Culture Fiend

Video: Renée Fleming on How to Be a Diva

The world-class soprano visits Seattle this weekend. As a warmup, watch her give vocal tips to a nervous-looking college student.

Posted by: Laura Dannen on Mar 14, 2012 at 11:45AM 1 Comments

Photo: Courtesy Andrew Eccles

Renowned American soprano Renée Fleming, who joins conductor Ludovic Morlot and Seattle Symphony at Benaroya Hall this Friday, has long been considered “the people’s diva.” Sure, it seems a contradiction in terms—do divas like football and beer?—but just watch her conduct a master class for Harvard students in the video below. She’s warm, charming, and most shocking of all, self-deprecating. The diva can crack a joke. One of my favorite tips she offers: Only sing operas that end in tragedy. “I made the mistake of singing one happy-ending piece at the Met and I got complaints in the mail," she deadpans.

Her humility belies her star power—she’s practically the face of Metropolitan Opera—and her fiercely powerful range, both vocally and emotionally. She walks the walk, coaching students to add tension, passion, or anger to different phrases in their performance. “Otherwise, it’s just a song.”

For her upcoming Seattle concert, Fleming will reinforce her ’people’s diva’ image with a program that spans classical, rock, and indie music. The lineup jumps from Ravel’s Shéhérazade to Gounod’s ‘The Jewel Song,’ to Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah,’ Muse’s ‘Endlessly’ and Death Cab for Cutie’s ‘Soul Meets Body’ (the latter are selections from Fleming’s 2010 pop album, Dark Hope). Fleming has long been a fan of eclectic music that crosses genre lines, she told The Seattle Times; and even after singing 52 different opera roles, she’s mostly avoided the standards: the Verdi and Puccini heroines. Together with Morlot, another champion of blurred boundaries, Fleming could very well be rocking Benaroya Hall on Friday.

Renee Fleming with Ludovic Morlot and Seattle Symphony
Mar 16 @ 8, Benaroya Hall, tickets still available from $71–$180

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Tags: Seattle Symphony, Benaroya Hall, Classical and More, Ludovic Morlot, Renée Fleming

New Conductor, New Season for Seattle Symphony

Incoming maestro Ludovic Morlot introduces his debut lineup at Benaroya Hall.

Posted by: Laura Dannen on Jan 19, 2011 at 03:00PM 0 Comments

French conductor Ludovic Morlot will succeed Gerard Schwarz at the Seattle Symphony.

“His friends call him Ludo.” That got a few giggles this afternoon, as a room full of symphony subscribers imagined addressing the conductor like he was a bridge buddy. But such casual conversation seems plausible with new maestro Ludovic Morlot, the 36-year-old Frenchman who will succeed Gerard Schwarz as musical director in the 2011-12 season. With a bounce to his step and an infectious smile, Morlot presented his debut lineup to the crowd gathered at Benaroya Hall: a predominantly white-haired crew that was visibly energized by the young gun on stage. “I promise this could be quite explosive,” Morlot said. Someone in the crowd whooped.

Though the season may look familiar—Itzhak Perlman, Joshua Bell, Josh Roman, and soprano Renee Fleming all return—there a few Morlot touches. Of particular note is the Sound Evolution performance on October 18, a new collaboration with young composers commissioned to create work inspired by local music legends: Jimi Hendrix, Nirvana, and Quincy Jones among them. Seattle chamber pop band Hey Marseilles will perform, and you already know how much I love them. Also exciting: Herbie Hancock playing Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue on November 18.

Popular series Seattle Pops, Beyond the Score (a traveling multimedia performance), Baroque and Wine, and Masterworks are back in the lineup, in addition to concerts by the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and St. Petersburg’s Mariinsky Orchestra with conductor Valery Gergiev.

Morlot still has to finish out an extensive guest conductor schedule this year—with some 35 performances scheduled around the world—but he’ll be on hand to lead the symphony in nine Masterworks concerts, including Beethoven’s Eroica symphony, Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring, Holst’s The Planets and Berlioz’s The Damnation of Faust to close out the season. “There’s a little something for everyone,” he said. “I’m most excited about…pretty much everything.” Smile.

Read on for the full 2011-12 Seattle Symphony schedule and more on Ludovic Morlot. The symphony continues to celebrate Gerard Schwarz’s 26th and final season as its chief; he conducts Mozart’s chilling Requiem this weekend.

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Tags: Seattle Symphony, Classical and More, Ludovic Morlot