevie Wonder's My Cherie Amour is more of a stretch, but an achingly lovely rendition of Stephen Foster's Hard Times Come Again No More confirms her dexterity and daring. —Elysa Gardner, USA Today (5/30/05)
**
Soprano Fleming has change of 'Heart'
Sun May 29, 2005 10:18 PM ET
By Anastasia Tsioulcas
NEW YORK (Billboard) - Talk about an atypical "crossover" record: a portion of Berg's opera Wozzeck snuggled on the same track next to Lionel Hampton's "The Midnight Sun." Mahler's song "Liebst du um Schonheit" a few tracks away from Joni Mitchell's "River." Villa-Lobos' "Cancao do Amor" paired with Stephen Foster's "Hard Times Come Again No More."
However surprisingly, all these musical worlds co-exist very comfortably on acclaimed American soprano Renee Fleming's new Decca release, "Haunted Heart." Paired with two impeccable collaborators (pianist Fred Hersch and guitarist Bill Frisell), Fleming performs with a tonal color and range that may stun longtime fans used to hearing her on the world's greatest opera stages rather than at an intimate cabaret.
While Fleming eventually opted for an operatic career, this album reflects some of her longest-held musical loves, starting even before her student days, when tenor sax jazz legend Illinois Jacquet invited her to tour with his band.
"In my case, singing jazz and standards when I was younger was a really liberating experience," she reflects. "It helped me immensely in freeing up my sound."
That musical breadth has also shaped her ideas about performing. "Singing jazz has definitely affected the way I sing both Handel and bel canto music, for example. I'll bend a phrase, or delay it slightly. In fact, I do it with everything now," Fleming muses.
**
Renée Fleming Talks About Haunted Heart in Online Interview
By Ben Mattison
PlaybillArts.com
May 30, 2005
Soprano Renée Fleming says that her new jazz-oriented album Haunted Heart represents "a [career] direction I could have easily gone in" in a radio interview posted on the Internet. The interview with Jeff Spurgeon is available for streaming on WQXR.com, the web site of the New York classical station.
Haunted Heart, which was released on May 10, features two jazz musicians, pianist Fred Hersch and guitarist Bill Frisell. The music includes pop songs and jazz standards as well as works by Mahler and Villa-Lobos. In the interview, Fleming says the CD is "a group of favorite songs bound by an atmospheric soundscape created by Fred Hersch and Bill Frisell."
Fleming did have an opportunity to pursue a career in jazz. While she was studying at the State University of New York at Potsdam, saxophonist Illinois Jacquet heard her sing and asked her to join his big band.
19th May 2005 - See Renée on Larry King
Renée will be talking about her latest recording, Haunted Heart this Saturday, May 21st 9pm (EST)
20th April 2005 - Renee Fleming - Haunted Heart, Available May 10 (US)
Renée Fleming's latest recording, Haunted Heart is out on May 10th in the USA, and available on a limited international release. It explores terrain that will be unfamiliar to many of her listeners, but is actually an integral part of what makes her the singers she is today. Haunted Heart is a very personal album of ballads, standards and popular songs performed with Bill Frisell (guitar) and Fred Hersch (piano).
Pre-order the album here (US-only)
For more information about this recording go to www.iclassics.com
4th April 2005 - Get Caught Reading month - May 2005
Renée is pleased to support the latest literacy campaign. Get Caught Reading is a US national campaign sponsored by the Association of American Publishers (AAP) and Magazine Publishers of America (AMP) to promote the joys of reading and to encourage people of all ages to enjoy books and magazines.
Click the image below to see a larger version.
For more information about the campaign, go to www.getcaughtreading.org
1st April 2005 - NEW TOURDATES PUBLISHED
In addition to the new 2005-2006 being added to the site, we also have detalils of two special public events in London this summer. On Thursday 14th July 20.00-21.00 at the Linbury Theatre, Royal Opera House, London - BBC Radio 3 public interview for "Stage & Screen" programme hosted by journalist Edward Seckerson. Live broadcast. Also, on Monday 20th June 19.30-21.30 at the Linbury Theatre, Royal Opera House, London - Public lecture and question and answer session on Otello with members of the cast.
17th February 2005 - recital review in Baltimore Sun
"A Memorable Night with Renée Fleming - recital review.
Click here to read the review
20th January 2005 - review in Seattle Times
Renée wows the crowds in Seattle.
Click here to read the review
10th January 2005 - interview with Amazon.com
Renée was recently interviewed for Amazon.com about her new book "The Inner Voice".
Click here to read the interview
3nd November 2004
An exclusive version of the Handel album, complete with the bonus (unreleased) track Care Selve is now available at the iTunes music store.
Click here to access the store iTunes US * iTunes UK
12th July 2004 - Renée is featured on the Amerian Library Association's poster campaign.
Renée Fleming is thrilled to be invited to feature in the American Library Association's fall campaign. Click the thumbnail to see the full size poster in pdf format.
The ALA is a non-profit organization, founded in 1876 and is: "the oldest and largest, and most influential library association in the world with over 66,700 memebers. Members are primarily librarians but also trustees, publishers and other library supporters. The association represents all types of libraries - public, school, academic, state andspecial libraries servieing persons in government, commerce, armed services, hospitals, prisons and other institutions. The ALA is committed to diversity, education and continuous learning, equity of acces, intellectual freedom and 21st century literacy."
The poster will be available beginning Monday, August 2nd, and will be available for purchase at http://www.alastore.ala.org or by calling 866-746-7252 (For International Orders can call 770-280-4185).
The Poster will be featured in the Fall 2004 Catalog, which becomes available on August 2nd as well. The proceeds from the Poster will support the programs of the American Library Association.
25th May 2004
Renée Fleming wins 'Outstanding Contribution to Music' at Classical Brit Awards.
At the Royal Albert Hall in London Renée Fleming was awarded the prestigious prize for Outstanding Contribution to Music at the Classical Brit Awards. Renée Fleming's award was given by the Council of the BPI (British Phonographic Industry) and she performed twice during the evening - a solo performance of Puccini's O mio babbino caro, and the closing duet of the ceremony with Bryn Terfel of Gershwin's Bess You Is My Woman Now.