#ONSTAGE AT SYMPHONY FULL#

The orchestra lightened the mood with Giacomo Puccini’s 'Capriccio Sinfonico,' the last of the composer’s orchestral works at conservatory and full of motives that would later find their ways into his operas.

“(Corigliano) wanted to evoke the feeling of friends, alone in New York City, during the pandemic,” she explained.įor a few minutes, the theater and orchestra were absolutely still, hinged on every word, while Fleming sang O’Meara’s story of isolation and hope. The work was written for Fleming, and for her alone - literally. Even the demands of 'Fruhling,' which lingers in a frequently-merciless vocal range, were no problem at all.Įven more striking, though, was John Corigliano’s 'And the People Stayed Home,' based on Kitty O’Meara’s well-known poem from 2020.

Fleming handled all of it wonderfully, though. Shading grief, reverence, peacemaking and a humble joy is no small task, and less so when layered on top of Strauss’s rich melodies. Composed when Strauss was 84, and exploring end-of-life emotions and acceptance, they are as artistically challenging as they are technically demanding. The concert was set up to showcase Fleming’s expertise with a variety of styles, from art song to opera to film to theater, with orchestral interludes that supported her repertoire.Ĭolumbus Symphony: Symphony announces full slate of 2020-21 concertsĪs an answer to 'La valse,' Fleming countered with Richard Strauss’s 'Vier letzte Lieder' ('Four Last Songs'). She is a musician of such caliber that, last night, she received a standing ovation simply for stepping onto the stage. Renee Fleming has become a household name, arguably the best singer of her generation for her command of both technique and artistry. Soprano Renee Fleming wowed the audienceīut, beloved as the orchestra is, everyone (or, at the very least, almost everyone) in Saturday night’s audience had come to hear one thing: the guest artist. Fortunately, the musicians quickly regained clarity and cohesiveness every time the volume and melodies swelled. The first few, mysterious bars had a touch of incoherence, and the quiet passages often felt hesitant, leaning on the violins to pull them along. They opened the season with Ravel’s richly harmonic 'La valse' under the leadership of Music Director Rossen Milanov.

Onstage at symphony