Diva Soprano Sensation Renee Fleming At Dorothy Chandler Pavilion

International Diva soprano sensation Renee Fleming made a special appearance supported by acclaimed pianist Inon Barnatan at Dorothy Chandler Pavilion which closed out the LA Opera season.

Because Fleming is passionate about saving our environment, the first half was titled Voice of Nature: The Anthropocene which included a beautiful and colorful film about nature by National Geographic which displayed on a screen behind Fleming. The film included forest scenes, mountains, wild animals, among others.

Fleming sang a wide range of songs that included classical, pop, and also commissioned songs by Nico Muhly and Kevin Puts. Something else to mention is Fleming's collaboration with pianist Yannick Nezet-Seguin. Together, they created an award-winning Decca CD in 2021 with some of the same music on this program, also titled Voice of Nature.

At 65 years of age, Fleming can still incredibly hit notes in the higher register. One example of doing this was during her rendition of an aria composed by Handel called "Care Selve" from his opera Atalanta.

Fleming is also a master at phrasing. This was evident while singing a song from Joseph Canteloube's cycle Songs of the Auvergne called "Bailero." What she exhibited during this song was a reminder of just how great she really is.

When Fleming sang "Endless Space" composed by Muhly, there was a sense of gracefulness and a wonderful chemistry with Barnatan's piano part. During Puts' song "Evening," Fleming's approach was from a more emotive slant which worked well.

Fleming had fun singing pop songs which included Bjork's "All Is Full of Love" and one of Burt Bacharach's anthems "What the World Needs Now," in which she asked the audience to sing along during the chorus part.

At the end of the program, Fleming displayed much levity by choosing to sing Andrew Lippa's funny song "The Diva." While singing this song wearing a pink sparkling gown, Fleming referred to herself as "Barbie's mom." It was appropriate for Fleming to sing this song since she is a world-famous soprano.

Fleming also sang an appropriate encore. Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah." She invited the audience to sing along again during the chorus part.

During the entire recital, Fleming displayed her usual charismatic connection to the audience with anecdotes and wonderful singing.