Lyric Opera 2025-2026 Issue 10 - Renée Fleming

15 | Lyric Opera of Chicago Among the commissioned pieces in the program is Nico Muhly’s “Endless Space,” which takes its texts from both 17th-century poet and theologian Thomas Traherne and a journalist writing in our own time, Robinson Meyer. Fleming has wide experience collaborating with living composers, a process with a strong collaborative element. “I’m always involved in thinking about the text, and certainly in creating and fashioning the theme,” she notes. “And of course, I always check that it’s vocally congenial for me. In this case it was easy — I love what Nico did!” Another remarkable American composer, Maria Schneider, created the memorable song cycle, Winter Morning Walks , in 2013, to texts by former Pulitzer winner and U.S. Poet Laureate Ted Kooser. Fleming was entranced when she first heard the piece, in a Grammy- winning recording by Dawn Upshaw. “I’ve sung the whole cycle,” Fleming says. “It’s actually very hard for me to find up-tempo numbers, because my voice and my sensibility want to languish. This was an attempt to break up the languor!” From Schneider’s cycle, Fleming has chosen “Our Finch Feeder,” the text of which includes some notably striking imagery — for example, the finch feeder being “oily and dark as ammunition.” The biggest surprise for the audience will surely be Björk’s “All Is Full of Love,” a song that is “really about the earth,” says Fleming. It impressed her that the Icelandic singer-songwriter was influenced by world-renowned naturalist David Attenborough (at the time of Björk’s 2011 album Biophilia , Attenborough met with her to discuss the nature of music and the intersection between music, nature, and technology). “Björk is a soprano,” Fleming adds, “so that helped a lot. I did a set of three songs of hers with a fantastic orchestrator, Hans Ek, and recorded them with the Stockholm Philharmonic a long time ago. They just really worked . I remember that I sang [another song from the cycle] ‘Virus’ with the New York Philharmonic on the eve of the announcement about Covid, which was a little unfortunate!” Not all the music to be heard by the Lyric audience comes from the Voice of Nature album — the soprano has chosen to include certain pieces she’s rarely performed before. Recalling Fleming’s contribution to the soundtrack of one of the most successful fantasy films ever made, Fleming’s daughter told her, “ The Lord of the Rings is our touchstone — why don’t you ever perform it?” “I thought it would be perfect,” Fleming says. For this recital the exceptionally gifted American/Israeli Inon Barnatan has been Fleming’s onstage collaborator. “He’s an exquisite pianist, with a major international career as a soloist,” Fleming says simply. “It’s a luxury to sing with him.” Neither of them are daunted by the prospect of performing in the expansive Ardis Krainik Theatre. Fleming scored a great success at Lyric in 2013, singing an elegant, all-French duo recital with Susan Graham. “It’s not so intimate that you can whisper,” she notes, “but beyond that it’s no different. You always have to project!” Wherever Voice of Nature: The Anthropocene has been presented, the second half of the program has tended to be on the lighter side. After the first half, “as much as the audience can sit there and think this music is incredibly beautiful, it’s clear that humans are not being very good to the earth right now — you can see that on people’s faces. So it’s great if at the end they can leave humming, singing, and ultimately uplifted.” Roger Pines writes regularly for Opera magazine (U.K.), programs of America’s most distinguished opera companies, and major recording labels. A faculty member at Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music, since 2006 he has been a regular panelist on the Metropolitan Opera broadcasts’ “Opera Quiz.” pieces commissioned by Fleming. Contemplating the environment, biodiversity, and sustainability confirmed the soprano’s realization that “w ’r not so connected to nature now.” She kept those concerns foremost in her mind in the album. Whe it won a Grammy, she s ys, “I thought, I want to take this on the road — and I wanted to do it with me ia.” A random dinner party introduction led to a meeting with the ead of the Nation l G ographic Society. “It was lik a one-minute phone call,” Fleming r members. “He said, ‘I definitely want to do this — we’ll make your films,’” and thus the p th was lear f r creating the program’ exciting visu l compon nt. In short order Fleming was able to structure her recital, with every piece in the first half of the program havi g a clear co nection to nature. The basic framework also had flexibility, allowing Fleming t switch out particular pieces easily w never she felt a new addition as needed. The ope ing song, Hazel Dickens’s “Pretty Bird,” is folk-like in character, and mesmerizing when sung a cappell . “People are surprised that I’m thin ing and working in this style,” ays Fleming. “But there’s something about folk music that as always touched me immediately.” An ther highlight of the recital will be one of Handel’s most breathtaking arias, “Care s lve,” the only familiar music from his opera Atalant . The composer “very often uses nature to help characters work through problems,” Fleming observes. “To me, it was completely logical to incl de it in this program.” The sheer loveliness of particular pieces is, not unexpectedly, an essential element of this recital; it plays a role not just with the Atalanta aria but also with “Baïlèro” from Canteloube’s Songs of the Auvergne . Fleming admits she’s performing th latter simply becaus “it’s just so beautiful! They’re talking to each other across a river, but despite that distance there’s something charming and intimate about it at the same time.” Among the commissioned pieces in the program is Nico Muhly’s “Endless Space,” which takes its texts from both 17th-century poet and theologian Thomas Traherne and a journalist writing in o r own ti e, Robinson Meyer. Flemi g has wi experience collaborating with living composers, a process with a strong collaborative element. “I’m always inv lved in thinking about the text, and certai ly in creating an fashioning the theme,” she n tes. “And of course, I always check that it’s vocally congenial for me. In this case it was easy — I lov what Nico did!” Another remarkable American composer, Maria Schneider, created the memorable song cycle, Winter M rning Walks , in 2013, to texts by former Pulitzer winner and U.S. Poet Laureate Ted K oser. Flemi g was entranced when she first heard the piece, in a Grammy- winning recording by Dawn Upshaw. “I’ve sung the whole cycle,” Fleming says. “It’s actually very hard for me to find up-tempo numbers, because my voice and my sensibility want to languish. This was an attempt to break up the languor!” From Schneider’s cycle, Fleming has chosen “Our Finch Feeder,” the text of which includes some notably striking imagery — for example, the finch feeder being “oily and dark as ammuniti n.” The biggest surprise for t e audience ill surely be Björk’s “All Is Full of Love,” a song that is “really about the earth,” says Fleming. It impressed her that the Icelandic singer-songwriter was influenced by world-renowned naturalist David Attenb rough (at the time of Björk’s 2011 album Biophilia , Attenborough met wit her to discuss the nature of music and the intersection between sic, nature, and technology). “Björk is a soprano,” Fleming adds, “s that lped a lot. I did a set f three songs of hers with a fantastic orchestrator, Hans Ek, and recorded them with the Stockholm Philhar onic a long time ago. They just really worked . I remember that I sang [another song fr m the cycle] ‘Virus’ with the New York Philharmonic on the eve of the announc ment about Covid, w ich was a little unfortu ate!” Not all the music to be heard by the Lyric audience comes from th Voice of Nature album — the so rano has chosen to include certain pieces she’s rarely performed before. Recalling Fleming’s contribution to the soundtrack of one of the most successful fantasy films ever made, Fleming’s daughter told her, “ The Lord of the Rings is our touchstone — why don’t you ever perform it?” “I thought it would be perfect,” Fleming says. For this recital the exceptionally gifted American/Israeli Inon Barnatan has been Fleming’s onstage collaborator. “He’s an exquisite pianist, with a major international career as a soloist,” Fleming says simply. “It’s a luxury to sing with him.” Neither of them is daunted by the prospect of performing in the expansive Ardis Krainik Theatre. Fleming scored a great success at Lyric in 2013, singing an elegant, all-French duo recital with Susan Graham. “It’s not so intimate that you can whisper,” she notes, “but beyond that it’s no different. You always have to project!” Wherever Voice of Nature: The Anthropocene has been presented, the second half of the program has tended to be on the lighter side. After the first half, “as much as the audience can sit there and think this music is incredibly beautiful, it’s clear that humans are not being very good to the earth right now — you can see that on people’s faces. So it’s great if at the end they can leave humming, singing, and ultimately uplifted.” Roger Pines writes regularly for Opera magazine (U.K.), programs of America’s most distinguished opera companies, and major recording labels. A faculty member at Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music, since 2006 he has been a regular panelist on the Metropolitan Opera broadcasts’ “Opera Quiz.”