Above: Evgeny Kissin and Renée Fleming at Carnegie Hall; photo by Chris Lee
Author: Oberon
Wednesday May 31st, 2023 - Renée Fleming and Evgeny Kissin in recital at Carnegie Hall. This was a very nostalgic evening for me, as my humble connection with Renée goes way back to the concert that introduced her to theera world: the Met National Council Auditions winners concert of 1988: it was a heady afternoon, wherein three soon-to-be superstars - Renée, Susan Graham, and Ben Heppner - shared the stage with some other excellent singers who went on to fine careers. Renée's singing won everyone's attention with Micaela's aria from CARMEN, and then brought the house down with her ravishing "Song to the Moon" from RUSALKA, which became sort of her theme song over time. It was clear from that moment on that Renée was headed for super-stardom; if you want to read all about her incredible career, go here.
In the ensuing years, I saw her many times at The Met; among her wide-ranging roles, Tatyana in EUGEN ONEGIN, Carlisle Floyd's Susannah, and Desdemona in OTELLO were my favorites. While I was working at Tower Records, I met her a few times: a very down-earth, friendly woman.
Everyone knows about Renée's remarkable voice teacher, Beverley Peck Johnson, and the enormous role that Mrs. J played in Renée's career. With my friend, the late Japanese contralto Makiko Narumi, I spent a lovely afternoon having tea with Mrs. J; she was incredibly proud of Renée. When Mrs. J passed away in 2001 at the age of 96, Makiko brought me along to the memorial service. Renée sang Rachmaninoff, and she nearly broke down from emotion.
All of these memories were playing in my head as we waited for the concert at Carnegie Hall to begin tonight when I saw another of Mrs. J's prize pupils, Anthony Dean Griffey, taking his seat. I ran down the aisle to greet him and meet his partner. This sent my emotional state into overload, recalling the thrilling performance of Carlisle Floyd's SUSANNAH at The Met in 1999, with Renée, Tony, and Sam Ramey all on spectacular form.
Photo by Chris Lee
Then the house lights dimmed, and the packed Hall erupted with applause and cheers as Renée Fleming and her "accompanist" sans pareil, Evgeny Kissin, took the stage. Renée was wearing the most elegant gown I ever saw: a cinnnamon-rose frock with a back-button bodice and a regal train: a complete knockout.
Silence fall over the house, and then that voice stole into our hearts; it has always been a voice of unique warmth and colour: a sound of blessèd reassurance in a troubled world. I could only imagine Mrs. J looking down on us from the heavens, so pleased to hear that the voice she helped to mold is still in immaculate condition: finely-sustained breath, no wobble, no sagging pitch...just so distinctly and utterly Renée.
Photo by Chris Lee
Four Schubert songs opened the evening: Suleika, Die Vögel, Lied der Mignon and Rastlose Liebe. Mr. Kissin played the opening of Suleika with great delicacy, and then the Fleming voice began to work its magic, singing with an increasing sense of ecstasy before calming to a state of resignation. This is a voice that sits serenely in the venerable Hall, with an immediacy that is captivating. It brought back memories of hearing Victoria de los Angeles in this Hall many years ago: it's as if she was singing just to me.
In Die Vögel (The Birds), we hear fluttering birds soaring above the jealous earthbound humans below. The Fleming voice sails over the pianist's animated accompaniment. Lied der Mignon is a song full of longing; here Renée brought a haunting pianissimo atmosphere to the second verse, before a passionate outburst.
Written when Schubert was just 18, Rastlose Liebe (Restless Love) is the song of a tormented lover caught up in shifting emotions that veer from despair to unbounded joy. Ms. Fleming and Mr. Kissin gave it a wild and passionate performance.
Next, Mr. Kissin brought us two solo pieces by Franz Liszt: Sposalizio (Marriage) and the Valse oubliée, No. 1. The first is pensive, with a lovely softness and mystery that soon turns passionate. A simple melody returns us to a dreamy state, but uncertainty hovers before the music becomes poignant and - finally - grand. The 'forgotten waltz' is a virtuoso piece in which Mr. Kissin reveled; even an annoying cellphone could not deter the pianist: his playing speedy, yet always nuanced.
Renée (above, photo by Chris Lee) returned for three Liszt songs followed: Freudvoll und leidvoll, Über allen Gipfeln ist Ruh, and Im Rhein, im schönen Strome. Throughout this set, Mr. Kissin's vast dynamic palette was deftly applied.
Written in a single day, Freudvoll und Leidvoll (Full of Joy, Full of Sorrow) is a song of extreme mood swings: between joy and sorrow, resignation and exultation. This is a song for all lovers, and Renée brought so many lovely vocal hues into play. Über allen Gipfeln ist Ruh (Over Every Mountaintop Lies Peace) is a hymn to nature and to peace, starting in a hushed tone, quietly supported by the piano. As the music develops, his became some of Renée's most thrilling singing of the evening. Passion reigned in Im Rhein, im schönen Strome, the voice in full flourish and the pianist at his most epic.
Following the interval, the artists returned - Renée now in a golden gown, which brought forth a burst of applause - but then she left the stage; she seemed to have forgotten that Mr. Kissin was going to play a piano transcription of Rachmaninoff's Lilacs to open the second half. Following that, the soprano returned and the program continued.
When I first heard Renée singing Rachmaninoff at the memorial service for Mrs. Johnson in 2001, it seemed to me that her voice was wonderfully suited to Russian music; this notion was amplified when she sang Tatyana at The Met, and it was re-affirmed tonight with two Rachmaninoff songs: Lilacs and A Dream.
When Sergei Rachmaninoff wrote Lilacs in April 1902, he was about to be married, and the song expresses his delight. It is a light-filled song which begins delicately and soon turns to a soaring melody. The accompaniment is a bit restrained yet passionate. Together, our artists used the dynamic shifts to evoke a blooming love.
In A Dream, Renée's voice had a distinctive clarity, rising deliciously to the highest notes. Mr. Kissin was extraordinary here, especially in the song's long postlude.
Mr. Kissin then offered two Rachmaninoff gems from Morceaux de fantaisie: "Mélodie in E Major" and "Sérénade in B-flat Minor". These showed off many facets of the great pianist's artistry, especially in terms of color and dynamics.
Ms. Fleming returned for two of my favorite Liszt songs: the delectable "S'il est un charmant gazon" and the ecstatic "Oh! Quand je dors". The first of these was so persuasively sung, and then she went full goddess with the heavenly "Petrarch" song: ravishing sound, remarkable control...a sensuous delight.
The program concluded with Duparc: Extase, with its lovely piano introduction and wry turnabout in the first vocal phrase, was sublime; and the dramatic Le manoir de Rosemonde, with its rhythmic fluctuations, to me always has a tinge of the vampiric about it. Here, Renée yet again bewitched us.
Taking a bow: Evgeny Kissin and Renée Fleming; photo by Chris Lee
Despite a fervent full-house standing ovation, Renée sang a single encore, Schubert's Ave Maria: sustained phrases, luminous tone, so deeply felt - like a benediction.
All photos by Chris Lee, courtesy of Carnegie Hall
~ Oberon