I am currently reading her autobiography... interesting and educational. She is a class act. I've been lucky enough to see her in recital and to listen to her live is a joy. I totally agree, she challenged herself and she is a great example to all musicians.
@Idagnefoki I highly doubt she's embarrassed by an emotionally riveting, note-perfect delivery of a classic. I for one am grateful she doesn't limit herself to a single genre.
Ooh, i love her voice in this! She makes it so low and smooth, its great! I'm so glad she has an open mind, and actually decides to challenge herself. :)
IT'S A FASCINATING ALBUM which requires really listening carefully over repeated playings and considerable time. She's trying to plow new ground and what she's attempting is difficult and slippery to grasp but worth the effort.
@kudasango Wow. I teach a 5 Time Grammy Award winner, have toured extensively, been in the studio, also I teach graduates of Juilliard who have won major competitions. And yet I can hear it. But then again, I have been to many major houses. Thanks for your input though.
I beg the critics to close your mouth and listen to one of the all-time great musicians challenging herself with something different. Of course there are differences in her rendition - so what?!? Her mind is much more open than that of most writers on this page. Though she had long been my favorite classical vocalist, this CD actually began my quest to learn absolutely EVERYthing about the woman, her life, her thinking, her education, her entire repertoire. What a hoot and a class act!
She does this really well...makes more sense than the pop singers do (sorry, lee, jason). And she has no problem singing the long hallelujah in one breath...hate it when they breathe in the middle of a word.
shes quite amazing! i have just begun to really appreciate opera after learning an italian arts songs, which i will perform at a recital. I do believe that she does sound better when singing in a more classical style...yet I love her voice no matter what she sings :)
I understand that her LIFE has pretty much been opera, but honestly... this sounds much more authentic! Her opera voice is a bit too harsh and “throaty” for my taste. It always sounds a bit like she’s gargling. Lol but this....THIS I love!!! ♥️
@kudasango Glad you are feeling better. I thought you were just being argumentative and difficult for a while until I realized the true problem. Glad to clear it up. Be blissful.
@tenor220 Well, denial gets you nothing. I know MANY people who have witnessed it first hand. Not just them being mic'd, but it cutting out during a performance. Get a clue.
@kudasango I never said people, "I KNOW" use mics. Can you read? They have witnessed others using mics. Do you really think I am going to name those people on her for little old you? ROFL! The LIE is that people are mic'd when they are supposed to be unmic'd. Simple. Listen to the crowd reaction at the Teatro Real in Spain. The singers were obviously mic'd. In a major house. It isn't MY claim, it was THERE's. So get clue.
@kudasango So, because you go to Eastman that means no opera singers are every mic'd? I don't think so. Many are mic'd. It isn't debatable, but it is a fact.
@kudasango Right, Groban is great. No mic's or enhancement there. If you think that then it is all I need to know. I wrote that I teach graduates of Juilliard and the like. And the POINT is that they could not get good teaching at those schools. This is just too exhausting to keep having to correct your complete misunderstandings of what I write. I will waste no more of my time.
@tenor220 Sorry, but this is simply not true and Mr. Cafiero is correct. There have been some notable opera singers who have been body mic'd in important opera houses on a regular basis. Of course, they wouldn't want the public to know about this, but those backstage, including the technical crew, know this goes on. And yes, there have been some embarrassing audio mishaps during performances.
@MrCafiero I'm not going to argue with you. Obviously you haven't been to good opera houses... Because in good opera houses the singers aren't "mic'd". Us the audience would notice it, it would sound very different. It also probably wouldn't work because the opera house has the acoustics for acoustic singing, not mic'd singing.
Wow! She sounds black....can we even say that anymore these days? Nobody would ever know that this is sung by the greatest soprano of our time! What an artist. What a gift it humanity.
I like her rendition of the song, which is one of the finest ever written in the popular genre. Her voice is not only fabulous but adaptable, as this brief performance proves. (She is also a lot easier on the eyes than K D Lang, who also sings this song extremely well -- it is great to have so many different, high-quality interpretations preserved for posterity.) Her politics are irrelevant, just as Richard Wagner's politics do not keep me from loving his operas.
@KappaOodobi OK, so, there is obviously no need at all, in any way, to state the obvious like she did. Obviously not every single opera is mic'd - as she was saying - and obviously not ALL operas are mic'd - as I was saying. So the whole thing has been pointless based on stating the glaringly obvious from the beginning. It doesn't have anything to do with the point that NO OPERAS should be mic'd because..then...it isn't opera. That is what should be clear here.
@nicktabus1000 Right....that must be the case! LOL! NOT! I have professional friends or peopel I have worked with including singers, conductors and COACHES who have ALL witnessed it first hand. It is common knowledge for those who are in the business and who are not just sticking their heads in the sand.
@Scalatti I agree,it is dull as dishwater.She should have left this song to Jeff Buckley & K.d. Lang.Her voice just sounds weird too,the way she forms words is so odd and off.
@kudasango Well, believe or not I have more authority than you do on this for a number of reasons. Firstly, I was highly trained by a master teacher. Secondly, I have friends, conductors, directors and colleagues who have witnessed mic'ing in major houses. Thridly, I teach many singers on a high level. I NEVER, EVER wrote that ALL opera performances are mic'd. So your arguments against what I am writing is based on a presumption on your part. Reading what is not there.
@kudasango Again, who cares if you saw a recital. It has nothing to do with what I originally wrote and your comments thereafter have been nothing, but off the point. Again, it doesn't MATTER if you saw a recital here or there that was not mic'd. It has NOTHING to do with my original point. So your original argument should not have even been written. So enough of your crap.
@kudasango You are really just not well thought out. Nothing you are saying is going against what I am saying, but yet you go on and on. WHO CARES if a couple recitals you saw weren't mic'd. Many are. And people are not aware of it. That is not fair. Opera houses are not being honest. Whether it is 50 or 1000 or 10000. It is wrong. And who said being famous means you are good? ROFL! I think NOT. Nothing I said applies to that.
@kudasango After you start insulting me with stupid comments then for sure I will call you out on it. Stop with the "arrogance" slant...it is SO childish. The fact is your first comment didn't really have any relevence. You just stated the obvious. My point was that mic'ing opera should stop. Do you agree? If you do then fine. Move on.
@kudasango We are not all insignificant. Otherwise why should anyone bother living? What someone teaches and the results of that teaching make it and the person significant. Certainly someone like Puccini was significant. So, no, we are not all insignificant. As for pointless banter....yeah, that should stop.
@kudasango I see, well, that explains it. She may have recorded OK early on, but the voice is not near the level it should be. Not anything like the greats. And that is due to a complete lack of good teaching and mic's and enhancement that trick people like you.
Renee started in Jazz. For someone to say she is embarrasing herself by singing this beautiful song obviously shows that person is lacking in the knowledge and understanding of Renee and her history. Being able to sing in this style is just one of the qualities that makes her classical singing so great. I would say to Idagnefoki get over your self and your arrogance and really listen with an open ear to a great singer making all kinds of music her own! I bet you can't do it.
You know, it can't be. I took some opera lessons and it is just different. Opera changes your voice and way of singing. So, the better question is: how good could kd lang sing an aria?
@montsyblackmadonna Yes; props to her for being careful about the common flaw of classical singers sounding too classical when they try to cross over, but she's going to the other end of the spectrum, and intentially slurring and slouching vocally, which isn't quite working.
@kudasango Wait, you, who isn't anyone, saw a recital? And you think that is the same as professionals who have sung with these people, at these venues, and also directors, coaches, conductors is the same thing? Delusional much. Even Marilyn Horne warned about mic's years ago. And the Teatro Real is a major house. I am not the ONLY one claiming this stuff. ROFL! Unbelievable.
@kudasango You have no clue how stupid your comments are and if you did you would be embarrassed. I have people coming in from all over the world and top schools who beg for this training. NO JOKE!. If they read the crap you are writing they would laugh. I give all my energy, time and training to fixing many voices that are majorly damaged by the crap system that is developing singers that need to be mic'd. You are so out of line it is offensive.
@nicktabus1000 Oh, so the Met, NYC opera, SF Opera, Teatro Real in Madrid etc. are all bad houses? Get a clue. Nothing will change for the better while people like you allow these places to get away with it. Get a backbone guy.
@kudasango WHAT? So no one uses the internet to communicate? Are you for real? Just because you don't like what I said to you doesn't really matter. What matters is my students and what I am doing and the people who care about the truth. And the truth is the art of opera, great opera, is dying because of mic's and bad teaching. Voices are not how they used to be. So instead of worrying about my manners why don't you just move on? Seriously, you have major transference issues.
@kudasango What is your obsession? Know to go on and on and on. Now it is about using OMG and ROFL? This is just so stupid. And then you ask why I insult you. There is no other way of communicating with someone like you. You don't get it. You get obsessed and just are exhaustive without saying anything. Stick with the MAIN point. You are not here to teach manners to anyone.
@kudasango What? Eastman v Juilliard? What are you talking about? I think they are both horrible. I don't are about any competition between both. They have horrid voice teachers. And Groban studied speech level which is also crap.
@kudasango I insist based on their comments. And because I also have taught students of just about every "top" teacher and famous coach out there. I have not heard any great singers coming out of Eastman on the level of the greats of the past. And I know the damage or limitations they have caused singers. Additionally, the importance of keeping opera grand is paramount. Accepting mediocrity, such as Fleming, or completely destroying the art by mic'ing it is a disgrace.
I'm gonna go out on a limb here, and state that I do NOT like this. I love Renee Fleming's wonderful voice, when she sings opera. This song, this music -- which I love when sung by other singers such as k d lang, the Canadian tenors, etc. - this is not suited to Ms. Fleming's awesome singing voice, which BEGS to be singing opera. Opera, not pop music. It's like listening to Barbra Streisand trying to sing Desdemona's "Willow Song". It just ain't right!
Ah, oh my gosh, as David Suchets biggest fan, does anyone have a copy of the next days thing from this? *faints and dies* amazing voice though, fave opera singer! :D xxxx
I am currently reading her autobiography... interesting and educational. She is a class act. I've been lucky enough to see her in recital and to listen to her live is a joy. I totally agree, she challenged herself and she is a great example to all musicians.
D D Jay Just finished it!
@Idagnefoki I highly doubt she's embarrassed by an emotionally riveting, note-perfect delivery of a classic. I for one am grateful she doesn't limit herself to a single genre.
Renée I would love to hear you do a jazz album!!!!
Such a beautiful voice and a beautiful person as well! Love her!
Ooh, i love her voice in this! She makes it so low and smooth, its great! I'm so glad she has an open mind, and actually decides to challenge herself. :)
Andrew Marr's whole programme should have been based around Renee Fleming completing the song! She is vocal royalty!
the best - simply THE BEST
Great Album I hope you record more music like this. I really enjoy listening to you sing..Thank You
What a range she has. You’re the greatest Renee Fleming😘😭
Fantastic.
@anneayer: Fleming recorded a jazz album, Haunted Heart, a few years ago...
It is not possible for Rene Fleming to be other than perfect!!!
Wow! Side of her I have never seen before!! I love it!!
Thanks
Fantastic
If I wouldn't have seen it, I wouldn't have believed this was her. Aretha Franklin sings Pavarotti, Ms. Fleming sings kd lang....and I love it!
IT'S A FASCINATING ALBUM which requires really listening carefully over repeated playings and considerable time. She's trying to plow new ground and what she's attempting is difficult and slippery to grasp but worth the effort.
Take a wonderful song and match it a voice such as this; I ask for nothing more ....
@kudasango Wow. I teach a 5 Time Grammy Award winner, have toured extensively, been in the studio, also I teach graduates of Juilliard who have won major competitions. And yet I can hear it. But then again, I have been to many major houses. Thanks for your input though.
@MrCafiero I meant to write "mic's are used". ROFL!
good stuff =)
PS: one of the greatest opera singers alive: yes, however,
america's favorite soprano: gross overstatement
I beg the critics to close your mouth and listen to one of the all-time great musicians challenging herself with something different. Of course there are differences in her rendition - so what?!? Her mind is much more open than that of most writers on this page. Though she had long been my favorite classical vocalist, this CD actually began my quest to learn absolutely EVERYthing about the woman, her life, her thinking, her education, her entire repertoire. What a hoot and a class act!
She does this really well...makes more sense than the pop singers do (sorry, lee, jason). And she has no problem singing the long hallelujah in one breath...hate it when they breathe in the middle of a word.
@kudasango Ah.
Shit, her pop voice is beautiful, quite dark actually :)
Dunno whose voice is more beautiful, Renee Fleming's or Audra McDonalds =D both musical virtuosos!!
I love her pop voice but I've gotten used to her in opera. I'm not used to this.
@MrCafiero Opera singers, while "IN THE OPERA" Not concerts, or galas, are not mic'd
you won't be missed!
shes quite amazing! i have just begun to really appreciate opera after learning an italian arts songs, which i will perform at a recital. I do believe that she does sound better when singing in a more classical style...yet I love her voice no matter what she sings :)
I understand that her LIFE has pretty much been opera, but honestly... this sounds much more authentic! Her opera voice is a bit too harsh and “throaty” for my taste. It always sounds a bit like she’s gargling. Lol but this....THIS I love!!! ♥️
@kudasango Glad you are feeling better. I thought you were just being argumentative and difficult for a while until I realized the true problem. Glad to clear it up. Be blissful.
@tenor220 Well, denial gets you nothing. I know MANY people who have witnessed it first hand. Not just them being mic'd, but it cutting out during a performance. Get a clue.
@kudasango I never said people, "I KNOW" use mics. Can you read? They have witnessed others using mics. Do you really think I am going to name those people on her for little old you? ROFL! The LIE is that people are mic'd when they are supposed to be unmic'd. Simple. Listen to the crowd reaction at the Teatro Real in Spain. The singers were obviously mic'd. In a major house. It isn't MY claim, it was THERE's. So get clue.
@kudasango So, because you go to Eastman that means no opera singers are every mic'd? I don't think so. Many are mic'd. It isn't debatable, but it is a fact.
@kudasango Right, Groban is great. No mic's or enhancement there. If you think that then it is all I need to know. I wrote that I teach graduates of Juilliard and the like. And the POINT is that they could not get good teaching at those schools. This is just too exhausting to keep having to correct your complete misunderstandings of what I write. I will waste no more of my time.
I love Renee.. a this is not bad at all.. But this is where K.D. Lang reigns supreme...
@tenor220 Sorry, but this is simply not true and Mr. Cafiero is correct. There have been some notable opera singers who have been body mic'd in important opera houses on a regular basis. Of course, they wouldn't want the public to know about this, but those backstage, including the technical crew, know this goes on. And yes, there have been some embarrassing audio mishaps during performances.
I like this better than the original =P
Who is the cellist?
mine stops, frustratingly, just as she's to start sining... at 3:05. anyone else have the same problem?
@candide43201 I agree, I prefer K. D. Lang's version. But this one is nice :)
@MrCafiero I'm not going to argue with you. Obviously you haven't been to good opera houses... Because in good opera houses the singers aren't "mic'd". Us the audience would notice it, it would sound very different. It also probably wouldn't work because the opera house has the acoustics for acoustic singing, not mic'd singing.
Wow! She sounds black....can we even say that anymore these days? Nobody would ever know that this is sung by the greatest soprano of our time! What an artist. What a gift it humanity.
I like her rendition of the song, which is one of the finest ever written in the popular genre. Her voice is not only fabulous but adaptable, as this brief performance proves. (She is also a lot easier on the eyes than K D Lang, who also sings this song extremely well -- it is great to have so many different, high-quality interpretations preserved for posterity.) Her politics are irrelevant, just as Richard Wagner's politics do not keep me from loving his operas.
This is far better than chocolat!!!!!!!!!!
You're kinda like Angel Blue & Candace Y Johnson who didn't wanna give up on any Genre of Music. Sweet
@KappaOodobi OK, so, there is obviously no need at all, in any way, to state the obvious like she did. Obviously not every single opera is mic'd - as she was saying - and obviously not ALL operas are mic'd - as I was saying. So the whole thing has been pointless based on stating the glaringly obvious from the beginning. It doesn't have anything to do with the point that NO OPERAS should be mic'd because..then...it isn't opera. That is what should be clear here.
@nicktabus1000 Right....that must be the case! LOL! NOT! I have professional friends or peopel I have worked with including singers, conductors and COACHES who have ALL witnessed it first hand. It is common knowledge for those who are in the business and who are not just sticking their heads in the sand.
@MrCafiero Its never happened, im sorry, opera singers are not mic'd. Have you ever been to an opera?
@kudasango I never said you did. ROFL!! I said your point is irrelevant to my point. Comprehension 101. Or maybe 99 in your case! ROFL!
@nicktabus1000 Are you for real??? ROFL!
@guildbart Le version de K.D. Lang est supérieure.
@Scalatti I agree,it is dull as dishwater.She should have left this song to Jeff Buckley & K.d. Lang.Her voice just sounds weird too,the way she forms words is so odd and off.
Of course when performing in an arena, or outdoors they need mic's
@ajamesu Agreed K.D. Lang definitely gives the best version of this song.
@kudasango Well, believe or not I have more authority than you do on this for a number of reasons. Firstly, I was highly trained by a master teacher. Secondly, I have friends, conductors, directors and colleagues who have witnessed mic'ing in major houses. Thridly, I teach many singers on a high level. I NEVER, EVER wrote that ALL opera performances are mic'd. So your arguments against what I am writing is based on a presumption on your part. Reading what is not there.
@kudasango Again, who cares if you saw a recital. It has nothing to do with what I originally wrote and your comments thereafter have been nothing, but off the point. Again, it doesn't MATTER if you saw a recital here or there that was not mic'd. It has NOTHING to do with my original point. So your original argument should not have even been written. So enough of your crap.
@nicktabus1000 ROFL! You must be insane.
@kudasango You are really just not well thought out. Nothing you are saying is going against what I am saying, but yet you go on and on. WHO CARES if a couple recitals you saw weren't mic'd. Many are. And people are not aware of it. That is not fair. Opera houses are not being honest. Whether it is 50 or 1000 or 10000. It is wrong. And who said being famous means you are good? ROFL! I think NOT. Nothing I said applies to that.
@kudasango After you start insulting me with stupid comments then for sure I will call you out on it. Stop with the "arrogance" slant...it is SO childish. The fact is your first comment didn't really have any relevence. You just stated the obvious. My point was that mic'ing opera should stop. Do you agree? If you do then fine. Move on.
@kudasango We are not all insignificant. Otherwise why should anyone bother living? What someone teaches and the results of that teaching make it and the person significant. Certainly someone like Puccini was significant. So, no, we are not all insignificant. As for pointless banter....yeah, that should stop.
@kudasango I see, well, that explains it. She may have recorded OK early on, but the voice is not near the level it should be. Not anything like the greats. And that is due to a complete lack of good teaching and mic's and enhancement that trick people like you.
Renee started in Jazz. For someone to say she is embarrasing herself by singing this beautiful song obviously shows that person is lacking in the knowledge and understanding of Renee and her history. Being able to sing in this style is just one of the qualities that makes her classical singing so great. I would say to Idagnefoki get over your self and your arrogance and really listen with an open ear to a great singer making all kinds of music her own! I bet you can't do it.
Very good. But not as good as KD Lang's version.
You know, it can't be. I took some opera lessons and it is just different. Opera changes your voice and way of singing. So, the better question is: how good could kd lang sing an aria?
@montsyblackmadonna Yes; props to her for being careful about the common flaw of classical singers sounding too classical when they try to cross over, but she's going to the other end of the spectrum, and intentially slurring and slouching vocally, which isn't quite working.
@kudasango Wait, you, who isn't anyone, saw a recital? And you think that is the same as professionals who have sung with these people, at these venues, and also directors, coaches, conductors is the same thing? Delusional much. Even Marilyn Horne warned about mic's years ago. And the Teatro Real is a major house. I am not the ONLY one claiming this stuff. ROFL! Unbelievable.
I think somebody has a lots of problems here! It is not R.F.
@kudasango OMG...I cannot stop laughing. THANK GOD you told me you saw a couple of recitals that weren't mic'd. Self important much? ROFLMAO!
you butcher the critique
@kudasango You have no clue how stupid your comments are and if you did you would be embarrassed. I have people coming in from all over the world and top schools who beg for this training. NO JOKE!. If they read the crap you are writing they would laugh. I give all my energy, time and training to fixing many voices that are majorly damaged by the crap system that is developing singers that need to be mic'd. You are so out of line it is offensive.
@nicktabus1000 Oh, so the Met, NYC opera, SF Opera, Teatro Real in Madrid etc. are all bad houses? Get a clue. Nothing will change for the better while people like you allow these places to get away with it. Get a backbone guy.
@kudasango WHAT? So no one uses the internet to communicate? Are you for real? Just because you don't like what I said to you doesn't really matter. What matters is my students and what I am doing and the people who care about the truth. And the truth is the art of opera, great opera, is dying because of mic's and bad teaching. Voices are not how they used to be. So instead of worrying about my manners why don't you just move on? Seriously, you have major transference issues.
@kudasango What is your obsession? Know to go on and on and on. Now it is about using OMG and ROFL? This is just so stupid. And then you ask why I insult you. There is no other way of communicating with someone like you. You don't get it. You get obsessed and just are exhaustive without saying anything. Stick with the MAIN point. You are not here to teach manners to anyone.
Sorry, I like RF, but this was painful. B'bye....
@kudasango What? Eastman v Juilliard? What are you talking about? I think they are both horrible. I don't are about any competition between both. They have horrid voice teachers. And Groban studied speech level which is also crap.
Many opera singers today *ARE* mic'd. The Met has been mic'ing certain singers for years. This is a very boring performance. KD Lang is far better.
@kudasango I insist based on their comments. And because I also have taught students of just about every "top" teacher and famous coach out there. I have not heard any great singers coming out of Eastman on the level of the greats of the past. And I know the damage or limitations they have caused singers. Additionally, the importance of keeping opera grand is paramount. Accepting mediocrity, such as Fleming, or completely destroying the art by mic'ing it is a disgrace.
I'm gonna go out on a limb here, and state that I do NOT like this. I love Renee Fleming's wonderful voice, when she sings opera. This song, this music -- which I love when sung by other singers such as k d lang, the Canadian tenors, etc. - this is not suited to Ms. Fleming's awesome singing voice, which BEGS to be singing opera. Opera, not pop music. It's like listening to Barbra Streisand trying to sing Desdemona's "Willow Song". It just ain't right!
The mic does not do her voice justice.
She butchered the song!
Not really. She did better at this than KD could singing the Marshallin.
These two kids in a stairwell did a better cover than this, check out Hallelujah Leonard Cohen (cover) by Vektormusic sometime
I love Renee Fleming but this no, oh dear :(
Ah, oh my gosh, as David Suchets biggest fan, does anyone have a copy of the next days thing from this? *faints and dies* amazing voice though, fave opera singer! :D xxxx