Renee Fleming's high D6 in the Aria of the Mirror (Megaron of Music, Athens, 2011)

A fabulous D6, solid and laser like at the end of the Mirroir aria from Thais
May 14th, 2011, Athens

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Jules
• Massenet
• Thais
• Renee
• Fleming
• Megaron
• of
• Music
• Athens

[KyoHanjin]

She is perfection and has mastery and total control over her beautiful instrument.

[LohengrinT]

@KyoHanjin

indeed she is approaches perfection many times and listening to her is a unique pleasure

[LohengrinT]

@keanekkk

with her entire existance I might add :)

The singing that night was so beautiful - it was a miracle of Sound and of Legato singing - the way the Voice slowly warmed up and opened like a Flower after the first 2-3 pieces and filled the house gently with the smoothest most beautiful sound you have heard - a true Miracle of the Soprano Lyric this woman is

[LohengrinT]

@WestVoice

yes... it was a miraculous evening I will never forget. Her sound was like a caress to the ear and her volume impressive, she gently! filled the entire House. In the two first arias her voice hadnt warmed up but then suddenly it did. It is like she has a machine inside her throat... I have never seen that. She slowly warms it up, does not force it... then it opens by itself.

She is the ultimate Scientist of the Human Voice - she should be teaching Vocals in Julliard and Harvard

[Ariadne7710]

@ZeekWolfe1 You ask what you should be looking for? This is a big question because it depends on what they are singing! But as a general yardstick you should be looking for a clear, rounded pure sound, smooth passage, accurate pitch, (not getting to a note too flat or too sharp and adjusting later) approaching each note squarely not sliding or scooping up or down in or out of it, holding a note steady and even if it is a long note, and if it is a trill, then an even trill. This for a start!!

[Ariadne7710]

@ZeekWolfe1 It is an unfortunate truth that many opera singers nowadays do not take enough time to learn the right technique before performing on stage, and theatres give them leading roles before they can sing them if they think they will appeal to the public. They have problems with pitch, with clarity, with breath control with vibrato, and many other more esoteric issues which non musically educated audiences can't detect. Most audiences do not understand these defects so they don't mind.

[Ariadne7710]

@ZeekWolfe1 And you are right about high Cs. Unfortunately some singers (and good ones too) are carried away by this populism of the high notes and are encouraged in doing this by the record companies who can see the commercial value of these types of concerts (and recordings) which sell a lot of CDs but all of which devalue the art of operatic singing. Good operatic singing is VERY HARD WORK. It takes years to learn the correct technique and more years how to interpret each role.

[Ariadne7710]

@ZeekWolfe1 Opera is a difficult art to learn how to appreciate. You can listen and enjoy it on several different levels. For most people with little knowledge of music they like the sound of a particular voice and are hugely impressed by vocal virtuosity like very high notes and trills (coloratura passages) which impress them and give them a thrill. A good start to get someone's attention and interest but there is a lot more to it than this and for anyone interested well worth exploring. .

[LohengrinT]

@checkerboardkid

-Bartoli was born a unique talent, then she took her talent and transformed it into a clown - it is a metter of lack of Intelligence which characterizes many operatic singers (extreme natural talent - low IQ).

-Battle was a good (not fabulous) but good coloratura soprano with a very beautiful vocal timbre - nothing at all special on any level

[checkerboardkid]

@ZeekWolfe1 i'm not an opera expert, but i have listened to it for over 20 years and find myself drawn to more unique voices like cecilia bartoli and kathleen battle. A LOT of people dump on these two singers, but if you listen to them and compare their sound to others, you will find they are bringing something totally unique to the table. i've expressed the same sentiment you did concerning many operatic voices (fleming) sounding indistinguishable from one another and been slammed for it.

[FilmGuyNewyork]

@ZeekWolfe1 You are suppose to look for what moves YOU and what YOU find great. Opera is an art form so it is all a matter of opinion. Don't let so called opera lovers tell you how you are suppose to feel when you hear something. You either like it or you don't.

[VoiceClassical]

@LohengrinT Opps… you forget to mention Angela Gheorghiu! But the change should not come at the expense of musicality and artistic truth. Loyalty to the composer and his/her vision should always be first on any list… they have seen to all the necessary dynamics. Oh... it is changing... one can see that. A good thing... so very good. Hmm… some of these stage directors have to be watched… good grief! Tata...