Renée Fleming - Sempre Libera - La Traviata

[caltrask51]

This was a nice performance. She brings something new to it. But I still missed the high E at the end.

[DellDreamer]

Very disappointing performance. Strange breathing, ugly sound and couldn't hit the high note!

She shouldn't take this role at all...

[miaobauaugh]

@DellDreamer i think you don't understand anything about music in general..especially about the opera.. if you started to study a bit of solfeggio and other things and study how to perform every role you could change your mind... ur judgement is totally wrong...the judgment of a person who doesn't understand a shit about opera...you have lost a great moment to shut ur trap and avoid how ignorant you are!

[DellDreamer]

@miaobauaugh

Who gives you the right to use potty words?

I, as a consumer of music, have my right to comment how I feel about a performance.

On the other hand, you do NOT have a right to use dirty words to insult me. So get lost and I would never want you to reply on my comments, ever!!

[miaobauaugh]

@DellDreamer the righrt? spotty words? if you say I don't like her interpretation is a thing...on the other Hand if you start to say about stilistic ways the situation changes... in this case i can say you don't like it and i can not be agree but i can respect your point of view,...but when you write about specific field about opera, forgive me, I can tell you that you don't understand a thing about it! i just said you don't understand the real power of opera...dirty words? can you read????

[lisamayavonB]

You know for sure why she didn't hit the high note? Really?

[OperaMystery80]

3:19 - 3:22 why does she angrily and forcefully cry out 'SEMPRE" rather than singing it the normal "sempre libera"; she has such weird glottal attacks. Violetta isn't a role for her plain and simple. She couldn't sing Verdi other than Desdemona which she did beautifully but that was it. Her bel canto repertoire of recent years to my ears is insane singing. Miss Fleming you are too old to be singing opera please retire.

[ilfig1iomio]

@OperaMystery80

fleming won't retire not when she is being nominated for grammy's for singing violetta and being paid top figures for singing operas and concerts all over the world. she is almost 53 years old and her schedule is booked 5 years in advance.

[OperaMystery80]

@ilfig1iomio Female opera singers have shorter careers than the males. Look at Placido Domingo who turned 70 (January 2012, born 1942) Fleming won't be singing at age 70. She has a short time left and will retire soon. And she is not a Verdi singer. Her Violetta is her own creation and not Verdi's. Very few sopranos can sing well into old age like Birgit Nilsson or Joan Sutherland. Mezzos like Dolora Zajick can sing at 53 and older. Zajick is still singing Amneris after 30 years.

[miaobauaugh]

@OperaMystery80 sometimes the choice depends on the director who wanna emphasize particular words instead of others... the same is when you listen to la boheme by puccini...everyone gives a one's own interpretation... especially in arie like musetta's valse etc

[lisamayavonB]

There is another possibility, too. You could stop listening to her. Just an idea that popped into my head ;-)

[pittsburghdad6]

You folks are nuts. She is great and I love to hear her sing this or any other.

[ferrykalos]

Not for her, as sha always said!

[hchristopher1]

I love Fleming and she SHOULD have been the Traviata of our generation. This makes me sad, however. It is NOT well sung, the endless and pointless flouncing around the tables gets on my nerves, she is pushing her lower register, which makes the final E flat in alt impossible. WHO COACHED HER? There is a way to sing this role, and Fleming has everything that it would take. I'm just sad that she never came to grips with this role and character.

[LordHettrick]

Her voice is waaay too heavy for a Traviata. All her coloraturas are forced, and the high notes don't seem natural, but rather pushed. Example at 4:26 and following: way too heavy.

[vocalissimo1]

In her second "gioir" at 1.01 she look like she's about to launch into a pop song!

[vocalissimo1]

Another mistaken soprano who thinks that Violetta is a verismo role, and not a bel canto one. Some very strange singing here. There are a lot of weird glottal effects and some very self-indulgent phrasing. I would arrest her for crimes against Verdi!

[Playitright77]

sometimes her voice sounds really closed ... weird.  also her rhythm is distorted in this--too much liberty, i think. not the best sempre libera for renee, i don't think. strained.

[larosafari]

Brava e Bella BRAVAAA...

[swaingles]

Wonderful acting! I would have liked her to put a little more voice work. However, she is almost perfect. I like her very much.

[ericscam2]

Sills sings it better than anyone else. Flawless. Her phrasing,intonation, interpretation, agility...and the beauty of her voice...in incomparable.

[book492]

I was soooo waiting for the high note at the end for her to show off, lol! Brava anyways!

[roselandalvin]

@book492 she sings the note in another performance on youtube - but it is done slightly different from what you're probably used to hearing - Not being a true coloratura I was surprised to hear her sing this at all

[philhealey1]

Utterly captivating. I see from the comments that she may not be to everyone's taste, vocally, but what a totally spellbinding and charismatic performer she is. Without question: a great actress with incredible presence. Brava!

[brolobear]

Saying that Fleming isn't right for Verdi is rather short-sighted. Maybe not Violetta, but all Verdi? Hardly. Her Desdemona is brilliant.

[Merryjest]

Renee, you are best served in the germanic repertoire. More Mozart, Strauss, Korngold, your Dvorak is beautiful. Verdi isn't for you. You have such a beautiful voice, but you need to put it to good use.

[ltginpdx]

It may be correct that Fleming could do a role that Sutherland would be out of her element in, but it's hard to imagine. Like Callas, Sutherland was, vocally, one of the most versatile opera singers of our generation.

[MastersoftheOpera]

Fleming's Traviata productions looked great as did her costumes but her Violetta is not to my liking. She oversings, dips into chest register when it's uncalled for, scoops and embellishes parts that you never hear other sopranos do. Notice the awful way she starts the "gioa". She clearly was too old to sing Violetta. She might have done it better in her early career in the 90's.

[PukKoleszka]

@MastersoftheOpera :/ maybe first act is not brilliant, but 2nd and 3rd is sth the most brilliant and she sing beautifulll and she understand what she sings, not like e.g Netrebko or Dessay.

[nostopsnopurgatory]

I'm loving the tenor here and of course Renee.

[mrskinoti]

I love her voice very very much, but I don' t think she's a good Verdi singer.

[Pulsatron1985]

Beverly Sills all the way for this one :)

Renee *does* grunt a few times lol!

[Greg07623]

Fabulous instrument. I really love most of her other singing, but way too many gulpsand grunts especially in the recitative, Too much gliding into notes and some vocal brutality when attacking notes in the higher register. She is way better than this performane, and that aspiration on the first statement of "Sempre Libera" was utterly un-Italian. This is way under the bar for what this great artist can do.

[1146beaver]

@Greg07623 I agree with the comments but I do have a question to all opera fans - why do some singers get a free pass while others are rightfully panned for less than stellar performances?

[Greg07623]

@1146beaver Interesting question. I can only speak for myself of course, but on my behalf the only reason I would pan a singer are 1) If they squander talent and artistry by pursuing the wrong repertory or employ bad vocal gimmicks (heavy aspirating in Italian opera, too many gulps and grunts, failing to start a large percentage of notes on pitch, etc..or 2) A singer of meager talent, who is sleeping with the impresario or record producer for roles, or would buy their way into a role.

[vanstan73]

@Greg07623 --Or perhaps you have no clue what you are talking about from a singer's standpoint. Why not listen to different singers at this level and appreciate the differences, whether you like them or not, and just appreciate what they are doing. What Operatic singers were doing in the time of Verdi or even 60 years ago is very different, techinically from what singer are doing today. Renee Flemming is actually singing in a "classical" manner.

[Greg07623]

@vanstan73 Well, I wasn't around in the time of Verdi, so you've got me there, What was it like? I do appreciate the difference between singers a great deal.....for example Sutherland and Caballe sang this magnificently, but this performance is sop-optimal. Why should I be a simpering Pollyanna and say "It's Just great" when it's simply not? I want less second rate performances, NOT MORE! BTW, learn how to spell the singer's name before defending such careless, idiomatic, tired singing.

[fludu1]

despite her gorgious singing the acting is wonderful here too

[IfYourMomWereATaco]

@fludu1 despite? one shouldn't counteract the other...

[fludu1]

@IfYourMomWereATaco well pavarotti never was a good actor but had one of the best male voices that have ever entered the planet

[dazdncnfzd21]

Beautiful! So much control, so clear! I wish I could one day be half as good as her!!!

[Contrubas]

The tenor is dreadful!

[classicalgal14]

@Contrubas Your talking about Rolando Villazon? Omg :(

[henson80]

superbe version de fleming, avec ses petites mimiques, sa voix "crémeuse",

c'est génial !

[idaspe]

Incredible, the best version I have ever heard!

[mongemark]

Brava e bella Fleming. Interpretazione febbrile, come dev'essere per una prostituta che ha paura dell'amore più della morte. Grande Verdi e notevole esecuzione di Renée. Certo, canta da vera donna e a qualcuno può dare fastidio... si capisce.

[Fairpavel]

Better than Anna Netrebko. Fleming is near to parody here. Is she drugged or drunk? Her interpretation is too literal. A nice voice, though.

[adharalozano]

Su color de voz es pesado tal vez por eso las ligerezas no le quedaron tan bien pero concuerco con arbus 2 es una violeta sumamente respetable.. :)

[brividokaldo]

terrible. shame!

[ferrykalos]

Very bad! Bad pronunciation, bad interpretation, bad actress, and very din! She also errs any worlds and where is the higt note at the end? Please, listen callas or tebaldi or Devia!

[paternostro63]

Very bad.

with her little soprano voice she not even sing a Bflat at the end, and with little voice !

[sebastienchartry]

elle est une des meilleur soprano colorature du monde

[IfYourMomWereATaco]

elle n'est pas soprano colorature... elle est soprano lyrique

[sebastienchartry]

alors comment se fait il qu'elle a signer un contrat pour lakmé dans le role de lakmé? et aussis qu'elle a chanter la poupée des contes d'hoffman? et que prochainement elle va donner un recital ''la voix des coloratures'' ou il y a un airs de sur-aigu(popoli di tessagolia)??? madame ou monsieur je sais tout ta geule ;)

[IfYourMomWereATaco]

si c'est tout vrai, je crains pour la futur de Reneé Fleming. La voix est si lourd. Les res au fin de l'air de mirroir de Thaïs étaient loin de parfait- c'était un concert marveilleuse, mais il avait ses défauts- danc, comment est-ce qu'elle prévoit chanter les pianissimos mis dans Lakmé, etc...

[henson80]

Je pense que si elle accepte d'interpréter ces grandes oeuvres, c'est qu'elle pense bien avoir la capacité de les interpréter au minimum correctement...

Moi, je trouve que sa "Violette" est une des meilleures.

[ruicolacopt]

renée is fabulous but in some parts can't hide her american accent.

i'll really have to give this one to anna netrebko, she sings it like no one! :)

[sevoflurane]

Follie indeed!

[musoph21]

LMAO!

[Arbus2]

Buena interpretación vocal, no me terminó de convencer en el movimiento escénico, pero aún así es una Violetta muy respetable.-