Beverly Sills interviews Renée Fleming & Dmitri Hvorostovsky

[JWrightA2Z]

" I don't know about the chemistry..." ?!?! They have to have the best chemistry of anyone I've EVER seen!!!! They are so passionate to their music and so sincere to each other. And Dima is so right about the character =) I love how funny they are! <3 Ugh, I'm in love with them both!

[Reneefan1]

@JWrightA2Z Lol, I fel the same way although I'm leaning more towards Renee than Dmitri!! ;P

[OperaMystery80]

It's sad that Sills didn't live to an older age, she did so much for opera and classical, giving it a prominent cultural significance in the US. Just before her death of lung cancer, she was still actively working, she hosted a few HD Met opera broadcasts in theaters, appeared on the talk show The View; she single-handedly made the world of today's opera (primarily in NYC) to the height it reached today. God bless this woman.

[bcom11]

i love Bev Sills!! :D

[dht23]

Renee Fleming also does backstage at te Met now sometimes. Renee did wen tey did Il Puritani

[balletnut]

She really should have kissed them both at the end. I most certainly would have!

[OperaLover84]

I wonder if she had a cold during this performance -- she sounds a bit stuffed up when she talks here. The tissue leads me to believe that's true.

[frufruJ]

Who are you talking about? Ms.Fleming? No, she's all teary from the previous scene, i.e. the end of Act I.

[OperaLover84]

I thought that's what it could have been but wasn't sure. Hmm.

[frufruJ]

Yeah, I think it is. Watch the video "Dmitri Hvorostovsky - Eugene Onegin - Onegin's Act I aria". She's weeping, it's so moving.

[Jacobitess]

'If I were so cold and aloof, Tatiana would never have fallen in love with me. Obviously, I have quite a great bunch of qualities.'

How adorable; I love both Tchaikovsky's and Hvorostovsky's faith in Tatiana, as opposed to her creator, Pushkin's. Not knowing Russian, I cannot fully appreciate the beauty of his writing, but the cynicism does grind me down. I suppose that's why I prefer the opera. Bravo to these two performers, though Sill seems a bit petulant in the interview.

[JuillHope17]

i SWEAR, dmitri and bev didn't like eachother. look at the other onegin interview from 2000 with them.

[frufruJ]

What makes you think so? I actually had the opposite feeling, especialy from the 2000 interview...

[JuillHope17]

look at the way they look at eachother, and notice their conversational patterns on how they don't agree, how they try to steeer the conversation their way, and how bev sort of attacks him with questions. it's like she thought he didn't have a brain or something, and he just looked at her like a bitch almost.... just observation.

[rexeterna]

seems like it to me, too. did you see that little air kiss at the end? he was like "what the hell is wrong with you, airkissing on an internationally broadcast performance?" he hates her.

[JuillHope17]

and also: she hugged and kissed renee, and it's not like dmitri was so far away, it's obvious they didn't even wanna shake hands or anything. at the end they were both like "yeah, get me out of here."

[frufruJ]

OK, OK, I get the picture :-) The point which stroke me was rather when Sills interrupted him, saying "that's what women find so appealing," and once more towards the beginning. But in the other interview...?

[BernardProfitendieu]

you're reading WAY too much into it

[threecardmontegirl]

I agree, and I love how in this,he is just so calm and letting nothing bother him at all and MY GOD HE'S HANDSOME!

[JuillHope17]

I know, right? He's the most gorgeous opera singer alive (followed closely by jonas kaufmann) and he's well into his forties... But he's such a sexy silver fox! Ahhhh, I can't take it.

[natashkk]

Great interview!! There's something more about this met backstage???

[trekkie2006]

it's so amazing to see Renee all teary from that scene. It shows how much of herself she puts into the role..