Renee Fleming "Libera me Domine" Verdi' Requiem

[fluteman13]

Never...never have I seen anyone sing this with as much passion!

[OrpheuCe]

interesting is that Verdi composed LIBERA ME DOMINE for Rossini, the idea was an homnage to the grat italian composer, and other compossers whould do other parts of the mass too......but that never happened............. just many years after, wen his friend Manzoni died he added this in his Requiem, and he conducted himself at the Duomo di Milano

[MusicVocalism]

I think I had an out of body experience that was sooooooo incredible -- Renee stupendous!

[nostopsnopurgatory]

I love her!

[MrBranchFreeman]

5:52 -6:37 is the best! Awesome!

[musadiagosto]

Secondo me il Requiem è la più bella opera di Verdi ( insieme al Nabucco ) , soprattutto questo pezzo , ma adoro anche il "lacrimosa" cantata dal contralto .

Che dire di Renee Fleming ... è meravigliosa !

In my opinion Requiem is the most beautiful work of Giuseppe Verdi (with Nabucco obviously ...) this piece especially , but I love very much also the "Lacrimosa" sung by the alto , what saying about Rene Fleming ?!? She is amazing , I love her ...

[jawhitney25]

Is this the concert she talks about having to do when her teacher, Beverly Johnson, died in January 2011? She wrote that she was scheduled to sing Verdi's Requiem in London. This must be the same night, right? If so, it's pretty incredible that she was able to sound/look so beautiful when she going through such a difficult time. But, it IS Renee we're talking about...so, maybe it's not that surprising that she would gather herself and do what was expected of her. What a woman.

[Observer585]

I AM a Fleming fan but did not think her voice would be appropriate for the Verdi Requiem. I was wrong. She is one of the best I have heard in this role.

[jbcritters]

If only I could sing good enough to be in the chorus, let alone open my mouth and have such wonderful sounds come forth. Truly amazing - and so wonderful.

[abstractpapabear]

This was beautiful...well sung. Definitely puts her own spin on it.  Verdi knew how to capture the Latin text. Superb!

[montsyblackmadonna]

One of the very best since Montserrat Caballe.

[vaughangarrick]

how beautiful- I thought noone could do better than Luba Orgonasova but this is great stuff

[andnomoresorrow]

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[raigekimaru]

I can't say this is the healthiest choice of repertoire, but she did sound beautiful in the more lyrical sections.

[operaemi]

I did not like Fleming at all, at first. Then I saw her live at the MET. and realized that recordings do not do her voice justice in the least. If you can't decide whether or not to like her, go see her live and she'll break your heart.

[annierosebud]

To all those who criticise, I say this. When can I / we expect the same exact quality from you namely Benchrusch, chorusinger with regard to Renee. Both of you seem to think ur the bees knees, when FRANKLY ur not. UR knowledge is extremely limited, I know because of ur comments. Trust me - I'm NOT letting this one go

[nicktnewt]

2:07 into 3:00 melts my heart!

[Benchrusch]

The high C is piano. the rest sounds fine. But this high C is one of the most wonderful parts of this piece. She might have sung it with less power.

[PreacherThug]

I have no idea what she's singing about, but I like it.

I think she is very sad indeed about something. Maybe her cat died.

[chorusinger]

@PreacherThug

It's sad to read comments like yours. It only shows your lack of education. You can make all the comments you want, but a little class would be nice on a site like this.

Too bad, class seems to be foreign to you.

[PreacherThug]

I have no idea what she's singing about, but I like it.

I think she is very sad indeed about something. Maybe her cat died.

[Tenoreforte05]

the colour & passion of her voice in the phrase that begins at 7:18 is remarkable; i keep going to that part of this clip over and over again.

and i agree with you CHASSON0218- the mezzo is gettin a little jealous. the colour of renee's voice in her lower register is pretty fierce.

[Chasson0318]

I'm laughing at look on the Mezzo's face at 7:34 LOL

[SchugOo]

7:55...just wonderful...

[wasww26]

The altos who start the fugue frighten me =(

[Tchappz]

@wasww26 ahaha friend I laughed a lot after reading your coment and seeing it in the viedo... hahaha

[wasww26]

@Tchappz What was funny?

[Tchappz]

@wasww26 Your comment about the altos in the fugue :) I read it but I was still before the moment in the video and when it came I just started laughing :D

[mecsings]

@wasww26 As an alto who just finished performing this, it's impossible to not look terrifying at that moment! ;-) A very difficult-but impressive- entrance. In fact, our director implored the altos to "scare the rest of us to death."

[wasww26]

Such amazing intonation!!!!

[annierosebud]

jadran1959 look up what this section of a piece is ALL ABOUT i.e it's a Funeral Mass. Secondly, all of those making comments about Renee Flemings' voice, I personally don't care who she is Nationally. To those freely commenting, making critisisms about Renee etc. All I can say is; put ur money where ur mouth is and why have I, and many others like me around the globe never actually ever heard of YOU as an individual. Easy to critise, hard to emulate, but even harder to come close.

[znbr1]

Maybe you are right, but I can see her singing quiet well.Anyway in this piece the important thing is the magnificent ensemble between the soloist and the choir and the orchestra is almost not heard. Wonderful conducting by Antonio Pappano!

[brt1050]

Renee Fleming's a baller. Plain and simple.

[jadran1959]

the last honourable gentleman's contribution makes clear to me why i felt the last lines to be very moving....

indeed very brisk, fast even, the fastest version i know of...but somehow it all stays together. quite interesting, and energertic...but i still prefer Karajan's version. this was never meant to be a funeral piece, but italian drama

[linnyloo2]

Renee's performance in this is exquisite, and all the more touching knowing that her heart was breaking after learning earlier that day of the loss of her beloved voice teacher Beverley Johnson. In her book, she says " ... I have no memory of that concert; it was as if I were not even present, and yet so many people have ... told me how moved they were by the performance." So to those nitpickers watching this Catholic Mass, a little Christian charity would be in order here.

[lamusicahera]

excuse to all around....

but this not for FLEMINGS VOICE!

She is not an spintosoprano and her voice better fits into Mozarts Requiem etc.

I have heard her singing live Verdi and this has been OK with Microphones...

BUT BUT BUT BUT ....

No No No

[Juliaflo]

I second that.

I am a light lyric soprano and under NO circumstances will I accept an offer to sing the soprano solo in the Verdi Requiem (I have sung in the chorus).

[amsfrog66]

Yet one of the definite recorded version was recorded with Schwarzkopf... also a lyric soprano... But I guess maestro Giulini probably did not know understand anything about Verdi's music ?

[MariaCaIIas]

@lamusicahera I have actually heard her sing Verdi Requiem live in a proper theatre -no amplification- and the last thing anyone could say is that this is not for her.

In a super star cast she shined undoubtedly.

I agree with reservations about her style but there she is... and, you know what... most "lyric sopranos" with her sound would have gone into heavier stuff... she is too smart for that. The Verdi Requiem is for her though.

[ColinMeloy91]

AMAZING parts are: 1:00 to 2:54 and 6:58 to 8:36 !!!!!!!!! I LOVE this movement SOO much! :)

[splair]

I won't lambast Fleming here. There are plenty of impressive examples of her singing at her best. I will however say that the tempo in this performance was insanely brisk and that I miss the la Scala performance with Leontyne Price.

[Lanark8]

Requiem - Also called Requiem Mass. the Mass celebrated for the repose of the souls of the dead. So much energy used in this performance. Most people might need a few weeks vacation to get back to normal. Kind regards to you and yours! Always!

[NNomad]

Wow! That a capella 'Reqiuem' section is close to perfect. Almost brought a tear to my eye. Very moving.

[federricoilgrande]

It's NOT Liberame but Libera me ::))

[ronaldadrian]

This was performed at the Barbican Center in London. I was there that night. While Renee's high Bb may not have been her finest pianissimo, she captured the audience with her beautiful interpretaion, particularly when she closed her folder and sang to the heavens. The whole evening was brilliant.

[teeej7869]

I performed this requiem in Canterbury Cathedral last night. It was phenominal.

[nicktnewt]

1:59 -- 2:02 gives me cold chills! Renee I love you!

[teeej7869]

that modulation is easily one of the most effective i have ever heard.

[chueca]

Pretty insecure high Bb. Ironically Urmana who here is singing mezzo sings a perfect high pianissimo on her recent performance as soprano. Also Urmana is a real verdi soprano, unlike renee

[ifmusicbe]

Urmana singing the soprano part in the Verdi Requiem: nice, if you don't mind a vocal wobble big enough to drive a truck through. Come to think of it, she kinda looks like a truck driver.

[tenorismo]

My God , perfume adds , 2 secounds interviews comming off the stage. Her faceil mannerisims , enough of La Flemming.

[mwdot12]

Why on earth does it matter who sang this best? Renee Fleming sang it beautifully and with passion, and that is important. I believe that some people just don't want to accept that an American can be so very talented, but it really doesn't matter if she is better or worse than others. It's really not about that, is it?

[Zarathustra06]

Of course it matters who sang it best - it's only natural that people would want to argue for the quality of certain versions over others. However, I agree with you that many of the commentators here have entirely neglected to acknowledge how brilliant Fleming is and how brilliant is this particular performance. It is silly to just launch into negative statements about someone else having once done it better.

[swanningaround]

mwdot. You say that "people just don't want to accept that an American can be so very talented." It is the opposite. I think she is often overstated as she is American. People do not criticize as she is an American. That having being said, I think she has done a great job in this video. If you want a fine example of a great American, look to Leonard Bernstein - no one would criticize him, least of all me.

[wasww26]

@mwdot12 It's actually wide accepted that American schools of classical music have the best training in the world, because they have the heaviest funding.... no worries.... It merely comes out of insecurity...

[Russebby]

@mwdot12 People pick one singer over another as a form of namedropping, trying to prove they've listened to the song many times from many singers. There are thousands of songs like that on YouTube, where a beautiful singer is robbed of a little splendor because some knucklehead says, or, such-and-such is better. Beauty is beauty and should be relished as such, and those who can't appreciate it can go fuck themselves.

[PaulHaigh072]

effortless x

[pianosinger18]

Understand, this was performed just after someone very close to her passed away. To me, this is one of the best points in her career so far, but unfortunately it was brought on by a sad event.

[zweb17]

I completely agree with you about Brewer's high Bb, Kdawg080786. Christine is unbelievable...even when she's under the weather.

[Brunildilla]

Not a chance....:(

[Kdawg080786]

One more thing....call me ignorant .....but english speaking countries completely BUTCHER the latin pronunciations.....aeternam is pronounced with an open E .....and diphthongs are so annoying and they are the biggest problem in countries where english is the primary language!

[Kdawg080786]

Christine Brewer's high B flat at the end was way better .....and in tune....well at least when she sang with the St. Louis symphony orchestra....

[jadedsweetie]

its way too fast. this music is so rich and i listen and think, why the rush?

[soodabay]

Listen to her voice at 1:28. Her use of vibrato speed is out of this world! That part gives me chills:)

[sea84aes]

wow - in her autobiography she speaks of this performance being the night she found out that her beloved teacher died. talk about fueling artistry with genuine emotion. i think it's wonderful. LOVE HER!

[nomsdufrere]

very cheezy. sorry I don't see that emotion.

[pianosinger18]

That's correct, I can see what she meant when people told her it was chilling to see this performance.

[laurielou2]

I think Lynne Dawson does this much better. Her voice is superb.

[swanningaround]

Of course she is. So is Michelle Crider who can belt this out too.

[sebastian12312]

the chorus in way to weak or small

[TuskegeeFellow]

Not only does the choir and orchestra suck. Renee Fleming sounds a damned mess. Swooping up to the notes. Just sing the notes damnit!

[Jgrayski]

The conductor is totally stoned.

[Jgrayski]

Look at his eyes.

[cek1111]

But that chest voice is amazing!

[cek1111]

She ruins my lovely Ab at the begininng!!!!! and also Ruins Bb! It' so sad. But without this important Ab, and Bb. She's good...

[micioamilano]

già fatto..effettivamente Desdemona non la fa male, ma non possiamo assolutamente confrontare le due scritture..

[atalantagoddess]

She has such a beautiful voice...and this is such a beautiful song... *tears*

[camlynn7]

BTW...her teacher had just died the night before this performance. You try singing THIS requiem with those kinds of emotions. It shows just how strong and brilliant and dedicated she is.

[4399794]

hey Guys! I don't know how many live performances you have seen but there are quite naturally deviations between live performances and studio recordings. The imperfections are what make a performance firstly very human and secondly by being human also very beautiful. Any performer can be a bit off on the day for any of a myriad of reasons. Renee has no need to prove what she knows how to do. We all know exactly who she is and because of who she is I, at least, love her dearly.

[micioamilano]

Ma lasciate Verdi alle voci verdiane...questa capra che si canti la sua musica tedesca e francese!

[rbpenelope2008]

In effetti la Fleming qui non rende...ma invito "micioamilano" ad ascoltarLa nell'Ave Maria dall'Otello...a parte la magnifica e personale vocalità,è una delle migliori interpretazioni Verdiane di Desdemona!

In questo concerto colpisce di più il coro... sembra un gruppo di pensionati dilettanti adatti tuttalpiù a cantare polifonia in parrocchia...Certo il direttore ha le sue colpe...ispira un sonno ristoratore,più che il tormento di un sonno eterno!!!

[rbpenelope2008]

ascoltala nell'Ave Maria dall'Otello!

[rbpenelope2008]

ascoltala nell'Ave Maria dall'Otello!

[cleanears]

What high school performance is this?

[latraviata1853]

That high Bb at the end of the soft section in the middle was the only seriously flat note I've ever heard Renee sing.

[Heraopera]

This is Verdi and this is Renee Fleming a voice which is only for the liric stuff enough! Mozart is her ressort! But she started to kill her voice.... Awful ! I cant understand this unintelligent recordings of the last time...she lost her divastatus ....

[xgianpatrick]

scoopy mess...pull yourself together Renee!!!

Such a tremendous voice; such questionable taste.

[barleggero]

Bah! Check Freni or Nilsson singing this... Freni especially on her late Spinto days... the voice just cuts through the orchestra and choral tutti like a blade up to a glorious high C.

Nilsson we all know what she was capable of ;)

[nessie96]

The Nilsson recording is out of this world....and Rosalind Elias singing the mezzo part on that recording isn't chopped liver either. I highly recommmend it!!!!

[radames2]

Amazing! Why would they cut the camera away from Fleming on the high c?

[lungdoc]

Fleming does a very job here even if this is not a piece best suited for her voice.

[wobblatura83]

the soft part is great; the other part needs more squillo to cut through the orchestra and chorus. I hate the jazzy scooping

[nancejanejohnsen]

Lyn Dawson singing at Princess Diana's funeral is the best Liberame I have ever heard, and I agree, Leontyne Price is who God would sound like if God were a woman (and I'm a white woman...I feel like I have to say that). Listen to Ms. Dawson's version at Diana's funeral. It is as moving as listening to Pavarotti's singing Nessum Dorma! This is too overly dramatic and loud. Fleming is great but this is too much..

[jucundi]

Thanks for the reference to Lyn Dawson. The recording I found of it on YouTube is of inferior quality so it's hard to compare the two. However, Fleming sounds more nuanced (and better technique). I did notice that Ms. Dawson has only choir and organ, the echoey cathedral delay, and the emotion of the occasion (all of which could work in one's favor). Both Dawson's and Fleming's are lovely performances. Thanks again for mentioning.

[idleruler]

And the London Symphony Orchestra sound awesome, too!!!

[christylynn81]

wow. what is the rush? why the hurry through the libera me? the orchestra and chorus shouldn't have ruined her high c, although, slowing the entire movement down would have made it that much more expressive. verdi is genius. period.

[organist08]

Bravo! Excellent performance. In regards to the climax of the piece, I don't care who you are or what the music says, if the singer cannot be heard, the orchestra and chorus need to back off a bit. I did think that it was excellent thought.

[belcantowvu]

I agree. :)

[griffindor1974]

Wasn't it filmed the day she learned her teacher died?

Great performance as always. That's professionalism.

[rewyand04]

I completely agree that some harmonic effects are better heard with straight toned choirs, especially in sections of a soft dynamic level. However, the climaxes and loud dynamics are not anywhere near as effective as they are with a choir that has vibrato, such as in this Libera me section.

[nessie96]

Fleming is wonderful....however, the chorus is way too loud...should be a great deal more muted.

[RobNYNY1957]

Fleming's voice is just a couple of sizes too small for the climaxes in the Requiem. Verdi's volume indication for the chorus and orchestra in the phrase leading up to the soprano's high C is "ff Tutta Forza". Not much room for ambiguity there. A soprano needs a big top to cut through that. Fleming is a fine singer on her best days, but not the sort of singer who can cut through such largge forces at this climax.

[Contratenor18mlg]

Bravo...!!

[rewyand04]

i really dislike it when choirs sing the Verdi Requiem straight-toned. Renee is great however.

[RobNYNY1957]

Check out the Abbado/Berlin with the Swedish Radio Choir/Eric Ericsson Chamber Choir. The best chorus in the world, and all straight tone. I grew upon choruses with lots of vibrato (like the Met Opera Chorus) and realized when I started hearing straight tone choruses that some harmonic effects just don't work without straight tone.

[CONTESTAR]

it is so funny that Urmana is the mezzo sitting next to her... because Renee was the best soprano I ever heard live in VRequiem till then and some years later Urmana was the other "soprano" that stole my heart (next to Renee) in VRequiem, when Violetta successfully changed Fach.

[belcantowvu]

I am a huge Renee Fleming fan. There are two camps: either you love her to death, or you hate her. While I believe that technique is a very important thing, it is not the only thing that defines a performance. I love Renee Fleming because of what her singing does to my heart. So she's not perfect, no one is, but her performances evokes very strong emotions from my heart. This especially breaks my heart, because I know what I see in her face is real. I'll take that over perfect technique ANY DAY.

[chorusinger]

@belcantowvu You sad it all and perfectly so ! Renee has absolutely the same effect on me. She sings with heart and sole, you can feel the role she portrays, her emotions and expressions are wonderful. Is she perfect? Of course not. No one is and not all composers/roles fit every singer, male or female. However, this performence is outstanding.

[violinist1990]

@belcantowvu What a wonderful ay to put it; you took the words right out of my mouth :)

[swanningaround]

@belcantowvu Hey. I don't think that Renee is actually hated by anyone. She does have a very good voice. It is just that people compare her with others, and the benchmark is very high indeed at this level. I actally think as time goes on, she will actually go up in peoples' ratings, as the standard keeps on dropping. To my mind, she is certainly superior to any of the younger ones (under 50). She also has such a huge repetoire that she has just about sung everything going.

[Pacabelle]

I still prefer Leotyne Price's rendition after I listened to Rene.

[Juliaflo]

Leontyne Price has a voice that was BORN to sing a piece like this.

[annierosebud]

I'm having difficulty 'ifmusicbe' understanding where the paino is in this clip ?

As a pianist gifted with perfect pitch, can u tell me whereabouts a 'high B' is exactly ?? Unsofisticated chorus, if you don't like quality, then DON'T listen !! As for tempo - well Q.E.D.

[nadiapatton]

I think that ifmusicbe is not referring to piano as the instrument but as the dynamic (soft) at 4:06 when Renée Fleming sings pianissimo.

[ifmusicbe]

Renee is beautiful as usual (weird that the piano high B is out of tune though). In comparison, the female sections of the chorus sound really unsophisticated--no vocal line. Maybe it's the insane tempo.

[YARAGC]

Beau tenor you are frustated singer.let us listen in peace!liberame domine!

GREAT.this is youtube not a contest.

[elyk1986]

i think this was recorded the night she found out her voice teacher died, i think she does amazingly

[ufni3p]

This is the best performance of Verdi's requiem I've ever heard(saw it on TV some years ago) Pappano is fantastic here, it should be put on cd...

[lty2k84]

That was so fucking great.  Orgarmic all the way. It was like heaven hearing this group especially Renee. OMG>>

[fuzmiq]

Her voice is glorious!

[lungdoc]

As close to a religious experience as Music can provide. Fleming is sublime!

[BeauTenor]

She doesn't sound that bad here, although a Verdi soprano she most certainly is NOT. She disappears into the thunder of the orchestra coming up to the C, and even the C is not heard that well. That being sais, as usual, the music knocks me off my feet. The final 2 libera me's are one of the most sublimely beautiful things ever written. IMHO of course.

[Homoclassicus]

A glorious voice. Such a superb vocal instrument, when controlled by that great technique, makes a legendary voice. At her best performances Fleming can be really impressive!

We sense no strain, no difficulty at all in her vocal emission. From top to bottom (including haunting pianissimi), she's just ideal. Besides I love her restraint and reflexive poise, it's very moving.

[trekkie2006]

simply AMAZING. her beauty,her voice, her control, her power just knocks you off your feet!! Brava brava!!!!

[befreit1020]

What a super clip! Thank you! When and where did it take place? Renee is just sublime!

What a tone - such control, too!

Brava!