# Renée Fleming



## ldiat (Jan 27, 2016)

Renée Fleming is set to perform at former Senator John McCain’s memorial service.

During the senator’s service, the soprano will perform the will sing the Irish standard “Danny Boy,” per the former senator’s request.

According to her manager Dannielle Thomas, Fleming stated that she was very honored to perform the song. The memorial service for the late senator is scheduled to be held at the Washington National Cathedral on Saturday.

Fleming’s star has been on the rise over the past few years. She became the first opera star to perform in the Super Bowl and then appeared on the soundtrack for two Oscar-nominated films this past year.


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## ldiat (Jan 27, 2016)




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## Eusebius12 (Mar 22, 2010)

On the rise? Surely she is coming nearer to the end than the beginning...Her voice though hasn't diminished in quality that much over the years. Not that her voice was as great as some. Her art is based more perhaps on intelligence and acting ability (one of the best acting sopranos of our era).


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

I loved John McCain. I find Ms. Fleming to be nothing special. I would simply keep my mouth shut out of respect for Senator McCain and hope she delivers a performance of a lifetime.


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## EddieRUKiddingVarese (Jan 8, 2013)

Was her singing ordered by Trump?


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## ldiat (Jan 27, 2016)

hpowders said:


> I loved John McCain. I find Ms. Fleming to be nothing special. I would simply keep my mouth shut out of respect for Senator McCain and hope she delivers a performance of a lifetime.


wow! good thing Pugg is not around!


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## ldiat (Jan 27, 2016)

EddieRUKiddingVarese said:


> Was her singing ordered by Trump?


OMG ROTFWL the wife will love this remark:lol:


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## philoctetes (Jun 15, 2017)

EddieRUKiddingVarese said:


> Was her singing ordered by Trump?


Through Michael Cohen


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## Eusebius12 (Mar 22, 2010)

You mean because the diva's a little Stormy?


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## Eusebius12 (Mar 22, 2010)

hpowders said:


> I loved John McCain. I find Ms. Fleming to be nothing special. I would simply keep my mouth shut out of respect for Senator McCain and hope she delivers a performance of a lifetime.


I think for once I was a lot more polite! But she does have a _huge_ repertoire (I think one of Cohen's girls said something similar). Let's face it, not many could sing the variety of roles/art song that she has. Her diction is always impeccable, even if her tone can be a little tin (I mean thin)


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

ldiat said:


> wow! good thing Pugg is not around!


Why??????????????????????

Am I missing something???????????

Please enlighten me.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

EddieRUKiddingVarese said:


> Was her singing ordered by Trump?


I don't think he knows enough about her. If her name was Stormi Fleming, then, maybe.


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## Eusebius12 (Mar 22, 2010)

hpowders said:


> I don't think he knows enough about her. If her name was Stormi Fleming, then, maybe.


That was original


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

In my opinion, Ms. Fleming is an average professional opera singer (keep in mind, "average", by today's professional standards is rather high) who is a bit over-rated due to her looks. I hope she does the memory of John McCain proud. I will not be listening to her sing at the service.


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## Sonata (Aug 7, 2010)

I for one love Renee Fleming, and she has a beautiful rendition of Danny Boy :tiphat:


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## Eusebius12 (Mar 22, 2010)

hpowders said:


> In my opinion, Ms. Fleming is an average professional opera singer (keep in mind, "average", by today's professional standards is rather high) who is a bit over-rated due to her looks. I hope she does the memory of John McCain proud. I will not be listening to her sing at the service.


It depends what you prefer. I don't think vocal standards are what they used to be. Few today have the vocal timbre, power, and security of 50 years ago. In this context, Fleming does quite well. Frankly she doesn't have the vocal dexterity and cut through of Sutherland or Nilsson, not even close. But amongst her contemporaries, that is less of a drawback. She also seems well suited for the music of Richard Strauss. Let's face it, Schwarzkopf was not that vocally rich. Fleming perhaps is in the Schwarzkopf tradition, a thin voiced but intelligent singing actress.

At least she isn't often called rubbish, like her husband was famously:


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

I think Renee Fleming is wonderful. How her voice compares to other singers, I don't know, but I always enjoy listening to Renee.


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## philoctetes (Jun 15, 2017)

First I didn't like Renee because she WASN'T Schwarzkopf... that was over 25 years ago... now I think why does she need to be?

Seeing her just last spring, I was very impressed with her recital. I can't fault her for being attractive or having a great stage personality. Why would I want to? Seems she knows how to care for her pipes and she'll be singing a long time. Her way with show tunes was more convincing than, say, Barbara Hannigan's Gershwin, IMO. So what's not to like?


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Fritz Kobus said:


> I think Renee Fleming is wonderful. How her voice compares to other singers, I don't know, but I always enjoy listening to Renee.


We are all different.


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## Eusebius12 (Mar 22, 2010)

hpowders said:


> We are all different.


Some are more different than others.


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

And some are unique, such as Renee Fleming. There is none other like her (of which I am sure hpowders will be glad). If anyone watches the Tchaikovsky Eugene Onegin DVD with Fleming and Hvorostovsky and doesn't come away loving Fleming (and Hvorostovsky), they will never warm up to her.


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## Ras (Oct 6, 2017)

I'm not a fan of vocal music in general, but I love Rene Fleming's first recording of Richard Strauss's Four Last Songs on RCA with C. Eschenbach conducting:


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## norman bates (Aug 18, 2010)

hpowders said:


> In my opinion, Ms. Fleming is an average professional opera singer (keep in mind, "average", by today's professional standards is rather high) who is a bit over-rated due to her looks.


I suspect there could be some truth about this. I'm not ashamed to say that recently I've started to listen to her on youtube (yes, I had never listened to her, altough I knew who she is) because I think she's a beautiful woman. And she clearly has a very good voice, I've heard her also singing jazz and popular music very well, something that surprised me (I've heard other tenors and sopranos doing absolutely awful things, like the embarrassing Pavarotti and friends).
So I haven't anything bad to say against her beucase she's a very good singer with a very good voice and she seems to be also an intelligent person. But I suspect that without her aspect she could have been just another talented (even very talented) but unknown soprano.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Eusebius12 said:


> Some are more different than others.


Renee Fleming doesn't do it for me. I'm far from being alone.

What others have to realize is when I or someone else expresses an opinion contrary to your own, you don't take it as if someone punched you in the gut.

That's what I meant by "we are all different". A pity you reacted with sarcasm. 

Now, if Senator McCain had consulted me, I would have recommended Dawn Upshaw.


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## Sonata (Aug 7, 2010)

hpowders said:


> Renee Fleming is nothing special.
> 
> If she didn't have the looks, she wouldn't have had a major career.
> 
> I doubt if she will be able to reach the heights of communication with "Danny Boy" that Frank Sinatra did with "My Way", the latter, a fine choice by Senator McCain.


Why yes. We are quite aware of your opinion by now...


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

Here is an awesome production featuring our favorite soprano and favorite baritone:


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

All the musical performances today were of an extraordinarily high quality at the funeral service for Senator McCain at the National Cathedral in Washington and Renee Fleming did just fine singing Danny Boy, to my immense relief.


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## ldiat (Jan 27, 2016)




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## eugeneonagain (May 14, 2017)

Good God! I'm putting strict instructions in my will just in case, I don't want this to ever happen to me. She sounds like someone doing a comedy impersonation of a singer. The fellow in the white uniform looks like he wants to be in the pub.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Fleming's chef flaw has been a tendency to overinflect and overinterpret music. I don't think there's a syllable in this "Danny Boy" that's simply and straightforwardly sung. She's trying here to inhabit a somewhat uncertain realm between classical and popular singing style, and you may buy the result or not. I was moved by the occasion, but all the while thinking stuff like "Well, that was amazing! That was awful! Um, plausible...Good grief, Renee!"

No disrespect intended to those who mourn, but try the simple sincerity of Rosa Ponselle:


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

Woodduck said:


> Fleming's chef flaw has been a tendency to overinflect and overinterpret music. I don't think there's a syllable in this "Danny Boy" that's simply and straightforwardly sung. She's trying here to inhabit a somewhat uncertain realm between classical and popular singing style, and you may buy the result or not. I was moved by the occasion, but all the while thinking stuff like "Well, that was amazing! That was awful! Um, plausible...Good grief, Renee!"
> 
> No disrespect intended to those who mourn, but try the simple sincerity of Rosa Ponselle:


I'll stick with Renee for opera. I tend to be disappointed when I listen to opera singers' non operatic singing.

As for Danny Boy, it seems a strange song for a funeral. I actually never heard of the song before.


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

Fritz Kobus said:


> As for Danny Boy, it seems a strange song for a funeral. I actually never heard of the song before.


I'm surprised; I've heard the song since I was a little kid. It was one of McCain's very favorite tunes.


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## ldiat (Jan 27, 2016)

ok lets end this thread. originally just showing a person, Renee, cause we all know her singing for a official in the US. one either likes her as a opera singer or doesn't. sorry


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

I think this is great!


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## Eusebius12 (Mar 22, 2010)

hpowders said:


> Renee Fleming doesn't do it for me. I'm far from being alone.
> 
> What others have to realize is when I or someone else expresses an opinion contrary to your own, you don't take it as if someone punched you in the gut.
> 
> ...


I didn't reply with sarcasm, I replied with irony, two different things 
How could I be being sarcastic when I more or less agree with your assessment of Fleming? Mind you, I see Upshaw as in the same mold, an intelligent singing actress with a fairly thin voice. Why not try Cecilia Bartoli, Dame Kiri, Angela Gheorghiu, or Anna Netrebko?


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## Eusebius12 (Mar 22, 2010)

Fritz Kobus said:


> And some are unique, such as Renee Fleming. There is none other like her (of which I am sure hpowders will be glad). If anyone watches the Tchaikovsky Eugene Onegin DVD with Fleming and Hvorostovsky and doesn't come away loving Fleming (and Hvorostovsky), they will never warm up to her.


I like her. She has a great personality 

(as opposed to Kathleen Battle who seems to have a personality like an enraged orangutan's armpit, but has good vocal range and control)


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Eusebius12 said:


> I like her. She has a great personality
> 
> (as opposed to Kathleen Battle who seems to have a personality like an enraged orangutan's armpit, but has good vocal range and control)


That's like the females my relatives always tried to fix me up with when I asked for a description: "She has a great personality". I knew I was in for trouble!


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## Eusebius12 (Mar 22, 2010)

hpowders said:


> That's like the females my relatives always tried to fix me up with when I asked for a description: "She has a great personality". I knew I was in for trouble!


I think in terms of sopranos, it means more or less the same thing 

But seriously folks, actually I do admire her work in some things. I like her Strauss for example.


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