Perhaps this is what the genre needs: a classical heavyweight like Renée Fleming pivoting from the "specifically European template" of opera and branching into other kinds of performing. This time, Fleming has her eyes on Broadway.
An avid fan of all kinds of music, Fleming never pegged herself strictly as an opera singer. In an interview at Little Rock, the singer revealed that she was into all sorts of other genres — even learning Joni Mitchell in her youth.
Seemingly hesitant to admit her affinity for anything not opera, she continued her hopes to star on Broadway in a production of Living on Love, a farce she also performed this past summer at the Williamstown Theater Festival in Massachusetts.
She also went on to cite that she grew up listening and singing all different styles — everywhere from country-western to performing with a jazz trio. With some guitar skills under her belt, too, Fleming fancied singing troubadours like Joni Mitchell — maybe she has a protest song in her, too.
Whatever the case may be, it should not be resisted that Renée Fleming reach out for the Broadway light. It should, in fact, be condoned.
With singers like Jonas Kaufmann citing the faltering status of classical in the mainstream, these are useful tools to widen the gaze of classical-goers from the stereotyped elite to listeners of any stripe — dare I say even those who like pop?
Whatever the case may be, it would not be a first for Fleming and, hopefully, she lands the part and takes to the uptown stage of New York's theater clubs.
For now, we have her and Bill Frissell below:
© 2024 Classicalite All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
