Renée Fleming sings Sempre libera from La traviata

[PandaPhantom]

ahhhhhhhhh my god. I hope I sound half as good as her when I perform!!! 0.0

[unclealand]

Now THIS is the Flemming "Traviata" I'd like to have seen.

[LohengrinT]

This is exquisite singing, to hear a soprano lyric sing this aria this well it is extraordinary

Even the comparison in the comments with Sutherland, the ultimate coloratura voice of all times, is the highest compliment for Fleming

[DrLohengrin]

@LohengrinT You are fabulous indeed, cannot wait to meet you again ;-P

[skitzo429]

when was this?

[lisamayavonB]

In Renees own words: “The difficulty is absolutely the Act 1 aria [“Sempre libera”] for me. It is just not natural for my voice. When I start singing the aria I think, ’Well let’s see if we get through it tonight.’ Sometimes I wonder,” she muses, “if Verdi actually just didn’t like the soprano he was writing it for.” (from The Times)

[assindiastignani]

@lisamayavonB That's just plain silly.Verdi loved singers,but he still wrote demanding music for them. As Bergonzi aid, "Singing Verdi is the best vocal school there is." There have been many sopranos in the last 50 years who not only could sing the end of Act 1,but also had the size of voice necessary to sing the rest.Sutherland, Tucci, Moffo, Steber; more recently Maliponte and Tomowa-Sintow. Still,the aria is hard & Fleming sings it quite creditably.

[Zpevacek15]

É moltooo brava!

[uniqueattack]

squeaks and squacks and shrills and dipthongs and sirens and choking and scoops and yelps and clucks and screeches and applause because they're glad it's over! Did people pay $ for this? They should get a refund!

[TerrancePogue]

@uniqueattack lolol omg... clearly not one of her better roles

[ajking26]

does anyone know when this is from?

[unclealand]

What a pity Renee Fleming is only a wonderful actress with a beautiful voice. Snotty old opera queens will never enjoy much of anything except going to their graves sucking lemons. Meanwhile, the rest of us can get excited over the flawed, beautiful Renee.

[saracidal3303]

This seems too labored, and rushed. Which is a shame, I really enjoy her.

[kgarmaker123]

This really sucks.. This is terrible singing.

[AuditoryEden]

@kgarmaker123 Clearly you aren't familiar with what opera is supposed to sound like. This is prime opera singing. The recording isn't great, but Renée Flemming is an amazing soprano.

[kgarmaker123]

@AuditoryEden I bet i have been to a lot more live performance s of operas than you have in my life time.. I do know what it sounds like..She sucks at Violetta.. Shouldnt even try the part.. She is a good lyric soprano.. but she is NOT amazing.

[AuditoryEden]

@kgarmaker123 Maybe you've seen more, but I'm sure I know more about actual opera technique than you, and Renee Flemming is amazing. Seeing, or hearing, is not knowing. Taking extensive lessons and recognizing the perfection of her technique and her amazing control, is.

[leonardovittori1]

@AuditoryEden I have.. and just because she can vocalize well, does not mean that she is musically accurate in this role, or.. convincing as an actress or a singer.. She should stay away from Verdi .. She is great in French.. manon, Thais.. Thats where she is great and she is a great Mozart singer.

[AuditoryEden]

@leonardovittori1 Well, I suppose we are all entitled to opinions. I shall keep mine and not challenge yours, and let's leave it at that.

[acitipo]

Lo ha cantado diversamente, no como lo hizo Verdi, hizo el re sobre agudo antes de tiempo, pero no me ha gustado nada, bueno en gustos y colores.......no dudo que es una soprano destacada, pero creo que se ha dejado llevar por cierta "modernidad".

[gonzalordm]

eso tendría que ser un mi. Que dicho sea de paso no está escrito, por tanto si se quiere se da, sino tambièn...

Es una variación... Y bueno, tambièn es una bonita variación la anterior en la coloratura que le agrega una fioritura... Me pareciò bien. No será la mejor violetta, pero muy disfrutable.

[histeringg]

en mi opinion disfruto mas la version de callas, perece que el mi lo da mas descansado que renée que se sigue de largo y pareciera que se adelanta ligeramente al momento culminante creo que no debio incursionar en la variacion

[vocedivinax]

I'm a singer too. This was my initial comment 6 months ago: "I thought her coloratura stylistically at that time was too much like Handle." Her coloratura in Violetta's run were stylistically NOT Verdi. Style is what I was referring to. Style of Mozart is different than Verdi. I'm sure many singers and conductors would agree.

[kgarmaker123]

@vocedivinax Her coloratura is labored, as she is singing way too big . and she needs a long time for her poor vocal cords to recover from the beating she is giving them... This is not good.. And I like Fleming.. This is screaming. And it is not comfortable either.

[RamirRMA]

What is this tenor?

[roselandalvin]

@RamirRMA the tenors name is Hewas Bellowing- A Dutch tenor

[emeboteerf]

This is so lush and free. Top Renee.

[asdfopera]

Great video. She actually looks a lot different as Violetta now. HGO actually filmed one of the performances but they haven't released it on DVD yet. :(

[vocedivinax]

I saw her in this role a fews ago when after she debuted it in Houston. I had a free ticket from a coach at the MET I work with. I thought her coloratura stylistically at that time was too much like Handle.

[musicaltheatrestar]

I'm sorry, but coloratura is coloratura!!! PEOPLE...there is no such thing as a Handel Coloratura, or Rossini Coloratura!!! Coloratura is Coloratura! Yes, you would sing Handel differently than other composers. But a singer doesn't think, "Oh!!! I'm singing Verdi!!! I need to change my coloratura!!!" NOOOO!!! If a singer sees something that's for a coloratura than they think, "I have to sing coloratura." I know this b/c I'm a singer.

[isabelle070209]

Ca monte tout seul.... Bravo!!

[chocolatesouljah]

Ms Fleming just got a rave review for this role on London. So maybe something different happened over there cuz I'm not feelin her in this clip. I have seen her in person in Julius Caesar and she was great. The Eugene Onegin clips reveal s brilliant artist but I find her approach here problematic.

[OperaLover84]

all you renee haters just don't get it. this woman is a genius.

[theucrepublicans]

I think it was pretty cool.

[tCrOMez1990]

who's the tenor? not very much a fan of that narrow sound

[UWPSYCHO]

batspaul: I agree. Yoman 36 is probably some jealous tranny. G#? God, what a douche.

[MisterSoprano]

I like Renne, but she should stay with what she can do best (Strauss, Rusalka, ...), not Violeta!

[yoman36]

AHAHAAH it was so a mess, right ! It would be interesting if she had finish on a high G# :P.

(my verb tenses are a mess too ! haha)

[Drelnis]

lol Sempre Libera with a G#, are we even talking about the human voice here?

[emeboteerf]

@Drelnis To which g-sharp do you refer? That was an E-flat at the end, which is the standard interpolation. It was a tremendous performance, though.

[Drelnis]

@emeboteerf I am fully aware that Sempre Libera ends traditionally with no high note and with an Eb with able sopranos, the G# I was mentioning is in reply to yoman36, who mentioned a G# :P

[kgarmaker123]

Man that ending was a mess. Again, totally doing what she feels like with Verdi. I do not like this woman.

[Drelnis]

it seems no living soprano is good enough for you, I've seen you trash soprano after soprano, saying she's not good, that dead person is better, this retired soprano is better, live in the real world!

[kgarmaker123]

Well, refute my comment. The ending was a mess.. it was not Verdi. The whole aria is not Verdi.. That is what i dislike about HER.. and you need to get a life. I dont need to love her, because you do. I think she is vastly overated.. I like Swensen better, I would have fired Fleming first, so there.

[Drelnis]

That point you're right. I too like Swenson (not Swensen, that's ice cream) better than Fleming in Sempre Libera, but that doesn't mean I have to go to every other soprano's recording and say bad things about them.

[kgarmaker123]

NO there was an actress called Inge Swensen, she created the lead role in 110 in the shade and was a great soprano.. and I like her too. Swenson, i have seen in Rigoletto, in Manon, and Norma(recently).. and she was fabulous.. Her Gilda is a thing of beauty.

[svaljr]

Yep, this is the FAMOUS April/May 2003 Houston Renee Fleming roled debut Traviata. I went to three performances including the exciting prima. I bumped into director Frank Corsaro in the men's restroom. I visited and paid my respects to the diva. She gave Houston an exciting run of Verdi's immortal opera of the fallen woman performing all seven performances including a live broadcast Plazacast outside the Wortham Center attended by thousands.

[ARReith]

where was this performed?

[sscc587]

Awesome, love Renee!!!

[OperaLover84]

Brava!

[Royalorgans]

Joan Sutherland sings this better

[lorenzo23466]

When she sang in Lucrezia Borgia at La Scala in Milan I was there and I defended her by the censures she received. Listening to this aria I prefer don't say nothing, but just because I respect the singers! No, I want to say something, reading what you wrote before, I understand that all the people that is not italian must to keep silent: you really don't have an idea what opera is!!!! So please, don't say anything, is better! You make Verdi cry, when you're talking about opera!

[Royalorgans]

Joan Sutherland does sing this better than Renee, Birgit Nilsson Probably could sing it better too if she performed it

[Heartlessiceboy]

Still the greatest composers for all times like MOZART or HANDEL(Mozart recognized Handel as the best composer ever!) wasn't italians.

and most of the greatest opera singers(besides castrati) aren't italian either

[hello2007rq]

First of all, you can't compare. They are two TOTALLY different voices. Sutherland brings aspects to the role that Renee Fleming can not and vise versa. Although this aria may be better set for Sutherland's Voice type, we can all agree on the fact that NO ONE can perform the role better than Renee Fleming. She is a goddess of the stage!

As for Lorenzo23466, you're an idiot. Italian opera is not the only Opera. I'm sure I know just as much about opera as you, if not more, and I'm an American.

[Royalorgans]

I bge to differ, Renee Flemings could probably act better than joan sutherland but Joan Sutherland Voice is far superior to that of Renee Fleming

[hello2007rq]

Once again, you simply can not compare the voices. They are two totally different voice fachs. Joan Sutherland is a Dramatic coloratura soprano, where as Renee Fleming is a Lyric Soprano with and extension.

And you can't say the Sutherland is a much better singer over all, because there are roles that Fleming does that Sutherland could never do.

However, they are both incredible performers that we can respect and learn a lot from!

[Drelnis]

For instance Sutherland can't pronounce words when she sings, not even in an English libretto, she herself laughs about it though, dismissing it as "mushy diction".

On the other hand, of course Fleming doesn't have that fiery coloratura run like Sutherland.

And sometimes you gotta admit Sutherland is not the world's best at facial expressions.

[blauauge2]

@hello2007rq of course you cam compare. sutherland had for example a much better singing technique and sounds much more clear than fleming.

[TerrancePogue]

@hello2007rq Likewise Joan sang roles that Renee could never pull off.......

[musicaltheatrestar]

I'd have to argue, I think that Natalie Dessay could perform the role of Violetta better ACTING wise!!! Natalie Dessay is the best actress in opera at this time! She is also the world's leading Coloratura Soprano!!! :)

[crazycellist973]

@musicaltheatrestar I would have to say that Cecilia Bartoli is better with coloratura than Dessay is. Some may call it mechanical, but I enjoy it!

[musicaltheatrestar]

@crazycellist973 Yes, Bartoli is a BEAST with coloratura!!!! but Natalie Dessay is the world's leading coloratura SOPRANO!!!!! Now if Bartoli were a soprano, she'd give Dessay a run for her money!!!

[crazycellist973]

@musicaltheatrestar I have no idea why I lumped a mezzo in with sopranos! But I do see your point!

[leonardovittori1]

@musicaltheatrestar She( Bartoli) is a soprano.. How many mezzo's do you knwo that sing sustained High e flats? Live and in concert? Answer.. NONE.. She has always been a soprano with a small supple voice and a range.. But you do not make big bucks, when you are a run of the mill soprano.. But if you are a "mezzo" that sings the colortuara repl. for sopranos.. you are now a phenom.. Cleaver marketiing.

[musicaltheatrestar]

@leonardovittori1 Yes, Bartoli does have a wide range, but that does not make her a soprano!!! I personally know a mezzo-soprano who can sing High F's!!!!! But she is STILL a MEZZO-SOPRANO!!!! Range is not as much of a deciding factor in voice classification as vocal timbre and the passagios (register shifts). Bartoli is a mezzo (even says so on her website). That being said, she has exquisite versatility and virtuosity.

[musicaltheatrestar]

@musicaltheatrestar The fact tat she can sing mezzo roles and SOME soprano roles is very amazing, and has helped her w/ her popularity. And yes she recently performed the entire role of Norma (which a lot of sopranos shy away from), but that doesnt automatically make her a soprano, it just shows how AMAZING of a voice she has. But Norma is also a lower, darker, and heavier soprano role. Bartoli hasnt shown that she has the vocal stamina to stay up in the soprano stratosphere.

[musicaltheatrestar]

@musicaltheatrestar I havent heard of Bartoli singing a full Violetta, Mimi, or Pamina. There is a difference between singing an aria from one of these roles and singing the ENTIRE role. Could you even imagine Bartoli singing the Doll song from The Tales of Hoffman? Even she has AMAZING coloratura, a lot of people doubt that she could survive singing in that high tessitura w/o straining or hurting her voice. I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but Bartoli calls herself a mezzo!

[kgarmaker123]

@musicaltheatrestar WEll, I think tackling Sempre Libera.. perhaps one of the most demanding cabaletta for a soprano in all of Verdi.... sort of nails it.. She sing s that too.. So lets stop arguing about it.. She is a soprano.

[kgarmaker123]

@musicaltheatrestar LOL, you know nothing... When was the last time you examined the score of Norma? Have you looked at the tessitura of Norma? The role is written for a dramatic soprano.. with coloratura.. If it were a lower role that mezzos could perform, then why did we not see many more fo them do it? Like STignani, Cossotto.. etc.. When Verrett and Bumbry did it, they billed themselves as sopranos .. BArtoli is a soprano... drop the clever marketing.

[kgarmaker123]

@musicaltheatrestar No, we are not talking about just the extreme high notes.. although they are in and of themselves unusual.. we are talking about the tessitura.. She sings Sempre Libera... She sings. all o the Rossini Seige, of Corinth.. and much of it in soprano keys.. She sings... Puritani too.. the Qui La Voce with the caballetta and the high e flat.. Wow ... if you quack like a duck and walk like a duck. you are a duck.

[musicaltheatrestar]

@kgarmaker123 Um NO!!! Yeah all Bartoli has SUNG from La Traviata is Sempre Libera!!! She hasn't sung the ENTIRE ROLE!!!!! She's a MEZZO!! It's on her WEBSITE AND WIKIPEDIA (although not the most reliable source, but who puts fake stuff on there about classical artists?) BUT she herself calls herself a MEZZO!!! SHE doesn't have the TIMBRE of a SOPRANO!!!! CASE SOLVED She has FANTASTIC VERSATILITY & that's as close to being a soprano she will be!!!

[kgarmaker123]

@musicaltheatrestar LOL the reason she has not done the whole role, is who would pay to hear her act like a retarded troll thorughout the role? She wouldn't be able to make the faces, etc.. But trust me, she could sing the music.. She is a soprano.. her voice is way too small for it, but she could sing it. And I really don;t care what she calls herself.. She is a soprano.. And if she starts calling herself a soprano.. she loses all her following.. audience and BUCKS!!

[musicaltheatrestar]

@kgarmaker123 What are you talking about? What are your credentials to even be saying this? Is classical music a hobby to you? or is it your JOB? b/c it's mine!! & I know a lot of BIG names in the classical world personally. There IS a rare voice fach called a Soprano Sfogato (you can look it up if you don't know what it means). But Bartoli isn't that! Frankly, you look like an ignorant fool whenever you keep on posting comments!!!

[musicaltheatrestar]

@musicaltheatrestar Btw, I WASN'T just talking about the EXTREME HIGH NOTES, but I was also talking about the EXTREMELY HIGH TESSITURA that those roles call for (especially Olympia....the Doll song) Bartoli couldn't do it!

[kgarmaker123]

@musicaltheatrestar

[musicaltheatrestar]

@kgarmaker123 yes kgarmaker123?

[kgarmaker123]

@musicaltheatrestar And what are yours? Do we just take your word for it? How can you on You tube prove it. Further, sfogato ( means "unlimited" soprano.. That is .. they can and do sing everything.. and you are right.. she is not that.. or an assoluta.. she is just a soubrette. She is also comparing herself to Malibran... who was a sfogato... at least in her albums, web site, etc. She is NOT an incarnation of Malifbran either. I assure you, dear idiot I am not the one looking stupid.. You are.

[musicaltheatrestar]

@kgarmaker123 Well, DEAR!!! I happen to work w/ some of the nation's leading vocal pedagogues periodically throughout the year. And when we meet, we like to tell each other who we've seen in what, & how it went, etc. Let me give you a piece of advice, no one can know a voice better than the one who possesses it. Bartoli calls herself a mezzo. Let's go w/ what she says. Would you tell her to her face that she is a soprano?

[musicaltheatrestar]

@musicaltheatrestar Since you are such an EXPERT voice classifier, you could help me & the pedagogues out....what classification does Mariah Carey's voice fall into?

[kgarmaker123]

@musicaltheatrestar She is a stratospheric colatura... most of these voices have wide wide ranges.. and many notes below a middle. C..

[musicaltheatrestar]

@kgarmaker123 Don't know about the coloratura for Mariah...but the pedagogues and I think she might be a soprano sfogato, since she seems to be able to sing in any tessitura she wants.

[kgarmaker123]

@musicaltheatrestar Thats if her high register could be heard beyong the first row... without amplification... She is not a sogato... Callas was the ONLY ONE of thE 20th century... She could no more sing Oh Don Fatale.. than a man and the moon( Mariah.. that is.).. Her middle register is VERY VERY weak... all she doe is chest up to the top of the staff. and sing in head voice the rest o the way.. that is not.. an unlimited soprano.. that is a yeller..

[musicaltheatrestar]

@kgarmaker123 ARE YOU A VOCAL PEDAGOGUE? She doesn't sing classical music, it's hard to make those ASSUMPTIONS about her!!!!!

[kgarmaker123]

@musicaltheatrestar LOL you are a musical pedophile.. and I have been to a few Mariah concerts and have heard her.. The girl has a voice. but the upper voice is small, very very very very very small.. and her middle voice is nonexistant. its all chest.

[musicaltheatrestar]

@kgarmaker123 Well, since you started the name-calling....if I'm a "musical pedophile", then you are a "musical serial RAPIST"!!!! (And Mariah only sings HER songs at her concerts....that is, SONGS SHE WROTE FOR HER VOICE). She is not going to get up in one of her concerts and break out into some "O mio babbino caro"!!!!

[kgarmaker123]

@musicaltheatrestar So let me ask you a question.. Bartoli, is one of the voices you have.. to use in a new production of the The masked Ball.. What would you cast her as? Amelia, Oscar.. or Ulrica?

[kgarmaker123]

@musicaltheatrestar I have heard voices who could sing to C7..... withouta problem, who also have strong notes below c4... that is not that unusual with the stratospheric voices.. This does not make them sfogato...... The meaning of that term is that these voices could actually on stage, perform contralto, mezzo, and soprano roles( including coloratura... convincingly.

[musicaltheatrestar]

@kgarmaker123 uhhhh.....yes, I already knew that! And Mariah has sung in all of those tessituras of her voice!!! btw, coloratura is actually more of a style of singing....true, some people can do it better than others, but that's when you addd it to your vocal category...if you are naturally good at coloratura passages.

[kgarmaker123]

@musicaltheatrestar You are the most obstinate of persons.. you pick and pick.. You asked me to describe Mariah Carey's vocal type.. I said a stratospheric coloratura.. because she does sing in the stratosphere and she does sing coloratura.. even on her self written songs.. there is coloratura.. I did NOT need a lesson on what coloratura was. Stop trying to teach me.. Teach someone who cares what you think, because I do not.

[musicaltheatrestar]

@kgarmaker123 Well, from what you have said, you were taught wrong!!!! You need to grab some textbooks and learn some more. Oh....& I "pick" b/c this is a "picky" business. I should know, b/c I'm a part of it!

[kgarmaker123]

@musicaltheatrestar Just because you say it is so. does not make it so.. so prove it.

[musicaltheatrestar]

@kgarmaker123 I'm sorry. I can't help it that I'm educated, and that you're ignorant. Why don't you find some other video to go comment on, and just leave this one alone. KTHANKSBYE!

[kgarmaker123]

@musicaltheatrestar Well one thing we can say, for sure about you.. is that you are rude... I disagreed with your opinions offering others and asking questions you still have NOt answered. Then when it became apparent that I had valide reasons for my opinions.. you call me ignorant. Wow.. what a deal.. and You announce that you are some expert.. of which we still have not seen the proof.. judging from your comments.. I believe that is very very questionable.

[musicaltheatrestar]

@kgarmaker123 How can I show you proof on youtube? & we knw that you are rude too...remember the "musical pedophile" comment? totally uncalled for! & when you were commenting on my opinions to others, I'll have you know that the comments were focused more on Natalie Dessay, not Bartoli! So let's just leave it at that.....

[SteveLeeG]

great.

i guess no one ever needs to sing it again, eh?

[dolcefico]

Violetta is a cortigiana, not a puttana and this sad performance erases the difference. She does the same vulgarisation of Desdemona--which is sad, because back in the early 90's when she sang opposite Domingo, she was so much better. The pity is that Fleming is capable of much, much better than this. Poor, poor Verdi.

[belcantowvu]

Hmm... interesting.

God that dress makes her ass look huge. Bad choice.

[Lflennoy]

Interesting ending! I've never heard that one before.

[MusicaParola]

No one has, and hopefully no one will hear that again.

[MusicaParola]

Bellissima donna! Povero Verdi.

[micioamilano]

veramente! Povero Verdi!! Dovrebbero come minimo imparare a cantarlo prima di voler farlo sul palco..per fortuna non l'ha cantata in Italia altrimenti...boooooooo

[paternostro63]

Questo non e Verdi, Fleming è una cantante orribile con una piccola voce e grida come un gato, orribile attrice , lei e una ladrona e impostora che fa molto male a l'opera e la tradizione che lei NO conosce, sei una degli peggiore cantante orribile Fleming !

[jocmuc]

was ausser perfektem verdi soll das denn sonst sein?

du bist ein völlig engstirniger kritiker mit irgendwelchen groessen im hinterkopf über die du nichts kommen lassen willst.

fleming ist eine grossartige darstellerin mit einer stimme die sie jedem komponisten anpassen kann und mit der sie auch jedem komponisten gerecht wird. es gibt einach nicht nur callas und tebaldi auf dieser welt.

giudice per fleming bittte

[batspaul]

Gee, I wish I knew how to say "moron" in Italian.

[LaBelleHelene]

Magnificent!!

[LFP2010]

nothing against Ms Fleming b/c it isnt her fault, but the costume design is absolutley tragic... it isnt fitting to the peice or flattering on the singer

[musoph21]

you aint never lied LOL..most definetly

[hillevifan]

who's the tenor?

[moniquetb]

tnx great recording, good of you to upload!

greetz from

the netherlands

[Tuperatacu]

It is her first production in Houston 2003, isn't it?

Can you please upload some other vids from this production? Thanks!

[lady00010]

Absolutely wonderful, thank you so very much for posting this. It is so interesting to be able to compare her different interpretations of Traviata. Thank you so very much for this.