I'm an old geezer, and I remember when Rudolf Bing fired Helen Traubel and then Eileen Farrell because they were singing in clubs and doing jazz recordings. Oh well, Mr. Bing, your legacy has been trampled on! Go Renée, a babe and a diva!
Proof that the snobbery about classical / opera is more alive in the imaginations of devotees of pop than the classical milieu.
The adventurous as usual Ms. Fleming, a passionate singer, shows here, too, that you ain't nothin' without technique, and knowing exactly what it is and how to use it.
The only opera singer I've heard convincing in 'lighter than opera' song genres.
İ am waiting for your concert at Aya İrini in İstanbul :)) you are the best singer in th e world :))) i love you.. my favorite song is "I know that my redeemer liveth" from Handel ...
İ am waiting for your concert at Aya İrini in İstanbul :)) you are the best singer in th e world :))) i love you.. my favorite song is "I know that my redeemer liveth" from Handel :))
i don't blame renee for trying to cross over...as much as i like opera, opera cd sales are a drop in the bucket compared to mainstream pop music sales....renee's earned her street cred, if she wants to sell out, it's her right...i still love her and her music...
One of the few opera singers that doesn't sound operatic when singing stuff outside of the opera repertoire. I really like her version of Arcade Fire's "Intervention". Her voice on this album somewhat reminds me of Beth Gibbons
I don't really understand this album, doesn't bring anything, flat songs (except maybe Alleluia) and I will stick personally to Rusalka when her voice reached the Moon. Does she need money?
It's because of her classical training that would allow her to belt like a rock star, because it's a healthier kind of belt, when it comes from the classical technique to belt, it also works for the Broadway style of singing, using the Classical Belt, or at least the physical process to produce the belt.
This is nothing more than a highly trained voice singing pop. It's just a different style of singing, not rocket science. So it is focused (when not breathy for effect) with good resonance, but not supported (as in "appooggio"). It is physically much easier to sing than opera. This album reminds me of Shakira or Wynonna--fabulous singers for their genre but opera is the highest level of singing there is.
I walked into my local Starbucks for an afternoon pick-me-up and heard Mad World, but it wasn't the version I was used to, so looked at the flat screen and my jaw dropped. RENEE FLEMING! REALLY! I thought, "NO WAY!" I fell in love with her as a lyric soprano many years ago. This is such a departure from her opera career that it blows my mind. And "Mad World", "Soul Meets Body", and "Hallelujah" are three of my favorite songs to boot! Honestly, how can I NOT love this album!
This is absolutely one of the best CDs I own. I had no clue who she was until I heard her cover of "In Your Eyes" on Sirius's "The Blend" channel. Bought the CD that day from Amazon. Amazing woman.
....I didn't know anything about the songs selection but the instant I hit play... I was again without a doubt charmed and can't and wouldn't want to fight this feeling inside.......she caresses my soul with her voice and these tunes. i love renée and will until i died. thank god for her
I'm always amused by her charm when she sings operatic repertoir.... the jazzy album I kinda liked it because her thickness and richness in her voice is something I cannot scape from. the moment I knew she this cd was about to be out....
I love that she is willing to take a risk and step outside her comfort zone. Brava for taking the risk and being a true artist in everything you undertake Renee!
I would love to see her do a full blown rock album (ala Pat Benatar, who was a classically trained opera singer). I bet she has some good belting pipes under all her classical training.
@lilywhitedmb It's because of her classical training that would allow her to belt like a rock star, because it's a healthier kind of belt, when it comes from the classical technique to belt, it also works for the Broadway style of singing, using the Classical Belt, or at least the physical process to produce the belt.
@lilywhitedmb It's because of her classical training that would allow her to belt like a rock star, because it's a healthier kind of belt, when it comes from the classical technique to belt, it also works for the Broadway style of singing, using the Classical Belt, or at least the physical process to produce the belt.
@lilywhitedmb I wanna see her do Endlessly in a dance club anthem remix....her voice would be soooo awesome in that genre. of course it will never happen, but still, one can fantasize :)
"I can't do this...oh wait! I can sing everything two octaves lower! I can rock n' roll now!"
I am a fan of Ms. Flemming and the work of many composers which she has brought to extraordinary levels. But her "rock" attempt undeniably resembles drag queens (Hedwig!!) struggling to sing in unnatural registers. It's sad to see this rock star fantasy coming from such a respected artist from a treasured genre. It appears she let her success in the classical world get over her head...
@sesomp loved your comment... I think she realized she's getting old, and she is losing her power, so this being easy for her, it just pays the bills...
Fleming has performed and recorded popular music before, and sang in a jazz trio while a university student. Opera singers have performed popular music since the age of Adelina Patti (Eileen Farrell's "I've Got a Right to Sing the Blues," and other pop albums are masterpieces). This new album may not be a masterpiece, but like Farrell, she has earned the right to sing whatever she pleases.
Hmmm...I dunno know yet...I think I need to hear more...Her operatic voice is so extraordinary and signature... I'm not getting the same thrill and excitement in her popular singing that I get when I hear her sing Manon or Mozart.... TBC...
I don't know if i like this or not..... I wouldn't think of pop when i hear it. She is MUCH better at opera. Haha, i like how she feels like she is hardly singing, i agree. :)
She probably needs the money. Opera singers delving into pop does not work. Pop singers may not have great voices, but they are not restricted by the restraints of having learned how to sing. They sing from the heart. Paul McCartney refused to learn to write music on the basis that he would lose his natural inspiration. This lady does not have that natural thing. She should stick to what she does best.
@ludvan64 Dude, it's a project, a venture into something else. Renee certainly doesn't need money, she's a millionaire. Artists are always trying new things and stretching themselves to be different, otherwise they'd be boring. This is something new and exciting. You don't have to like it, but don't make goofy statements that have no legitimacy.
@mattyslipp Well if that's what you believe Miss Fleming has no doubt achieved what she intended. That is to find people who will buy her CD, and increase her bank balance.People who are rich, are never rich enough, it's like a drug. My statement has every legitimacy. The trained voice though suited for what it is intended, cannot achieve the natural sound of a great popular singer. It is obvious when listening to her on this recording that she is restricting her voice.
@mattyslipp Kiri Te Kanawa also made a recording of popular songs. Although she is light years ahead of Fleming, it simply did not work.Don't call me DUDE.
she is showing that she is eclectic in her artistry and interpretations of what professional singers are expected to do within the industry. It is important to remember that although our loyalties may lie with one particular genre, that the marketability of our talents and interpretations make way for personal expression and may lead to endeavors that were never thought possible to achieve.
Oh Hell Yeah! I have no idea why I like it....but I DO! Maybe it's the analogy of a "Ferrari driving through a school zone....you can't really cut loose, but people feel the power of it anyway".....I guess I like the restrained power of it all!
"the minute i go above staff i cannot but produce fully trained operatic sound... the key is to stay in lower sounds" OMG this explains how she managed to totaly obliterate the operatic placement of her voice.
What a Scientist of the Voice she is... I doubt anyone else in the world understand the Voice better than Renee Fleming.
@LohengrinT Sutherland isn't dead, and neither is Price, or Caballe. One could argue about Bartoli's technique though it is not pleasant to everyone. But about living, singing sopranos? Fleming definately heads the pack, with Netrebs and her tiring voice, with Gheorghiu and her cancellations, and with Dessay with her sharp voice and focus on dramatics, Fleming definitely leads vocally. Her acting, like that of how Sutherland used to be on stage, needs work though :P
@LohengrinT Hardly. Anyone with any serious opera training knows the voice resonates in the chest (not the head) in the lower range. Not rocket science.
omg how much you didnt understand either what i wrote or what renee said... indeed you are far from rocket sceintist. Try to understand what people say ;)
@karenannc Wrong. The voice "resonates" if you will, in the pharynx. Head and chest are just terms for the registers, or the muscles used to sing the notes in that register. Please educate yourself before correcting others.
@LuxieP Educate myself? :) I have been singing opera for over 20 years and am currently a 4th year university student in guess what, music education (voice). Not that I don't still have a lot to learn, yes of course I do, but to say Renee Fleming understands the voice (not her OWN voice) better than anyone else in the world per LohengrinT) is ridiculous. You must admit.
i saw her recently for the first time in my life Live - I recorded her u can find 4 arias in my channel - it was Magical ! her voice was like a Caress to the ear
I entered a Dream which I left with huge difficulty afterwards :/
My goodness, her pop voice is as good as Whitney Houston's was in her prime, if not even better with more range! Fantastic singer, best female singer in the world right now.
@primohomme .. Better than Whitney in her Prime..Come on.. that's like saying Micheal Bolton Opera Album was like Domingo in his Prime.. We all know this is Wrong!! And I love my NeNe..Renee is So Great to me..but She is WRONG for this ..It's a hot mess, This is the what whitney and Patti Labelle put on at parties for fun
@primohomme come on!! Really.. That's like say that Eileen Farrell "Jazz" singing was like that od Ella's.. Renee i one of my fav sopranos..but she is not anywhere close to whitney in her prime, her voice here is more like Oleta Adams or maybe in color to Regina Belle..Not whitney, she willmake no money as a pop singer.. Love this Lady..but no maam
I'm an old geezer, and I remember when Rudolf Bing fired Helen Traubel and then Eileen Farrell because they were singing in clubs and doing jazz recordings. Oh well, Mr. Bing, your legacy has been trampled on! Go Renée, a babe and a diva!
infrantasi 1 month ago
name of music at first pls..
fanbroesa 2 months ago
I want to see Renee to perform the rap version of Margaret Cho's "your pussy, and I think she will do a great job
lespoir 8 months ago
Proof that the snobbery about classical / opera is more alive in the imaginations of devotees of pop than the classical milieu.
The adventurous as usual Ms. Fleming, a passionate singer, shows here, too, that you ain't nothin' without technique, and knowing exactly what it is and how to use it.
The only opera singer I've heard convincing in 'lighter than opera' song genres.
MuseDuCafe 10 months ago 3
@MuseDuCafe totally agree. Thus far the most convincing operatic voice outside opera.
contreras9776 9 months ago
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İ am waiting for your concert at Aya İrini in İstanbul :)) you are the best singer in th e world :))) i love you.. my favorite song is "I know that my redeemer liveth" from Handel ...
inmarble 10 months ago
İ am waiting for your concert at Aya İrini in İstanbul :)) you are the best singer in th e world :))) i love you.. my favorite song is "I know that my redeemer liveth" from Handel :))
inmarble 10 months ago
i don't blame renee for trying to cross over...as much as i like opera, opera cd sales are a drop in the bucket compared to mainstream pop music sales....renee's earned her street cred, if she wants to sell out, it's her right...i still love her and her music...
Kellogs43able 10 months ago
One of the few opera singers that doesn't sound operatic when singing stuff outside of the opera repertoire. I really like her version of Arcade Fire's "Intervention". Her voice on this album somewhat reminds me of Beth Gibbons
NiklasNydahl 1 year ago
Boring...dull...and plain weird sounding !!!
montsyblackmadonna 1 year ago
I don't really understand this album, doesn't bring anything, flat songs (except maybe Alleluia) and I will stick personally to Rusalka when her voice reached the Moon. Does she need money?
monocfv 1 year ago
It's because of her classical training that would allow her to belt like a rock star, because it's a healthier kind of belt, when it comes from the classical technique to belt, it also works for the Broadway style of singing, using the Classical Belt, or at least the physical process to produce the belt.
34Pianoman 1 year ago
@34Pianoman If on uses classical technique, one never "belts".
AOG93 1 year ago
lilywhitedmb....I totally agree. or how about a "crossroads" kind of thing with Renee and Pat Benatar!!!??? singing each others songs, then together.
The song at 2:25 is "in your eyes".
One either loves this side of Ms. Fleming or not. No arguing needed.
keanekkk 1 year ago
what is the song that starts to play at 2.25? I love the intro. Anyone know what song it is?
missypotatohead 1 year ago
@missypotatohead It's Peter Gabriel's great song "In Your Eyes", sung with Youssou n'Dour. Check it out!
alebarjr 1 year ago
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@missypotatohead It's Peter Gabriel's great song "In Your Eyes", sung with Youssou n'Dour. Check it out!
alebarjr 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
@missypotatohead It's Peter Gabriel's great song "In Your Eyes", sung with Youssou n'Dour. Check it out!
alebarjr 1 year ago
She is such an amazing artist, not to mention she is a beautiful woman!
violinist1990 1 year ago
Ouch. Don't leave your day job, please.
1001things 1 year ago
This is nothing more than a highly trained voice singing pop. It's just a different style of singing, not rocket science. So it is focused (when not breathy for effect) with good resonance, but not supported (as in "appooggio"). It is physically much easier to sing than opera. This album reminds me of Shakira or Wynonna--fabulous singers for their genre but opera is the highest level of singing there is.
karenannc 1 year ago
I like Oxygen better...
avner19 1 year ago
she's the most perfect woman ever
KriBlackRoson 1 year ago
que grossa es esta artista! se da el lujo de poder cantarlo todo!! la adoro!
roxanalatronico 1 year ago
I walked into my local Starbucks for an afternoon pick-me-up and heard Mad World, but it wasn't the version I was used to, so looked at the flat screen and my jaw dropped. RENEE FLEMING! REALLY! I thought, "NO WAY!" I fell in love with her as a lyric soprano many years ago. This is such a departure from her opera career that it blows my mind. And "Mad World", "Soul Meets Body", and "Hallelujah" are three of my favorite songs to boot! Honestly, how can I NOT love this album!
TheOnlySilverUnicorn 1 year ago 2
This is absolutely one of the best CDs I own. I had no clue who she was until I heard her cover of "In Your Eyes" on Sirius's "The Blend" channel. Bought the CD that day from Amazon. Amazing woman.
LDC454 1 year ago
All about Renée Fleming is outstanding! This version of Hallelujah is a precious jewel!!!
AlcidesConstante 1 year ago
sorry, but this all sounds way too karaoke for La Fleming. After Haunted Heart, I expect something better.
apexpark 1 year ago
ummm...does she want to be doing this album? she does NOT seem excited. its fabulous though.
tigerpirate71 1 year ago
An absolutely new fashion of singing. Wow! Hallelujah carried me to that 'parallel universe'... much kudos for your fantastic project, Ms. Renée!
AlcidesConstante 1 year ago
....I didn't know anything about the songs selection but the instant I hit play... I was again without a doubt charmed and can't and wouldn't want to fight this feeling inside.......she caresses my soul with her voice and these tunes. i love renée and will until i died. thank god for her
studyingINSA 1 year ago
I'm always amused by her charm when she sings operatic repertoir.... the jazzy album I kinda liked it because her thickness and richness in her voice is something I cannot scape from. the moment I knew she this cd was about to be out....
studyingINSA 1 year ago
Wow. How the mighty hath fallen!
azraelsnemesis 1 year ago
There are many good singers...there are fewer good producers...
browneyedgyspygirl 1 year ago
Comment removed
amyreneeharmon 1 year ago
I love that she is willing to take a risk and step outside her comfort zone. Brava for taking the risk and being a true artist in everything you undertake Renee!
Bustopher04 1 year ago
I would love to see her do a full blown rock album (ala Pat Benatar, who was a classically trained opera singer). I bet she has some good belting pipes under all her classical training.
lilywhitedmb 1 year ago 8
@lilywhitedmb It's because of her classical training that would allow her to belt like a rock star, because it's a healthier kind of belt, when it comes from the classical technique to belt, it also works for the Broadway style of singing, using the Classical Belt, or at least the physical process to produce the belt.
34Pianoman 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
@lilywhitedmb It's because of her classical training that would allow her to belt like a rock star, because it's a healthier kind of belt, when it comes from the classical technique to belt, it also works for the Broadway style of singing, using the Classical Belt, or at least the physical process to produce the belt.
34Pianoman 1 year ago
@lilywhitedmb I wanna see her do Endlessly in a dance club anthem remix....her voice would be soooo awesome in that genre. of course it will never happen, but still, one can fantasize :)
contreras9776 9 months ago
"I can't do this...oh wait! I can sing everything two octaves lower! I can rock n' roll now!"
I am a fan of Ms. Flemming and the work of many composers which she has brought to extraordinary levels. But her "rock" attempt undeniably resembles drag queens (Hedwig!!) struggling to sing in unnatural registers. It's sad to see this rock star fantasy coming from such a respected artist from a treasured genre. It appears she let her success in the classical world get over her head...
sesomp 1 year ago
@sesomp loved your comment... I think she realized she's getting old, and she is losing her power, so this being easy for her, it just pays the bills...
chaconazo7 1 year ago
Banal in every way. I'm all for people trying new things so kudos to her for that --- but that alone!
Anitain2009 1 year ago
I don't like it. I think she should not have been "convinced" to do this project.
ccdlgala 1 year ago
Fleming has performed and recorded popular music before, and sang in a jazz trio while a university student. Opera singers have performed popular music since the age of Adelina Patti (Eileen Farrell's "I've Got a Right to Sing the Blues," and other pop albums are masterpieces). This new album may not be a masterpiece, but like Farrell, she has earned the right to sing whatever she pleases.
InBoccaChiusa 1 year ago
Brava!
30martin082007 1 year ago
She's magnificent... I love her and I love this CD! Her version of Intervention is pure class, well better than the original imo :-)
Damnblastify 1 year ago
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She sounds unnatural and horrible. This whole project is as ill-conceived as those awful extensions that she is wearing. Bad idea all around.
stellagranos72 1 year ago
She sounds unnatural and horrible. This whole project is as ill-conceived as those awful extensions that she is wearing. Bad idea all around.
stellagranos72 1 year ago
Hmmm...I dunno know yet...I think I need to hear more...Her operatic voice is so extraordinary and signature... I'm not getting the same thrill and excitement in her popular singing that I get when I hear her sing Manon or Mozart.... TBC...
scottreiburn 1 year ago
This is so great\ Bravo\
sugarwaterfree 1 year ago
I don't care for her opera singing that much and this stuff doesn't do anything for me either...
ivelosthewilltolive 1 year ago
I don't know if i like this or not..... I wouldn't think of pop when i hear it. She is MUCH better at opera. Haha, i like how she feels like she is hardly singing, i agree. :)
operadiva023 1 year ago
why didn't she just stick to karaoke nights? this is exactly what opera singers sound like doing karaoke. haha
mrportobello 1 year ago
She probably needs the money. Opera singers delving into pop does not work. Pop singers may not have great voices, but they are not restricted by the restraints of having learned how to sing. They sing from the heart. Paul McCartney refused to learn to write music on the basis that he would lose his natural inspiration. This lady does not have that natural thing. She should stick to what she does best.
ludvan64 1 year ago
@ludvan64 Dude, it's a project, a venture into something else. Renee certainly doesn't need money, she's a millionaire. Artists are always trying new things and stretching themselves to be different, otherwise they'd be boring. This is something new and exciting. You don't have to like it, but don't make goofy statements that have no legitimacy.
mattyslipp 1 year ago
@mattyslipp Well if that's what you believe Miss Fleming has no doubt achieved what she intended. That is to find people who will buy her CD, and increase her bank balance.People who are rich, are never rich enough, it's like a drug. My statement has every legitimacy. The trained voice though suited for what it is intended, cannot achieve the natural sound of a great popular singer. It is obvious when listening to her on this recording that she is restricting her voice.
ludvan64 1 year ago
@mattyslipp Kiri Te Kanawa also made a recording of popular songs. Although she is light years ahead of Fleming, it simply did not work.Don't call me DUDE.
ludvan64 1 year ago
OMG she covers "No one's gonna love you" I looove that song!!! can't wait!
BrPhChCh 1 year ago
she is showing that she is eclectic in her artistry and interpretations of what professional singers are expected to do within the industry. It is important to remember that although our loyalties may lie with one particular genre, that the marketability of our talents and interpretations make way for personal expression and may lead to endeavors that were never thought possible to achieve.
divalicious002 1 year ago 2
Comment removed
divalicious002 1 year ago
Oh Hell Yeah! I have no idea why I like it....but I DO! Maybe it's the analogy of a "Ferrari driving through a school zone....you can't really cut loose, but people feel the power of it anyway".....I guess I like the restrained power of it all!
RedDesertViolin 1 year ago
"in your eyes"! she's got good taste :)
dylz 1 year ago
"the minute i go above staff i cannot but produce fully trained operatic sound... the key is to stay in lower sounds" OMG this explains how she managed to totaly obliterate the operatic placement of her voice.
What a Scientist of the Voice she is... I doubt anyone else in the world understand the Voice better than Renee Fleming.
LohengrinT 1 year ago 10
@LohengrinT Sutherland isn't dead, and neither is Price, or Caballe. One could argue about Bartoli's technique though it is not pleasant to everyone. But about living, singing sopranos? Fleming definately heads the pack, with Netrebs and her tiring voice, with Gheorghiu and her cancellations, and with Dessay with her sharp voice and focus on dramatics, Fleming definitely leads vocally. Her acting, like that of how Sutherland used to be on stage, needs work though :P
Drelnis 1 year ago
@LohengrinT Hardly. Anyone with any serious opera training knows the voice resonates in the chest (not the head) in the lower range. Not rocket science.
karenannc 1 year ago
@karenannc
omg how much you didnt understand either what i wrote or what renee said... indeed you are far from rocket sceintist. Try to understand what people say ;)
LohengrinT 1 year ago
@LohengrinT You said "I doubt anyone else in the world understand the Voice better than Renee Fleming."
What's to misunderstand? if you meant something else perhaps you need to try harder at meaningful communication.
karenannc 1 year ago
@LohengrinT The album Dark Hope sounds like Shit !
montsyblackmadonna 1 year ago
@karenannc Wrong. The voice "resonates" if you will, in the pharynx. Head and chest are just terms for the registers, or the muscles used to sing the notes in that register. Please educate yourself before correcting others.
LuxieP 1 year ago
@LuxieP Educate myself? :) I have been singing opera for over 20 years and am currently a 4th year university student in guess what, music education (voice). Not that I don't still have a lot to learn, yes of course I do, but to say Renee Fleming understands the voice (not her OWN voice) better than anyone else in the world per LohengrinT) is ridiculous. You must admit.
karenannc 1 year ago
@LohengrinT Yep that's true.
Spiceofmadrid 9 months ago
@Spiceofmadrid
i saw her recently for the first time in my life Live - I recorded her u can find 4 arias in my channel - it was Magical ! her voice was like a Caress to the ear
I entered a Dream which I left with huge difficulty afterwards :/
LohengrinT 9 months ago
the choice of songs is more than excellent... they are all truly incredible pop songs
LohengrinT 1 year ago
arcade fire is an obscure indy band?
officialscaseisfirst 1 year ago
not sure if the milf look is working
marknsa 1 year ago
@marknsa Hahaha I was just thinking that! Well put!!
SmbwJessiRose 1 year ago
My goodness, her pop voice is as good as Whitney Houston's was in her prime, if not even better with more range! Fantastic singer, best female singer in the world right now.
primohomme 1 year ago 2
@primohomme .. Better than Whitney in her Prime..Come on.. that's like saying Micheal Bolton Opera Album was like Domingo in his Prime.. We all know this is Wrong!! And I love my NeNe..Renee is So Great to me..but She is WRONG for this ..It's a hot mess, This is the what whitney and Patti Labelle put on at parties for fun
candide43201 1 year ago 2
@candide43201
Yes, the richness and power of her voice is comparable to that of Whitney before crack.
primohomme 1 year ago
@primohomme come on!! Really.. That's like say that Eileen Farrell "Jazz" singing was like that od Ella's.. Renee i one of my fav sopranos..but she is not anywhere close to whitney in her prime, her voice here is more like Oleta Adams or maybe in color to Regina Belle..Not whitney, she willmake no money as a pop singer.. Love this Lady..but no maam
candide43201 1 year ago 2
omg
lyrictenore 1 year ago
Awesome!! Renee Rocks in so many ways and now this!? I can't wait to own the whole album!!!!
houri61 1 year ago
She looks incredibly beautiful with the long hair. Someone needs to convince Renee to wear those extensions on a regular basis.
asdfopera 1 year ago 2