A magnificent return for Renée Fleming, plus the best of March's classical concerts
Renée Fleming/ Royal Festival Hall ★★★★☆
Since her retirement from the operatic stage was announced in 2017 the great American soprano Renée Fleming has had more comebacks than the Spice Girls. She's played Pat Nixon in John Adams' Nixon in China, taken the lead role in a brand-new opera at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, the scene of her greatest triumphs, and recorded an album of song which carried off a Grammy Award. And she insists she never said she was retiring anyway.
Now in her mid-60s, Fleming is throwing most of her energies into music-and-health initiatives and rations her appearances carefully. Her performance last night with the London Philharmonic Orchestra was billed as 'An Evening with Renée Fleming', but most of the evening was actually taken up with orchestral highlights from Wagner's Tannhäuser, Lohengrin and Die Meistersinger, each flowing into the next in a rapturous phantasmagoria. On the podium was young German conductor Thomas Guggeis, who seemed over-controlling and somewhat rigid in the purely orchestral pieces, but was a wonderfully sensitive accompanist to Fleming – which was what really mattered. As for Fleming herself, she sang only the Four Last Songs by Richard Strauss, and one lovely encore. It seemed a small thing to fly across the Atlantic for.
But it was worth it. Fleming's voice may not have the power it once had, and there were times, especially in the refulgent last song when she was overpowered by the orchestra. But the exquisite sheen is still there, and that magnificent control of the melodic line, which never wavered. And above all the connection with the emotional heart of Strauss's masterpiece. Strauss's songs distil a lifetime of experience and his tempestuous 60-year marriage to his beloved Pauline, in feelings of gratitude and an acceptance of mortality. Nature acts as the mirror of these feelings, beginning with a rush of ecstasy in Spring, and darkening towards the sunset of the final song.
Fleming caught that transition beautifully. The ending of September where she sang of falling leaves was perhaps the evening's most blissful moment – a feeling amplified by the lovely sunset-glow horn solo from John Ryan. In the third song where the words speak of sinking into sleep, it was a smiling, eyes-closed, almost-inaudible form of oblivion Fleming offered. We were back in the world of Wagner's Liebestod (Love-Death) from Tristan and Isolde, which the LPO and Guggeis had shrewdly played as a curtain-raiser to set us in the right mood. Though Fleming's sound was predominantly radiant it could take on a dark intensity, which rung out with startling force on the very first word of the first song – 'dämmrigen', half-light.
Lovely though all this was, the evening's best moment vocally actually came in the encore, Strauss's rapturous, quiet Morgen (morning) where the lighter orchestration meant that Fleming's exquisite small voice could float freely, and the words were properly audible. As Fleming departed with a friendly smile, the applause wasn't the wild kind that often greets a diva's fleeting appearance. It was a heartfelt acknowledgement of real artistry.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scotsman
an hour ago
- Scotsman
Why is The Bear season 4 out later in the UK? Release details
The Bear fans will have to wait a bit longer for season four in the UK 😲 Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The Bear is almost ready to serve up another course of episodes. Dinners in the UK will have to wait an extra day to tuck in however. But what is the reason for the delay? The doors to The Bear will be thrown open for another serving this week - but viewers in the UK face an extra day wait. Camy and co will be back with another set menu of 10 episodes shortly. The prep has been finished, the oven has been switched on and the last touches are being put to season 4 of the Disney Plus hit. In what has become a rare feat it will be the fourth series released by the show in just four years - and it is almost time to tuck in. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad However you may find yourself having to dodge spoilers due to a quirk in the release schedule. Here's all you need to know: Why will The Bear be released later in the UK? Jeremy Allen White in The Bear season 2 | Disney It is not the first time that British viewers have had to wait longer for The Bear to arrive. Its first season didn't release in the UK until October 2022 - fourth months after its debut in the US. Fortunately, the wait will not be anywhere near as long this time. The Bear will release season four on Hulu and Disney Plus on Wednesday (June 25) for American viewers. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad It is set to land on Disney+ in the UK on Thursday (June 26) - with all 10 episodes available. The reason for the day difference on this side of the pond, is because The Bear will be releasing in the US on Wednesday evening and time differences have to be factored in. The Bear season four will drop on streaming at 8pm ET/ 5pm PT on June 25 - which is 1am GMT, according to Yahoo . So all of the episodes will be waiting for you when you wake up on Thursday. What to expect from The Bear season four? In a brief tease for the season, Disney Plus said that the new episodes will find Carmen 'Carmy' Berzatto (White), Sydney Adamu (Ayo Edebiri) and Richard 'Richie' Jerimovich (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) pushing forward, determined not only to survive, but also to take The Bear to the next level. It adds: 'With new challenges around every corner, the team must adapt, adjust and overcome. This season, the pursuit of excellence isn't just about getting better – it's about deciding what's worth holding on to.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Have you got a story you want to share with our readers? You can now send it to us online via YourWorld at . It's free to use and, once checked, your story will appear on our website and, space allowing, in our newspapers.
Scotsman
an hour ago
- Scotsman
Why is The Bear season 4 out later in the UK? Release details
The Bear fans will have to wait a bit longer for season four in the UK 😲 Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The Bear is almost ready to serve up another course of episodes. Dinners in the UK will have to wait an extra day to tuck in however. But what is the reason for the delay? The doors to The Bear will be thrown open for another serving this week - but viewers in the UK face an extra day wait. Camy and co will be back with another set menu of 10 episodes shortly. The prep has been finished, the oven has been switched on and the last touches are being put to season 4 of the Disney Plus hit. In what has become a rare feat it will be the fourth series released by the show in just four years - and it is almost time to tuck in. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad However you may find yourself having to dodge spoilers due to a quirk in the release schedule. Here's all you need to know: Why will The Bear be released later in the UK? Jeremy Allen White in The Bear season 2 | Disney It is not the first time that British viewers have had to wait longer for The Bear to arrive. Its first season didn't release in the UK until October 2022 - fourth months after its debut in the US. Fortunately, the wait will not be anywhere near as long this time. The Bear will release season four on Hulu and Disney Plus on Wednesday (June 25) for American viewers. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad It is set to land on Disney+ in the UK on Thursday (June 26) - with all 10 episodes available. The reason for the day difference on this side of the pond, is because The Bear will be releasing in the US on Wednesday evening and time differences have to be factored in. The Bear season four will drop on streaming at 8pm ET/ 5pm PT on June 25 - which is 1am GMT, according to Yahoo . So all of the episodes will be waiting for you when you wake up on Thursday. What to expect from The Bear season four? In a brief tease for the season, Disney Plus said that the new episodes will find Carmen 'Carmy' Berzatto (White), Sydney Adamu (Ayo Edebiri) and Richard 'Richie' Jerimovich (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) pushing forward, determined not only to survive, but also to take The Bear to the next level. It adds: 'With new challenges around every corner, the team must adapt, adjust and overcome. This season, the pursuit of excellence isn't just about getting better – it's about deciding what's worth holding on to.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad
Economist
2 hours ago
- Economist
How to think about the manosphere
'Ihave been noticing you around.' The statement—spoken by a young woman on an American university campus in 1978—was clear, simple and ever so slightly suggestive. It was followed by another, even more suggestive statement: 'I find you to be very attractive.' Then came an even clearer question: 'Would you go to bed with me tonight?'
