Bringing her take on humanity’s relationship with nature, Renee Fleming and Howard Watkins preseented an interesting and diverse recital to Zellerbach Hall. Eschewing standard recital fare, Fleming’s Voice of Nature: the Anthropocene, explored our contemporary age with music in the first half that ranged from Handel to Björk. Where Joyce DiDonato’s nature-focused Eden from last season focused on renewal and planting seeds for the future, Fleming focused on where we are, and what we’re currently doing. Accompanied by a custom video from National Geographic, Fleming’s commentary on cherishing and protecting our world was clear.
This is my first experience hearing Renée Fleming live, but I’ve been a fan of hers since I began listening to opera. I’ve always enjoyed her creamy and full lyric soprano, and I particularly admire her in Mozart roles and what I call the “Noble Lady” Strauss heroines (Capriccio, Der Rosenkavalier, Arabella, etc.). I group her with Kiri Te Kanawa and Margaret Price, excellent Mozartians and Straussians, with inherent vocal grace and beauty.
At almost 65, Fleming still sounds superb. Wise repertoire choices over her career, and a solid technique have preserved her voice in a remarkable way, and she sounds fresh. Her upper range still glows, but admittedly and understandably has lost some sheen. As an artist, Fleming still has plenty to say, and her voice allows her to continue to do so, though the chosen repertoire was admittedly, probably not the most challenging. Fleming has been there and done that. She doesn’t need to program a recital that’s classic after classic, in the mannered setting of a classic recital. With a career as diverse as hers, the Anthropocene draws on the range of Fleming’s interests, while mining new depths.
Opening with Hazel Dickens’ “Pretty Bird” Fleming moved through the first part of her recital switching between pieces that celebrated nature like Handel’s “Care selve” with pieces that reminded us of how nature is being mistreated and abused like Nico Muhly’s “Endless Space”. As someone who’s grown up in a generation acutely aware of climate change and the existential and physical threat that climate change poses, the contrasting choice of pieces gave a slight sense of whiplash. I think a more powerful message would’ve been to not switch off between hope and despair, rather building towards one or the other. Perhaps, though, I’m too jaded and the extremes had less of an impact on me than intended. Regardless, the first half was a strong statement by an artist with the means to still send a powerful message with her full artistic capabilities intact.
If the first half is who Fleming is now, the second half was a reminder of who she was, and always can be. Starting off with a couple Fauré melodies, “Au bord de l’eau” was particularly well-done, sitting in a gorgeous part of Fleming’s range, while Fleming was able to capture the anxiety of “Les berceaux”, always with gorgeous tone. Following Fauré came two Grieg pieces, “Lauf der Welt” and “Zur Rosenzeit”. The first piece, “Lauf der Welt” was musically fun, but the poem it’s set to was, as Fleming admitted, problematic as it depicted the lack of consent for the singer’s beloved. The second piece, “Zur Rosenzeit” was beautifully done. Following the four art songs, came “O mio babbino caro” an operatic and recital staple. This seemed to be the audience favorite, and Fleming sang it gorgeously, though lacking the childish attitude of its character. Regardless, the audience loved it, and I heard a few bravas after the piece. Following Grieg came Jerome Kern’s “All the Things You Are” a 1930s Broadway piece. Capping off the listed programs was Andrew Lippa’s “The Diva” written originally for Fleming and Vanessa Williams, but here presented in a special version for her. It was a good way to cap off the second. For her encore, Fleming sang Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” inviting the audience to sing along.
Overall, I enjoyed the recital, and I was happy to finally have the chance to experience Renée Fleming in person.
Stray Thoughts
I think the audience wanted more opera, as “O mio babbino caro” received by far the most applause.
Before announcing the encore, some people in the audience took it upon themselves to make requests, which I found odd and inappropriate.