Monday, January 17, 2011
Renee Fleming at Carnegie Hall, 1/11/11
Program: http://bit.ly/hSWlTb
The most intriguing thing I found about Renee Fleming's Carnegie Hall recital was her programing. Early Schoenberg, followed by Zemlinsky, Korngold, an interlude of Brad Mehldau, and concluding with Strauss. Though it may all be classified as "late romantic music" in fact they're all different from one another, some of them playing to Fleming's strengths.
The first part of the program (Schoenberg, Zemlinsky and Korngold) seemed to have functioned as warm up pieces. Rarely did they touch upon the singer's upper registers (until the Korngold) which gave Fleming a chance to work her middle range. I'm not sure that these were the best choice of songs for her because occasionally she went so low, or turned a phrase in a certain way where the sound would just drop out. Perhaps it was her tendency to look down at the first 5 rows of the orchestra.
By the time one sings one's second recital - anywhere - you should always know to project to the back of the auditorium - whether it's a small place or Carnegie Hall. Fleming pointed her dead downward during the first half -- a guarantee that sound won't project further than the orchestra (or Parterre as Carnegie calls it). Perhaps during intermission someone reminded Fleming of this, and the second half of the recital was much better because she consistently looked and projected upwards.
The Mehldau was tuneful, not jazzy, but I didn't find it terribly interesting music. But what I did find surprising during these songs was that Fleming's communicative skills were **so** much better when the language was English (despite this being a English translation of Rainer Maria Rilke).
So why couldn't she use that a bit more during the Schoenberg and Korngold? Perhaps she was thinking that, due to the obscure poetry, she'd have a more detached attitude of understatement. Maybe it's because I'm currently reading Sondheim's "Finishing The Hat" that I've been much more aware of words, even when I think it's wrong such as in Sondheim's belief that the words always come first. But I even recall a master class with Barbara Cook where she told of first developing a relationship to the words, understanding why each one is there.
I know Fleming knows German. So how come it didn't come out enough during the first half of the program? Maybe that was part of her programming - the more distant, abstract, somber songs at the outset, and the warmer, rapturous ones at the end.
In any case, it did emerge in the second half - those Mehldau songs allowing Fleming to "thaw out" (there was a snow storm during the concert), so by the time she arrived at the Strauss set at the end, she was able to show off all her talents - strongly supported tone, wonderful mezza voce's, etc -- in one of the composers and style which I think is most appropriate for her voice. By this time she was much more actively involved with the words and it made a big difference.
Her encores gave her a chance to relax. Though not the best, the one which I felt most striking was "I Feel Pretty" from West Side Story. I don't think it's appropriate for her voice, and it was played way, way too fast by the otherwise superb Hartmut Höll (she was struggling to keep up with the piano and enunciate the words). But that was the thing again! - her understanding of the text seemed so much more at hand in English (maybe because it wasn't a song but theater music). If she could only map that on to her German in composers other than Strauss. Her reading of Strauss's Morgen also gave her a chance to display her lovely mezza voces - they seemed almost perfect in the way they opened up to a lovely bouquet of sound.
So I was surprised at what a satisfying concert this turned out to be. Now to investigate up more of that early Schoenberg.
[Slightly altered from original posting to OPERA-L]
The most intriguing thing I found about Renee Fleming's Carnegie Hall recital was her programing. Early Schoenberg, followed by Zemlinsky, Korngold, an interlude of Brad Mehldau, and concluding with Strauss. Though it may all be classified as "late romantic music" in fact they're all different from one another, some of them playing to Fleming's strengths.
The first part of the program (Schoenberg, Zemlinsky and Korngold) seemed to have functioned as warm up pieces. Rarely did they touch upon the singer's upper registers (until the Korngold) which gave Fleming a chance to work her middle range. I'm not sure that these were the best choice of songs for her because occasionally she went so low, or turned a phrase in a certain way where the sound would just drop out. Perhaps it was her tendency to look down at the first 5 rows of the orchestra.
By the time one sings one's second recital - anywhere - you should always know to project to the back of the auditorium - whether it's a small place or Carnegie Hall. Fleming pointed her dead downward during the first half -- a guarantee that sound won't project further than the orchestra (or Parterre as Carnegie calls it). Perhaps during intermission someone reminded Fleming of this, and the second half of the recital was much better because she consistently looked and projected upwards.
The Mehldau was tuneful, not jazzy, but I didn't find it terribly interesting music. But what I did find surprising during these songs was that Fleming's communicative skills were **so** much better when the language was English (despite this being a English translation of Rainer Maria Rilke).
So why couldn't she use that a bit more during the Schoenberg and Korngold? Perhaps she was thinking that, due to the obscure poetry, she'd have a more detached attitude of understatement. Maybe it's because I'm currently reading Sondheim's "Finishing The Hat" that I've been much more aware of words, even when I think it's wrong such as in Sondheim's belief that the words always come first. But I even recall a master class with Barbara Cook where she told of first developing a relationship to the words, understanding why each one is there.
I know Fleming knows German. So how come it didn't come out enough during the first half of the program? Maybe that was part of her programming - the more distant, abstract, somber songs at the outset, and the warmer, rapturous ones at the end.
In any case, it did emerge in the second half - those Mehldau songs allowing Fleming to "thaw out" (there was a snow storm during the concert), so by the time she arrived at the Strauss set at the end, she was able to show off all her talents - strongly supported tone, wonderful mezza voce's, etc -- in one of the composers and style which I think is most appropriate for her voice. By this time she was much more actively involved with the words and it made a big difference.
Her encores gave her a chance to relax. Though not the best, the one which I felt most striking was "I Feel Pretty" from West Side Story. I don't think it's appropriate for her voice, and it was played way, way too fast by the otherwise superb Hartmut Höll (she was struggling to keep up with the piano and enunciate the words). But that was the thing again! - her understanding of the text seemed so much more at hand in English (maybe because it wasn't a song but theater music). If she could only map that on to her German in composers other than Strauss. Her reading of Strauss's Morgen also gave her a chance to display her lovely mezza voces - they seemed almost perfect in the way they opened up to a lovely bouquet of sound.
So I was surprised at what a satisfying concert this turned out to be. Now to investigate up more of that early Schoenberg.
[Slightly altered from original posting to OPERA-L]
Labels: Lieder, Renee Fleming, soprano
