Renee Fleming sings "The willow song" Otello

[tebaldicallas]

She lacked italian bites in her singing - go to Tebaldi - it suited Tebaldi's voice better.

But still a nice interpretation.

[Huaimek861]

Renee Fleming seems to have a wonderful singing technique , which gives absolute effortless perfect sound and expressiveness ; she is an intelligent singer whom to my ear interprets really well .

[TheDaisycler]

chicheEzayitas,montez sur la scène du Chatelet et...................Chantez.A­près,ns verrons.

[jeffluvsfishin]

she sounds like a sick cat giving birth. it's just retched

[TheDaisycler]

Dieu du ciel! Quelle merveille cette voix

[CallasAfrica]

I find it amazing how people always find something to criticise in every performance no matter how perfect it is. This is perfect both dramatically and vocally.... Can we just leave it at that?

[BrandonTJones69]

this is perfection!!!!!

[Bebushikeq]

Kryeveper!

[nostopsnopurgatory]

So touching.

[Federicopera]

Listen to Renata Scotto or Anna Moffo version!!!!

[mintykangaroo]

i love fabio playing the clarinet at 2:29.

[sopranosd]

What is it with the pop music dropping of the sound at the end of the "Salce"s? It sounds so out of place and jarring.

[MyMusikant]

fantastic!!!

[Babs22h]

she must be cold!

[joetaiwan1]

Astounding!

[fionasfancies]

I did this on my faculty recital at Montevallo in February 2009. Such a demanding scene, both vocally and dramatically. I have a new appreciation for it after singing it myself! Renee makes it look effortless.

[dustbunni007]

Good job with the stomp on 5:30...what is going on with that?

[matthieusarah]

why didn't she take off her coat?

[GEMahler]

Maybe it was cold in the theater.

[Babs22h]

cold?

[GEMahler]

Yes, perhaps that is why she kept her coat on, besides being a ravishing coat.

[ALESSIAlala]

meravigliosa

[urmorph]

Lovely performance. To answer a previous question: the opera was first produced in Feb. 1887, when Verdi was 73. This excerpt is called "The Willow Song" from its refrain, "O willow, willow," in Italian "Salce". Desdemona explains to her maid, Emilia, that she often heard it sung by her own mother's maid, Barbara, who had been abandoned by her lover and died with this song on her lips. The willow is a symbol of sorrow and weeping, for obvious reasons.

[KriBlackRoson]

I see that you know what you're talking about, that's awesome!

People shouldn't listen to oper without reading a bit about it before

[caritas83]

I do not know about her botox and honestly I could not care less about her personal cosmetic decisions. I found her quite expressive in this recording. In the first part she sang in a very nostalgic way(she did not start desperate from the beginning like many of the singers), then she panicked but tried to hide it from emilia and finally she lost it and became desperate. She analyzed really well the character. Brava signora Fleming! Cosi ci piace!

[Babs22h]

how do any of you know she gets botox! jeesh!

[KriBlackRoson]

she doesn't

[bizmailnow]

Really? A discussion about Botox? There are much more significant things about this posted performance than her cosmetic rituals. How about her singing? How about the musical accompaniment? Worth a discussion? the singer will always be so much less important than the music written, as singers are far more available than composers of such beauty.....

[rootedinfaith3]

When was this written, do you know?

[coy6642126]

so what if she does botox? I'd prefer her looking pretty especially if I'm paying the ticket to see her. This world is just filled with hypocrites. Just shut up.

[jmahlon]

I'm not a hypocrite I don't get botox. I think its sad that she feels the need to.  I'd rather see her be expressive than pretty.

[wonderloly]

part of paying a lot of money for tickets to see a world class singer is to see the expression on her face which is in return reflecting the expression in her voice and the music. what's the point of having a production if you aren't going to see the expressions on said singers faces? it's supposed to evoke emotions in the listeners. and who the hell said she wasn't pretty without the botox anyway? are you folks crazy? having a frozen face doesnt = beauty.

[JerseyJae]

Actually, from a singer's standpoint, why would you freeze your face? Expressions are very important as are visualizations. For proper tone placement you don't want an unfeeling face! (She does sound lovely though)

I want to know why she's dressed like it's a winter in Russia? I've seen several performances where she's so overclothed. Why the heavy coat?

[bobbleheadedbudgie]

Maybe it is freezing on stage?

[JuliannaMilton]

haha! I AGREE : )

[durangokid55]

I find her so very inchanting and graceful.

[orfeo2003]

Renee is so beautiful!

[soulmach]

Beautiful professional voice, and for the record, I love the clothes. Very tasteful :)

[pianoandpipes]

Is that Christoph Eschenbach conducting?

[nadiapatton]

Yes

[pianoandpipes]

Thats what I thought - thank you.

[54spiritedwill54]

Thank you very much for posting these clips of Renee

[missverdi]

What an artist and what a gift to us. Thank you for posting it.

[lady00010]

Thank you so much for this, it is extraordinary and truly unique

[tphowle]

The way the sound just pours out of her!! Effortless, glorious sound!

[Homoclassicus]

Wonderful Desdemona. One doesn't need to compare her to other great interpreters to state that. She's great, period. Tebaldi, Freni and so many other singers were remarkable Desdemonas, and still Fleming does wonderful things. It's an intimate, deep, heartbreaking interpretation coupled with an extraordinary voice.

[hwhap13]

Great post! She's a greatness to be parted away from all the others. It almost seems like she doesn't watch/listen to other past famous singers performing this aria.

With her it sounds so fresh, so peculiar and God does she have a BEAUTIFUL voice!!!

[mayboisinger]

It's flattering for fans to hear artists sing the repertoire they love and favor. It's almost like sharing their diary. Now, if Sumi Jo were to sing Wagner, well, period the end. Renee is deeply expressive, and truly states the text's meaning with her actions & body language. I've heard some great voices, but NO acting & the stage presence is just dead. Some truly surpassed their lack of vocal health and acted the hell out of a piece and the audience wanted more. Just my thoughts...

[CHerbek]

Heartbreakingly beautiful...

[Bigman240]

I don't think her voice should have more bite. Does Mariella Devia have more bite? It's her phrasing and understanding of the style that are lacking. In fact, she stated once in an interview that she wasn't fluent in Italian and that she concentrates on the French and German repertoire.

[sour7lemon]

Turridu, normally I would agree with you, but with bel canto music, the point is really to have no bite, rather just perfect legato smooth singing. I personally like the edgier voice, but technically Renee is singing this perfectly.

[charis337]

i agree. btw, when i heard her singing this role in the house, i couldn't make out a single word she's singing. consonants just disappear...

[sopranosd]

@sour7lemon - Bel Canto? I thought Verdi was a verismo composer -- but either way, legato is the goal of all classical vocal technique. Renee is doing beautiful velvet singing - alas with that habitual chewing of the vowels, but so yummy the sound!

[ElizabethLewis3]

Verdi is pre verismo by quite a few generations, lol - The concept is found in Cav and Pag - probably the only two true verismo - operas and even then.... But the style is stretched to fit most of the Puccini operas. The concept is to faithfully depict life as it happens. To create vocal lines without additional effects and without additional emotional or dramatic commentary other than the what occurs. Like journalism.

[ElizabethLewis3]

@sopranosd

Verdi is pre verismo by quite a few generations, lol - The concept is found in Cav and Pag - probably the only two true verismo - operas and even then.... But the style is stretched to fit most of the Puccini operas. The concept is to faithfully depict life as it happens. To create vocal lines without additional effects and without additional emotional or dramatic commentary other than the what occurs. Like journalism.

[55patri]

PRECIOSA RENÉE

[Bigman240]

I think she should put on more clothes! ;-)

[actionsrlouder]

LOL

[typicalsoprano]

Hahaha! I agree! she is dressed way too provocatively! :-P

[lumpylumps579]

Talk about leaving something to the imagination...

[chelsea103]

These my-soprano-is-better-than-your­-soprano arguments are so pointless and ridiculous. Some like Tebaldi. Some like Fleming. So what?

[renethel]

this is such a great and expressive performance by Fleming! but her bulky dark clothing makes me only want to listen and not look though. and a comment like this doesn't need a reply lol!

[Otellogv]

I think that Fleming's interpretation is very moving and this music suits her voice and personality perfectly. She has a very beautiful voice and is one of the leading (if not the) exponents of this role today. Yes, Tebaldi did make for a very moving Desdemona although I'm sure many people today would find her interpretation and vocal style old-fashioned.

[michaud1]

Chelsea 103 we her recordings to prove that she was better than Fleming. Fleming is not that bad. Her voice is not as pure as Tebaldi.

[ezayitas]

What a stupid stupid STUPID COMMENT.

[iheartverdi]

This performance has depth and a wide spectrum of colors. The inflections used here are beautifully subtle. You get a real human and visceral quality that is still ethereal. Thanks for the add.

[iheartverdi]

Beautiful.

[chelsea103]

Renata is dead. Get over it.

[iheartverdi]

That's kinda harsh. But I understand your frustration with listeners like michaud1 and potrabsas who are content with sweating with the oldies. Those guys are not longer performing, it's time to enjoy those for what they offered opera in their hayday but we must realize there's a flock of good singers today that something to offer other than a lofty legacy.

[ezayitas]

Exactly... that guy is RIDICULOUS!

[michaud1]

She only ok. Tebaldi is better and more natural.

Low notes not too pretty. She is better than L.Price in this aria but not better than Renata.

[ezayitas]

Another STUPID COMMENT!!!

[VerdianoBR]

Fleming is amazing. It's no surprise that she sings it with the purest and most beautiful tones, but I also enjoyed her sincere and innocent interpretation. In the end of "Ave Maria", her eyes are so expressive that I thought she was going to cry. Brava to her!

[Glenmed]

Renee should have got through this and had some applause in less than 10 minutes. Renata did and no improvement on that was needed.

[colortura]

Thank you very much for posting these clips of Renee, my favorite lyric soprano. Bravo!!!