Originating from the Latin for ìgoddess,î the word has morphed through the last century to signify both performers with star power as well as anyone who is temperamental enough to demand ìstarî treatment. Even water cooler crowds can now have ìdivas.î Although most people use ìdivaî to refer to both sexes, the term ìdivoî for males actually exists.
It is the original meaning of word that is celebrated in the new RenÈe Fleming CD, Homage ñ The Age of the Diva (Decca, October 2006). The premise, according to Fleming, is to ìstretchî herself musically with some intriguing selections that were star pieces for some of the late 19th ñ early 20th centuries greatest names, many of whom are featured on historic recordings. Among these are the likes of Rosa Ponselle, Maria Jeritza, Magda Olivero, Geraldine Farrar, Emmy Destinn, and Mary Garden, all women who added their own dimension to the image of the operatic diva. However, as much as this recording is dedicated to these stars and the roles and music they premiered and portrayed, it is as much a vehicle initiating todayís audiences to a wide variety of little-known arias from works that have been forgotten (at least in twenty-first century America). Flemingís yearlong research into this repertory (the only opera with which she herself is intimately associated is Jen?fa) also provides her with a unique group of dramatic arias that sit perfectly with her voice.
Fleming is accompanied on this artistic crusade by a conductor she admires intensely: Valery Gergiev, who for this recording leads his own Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theatre. Just as there are those who adore him as an opera conductor, there are those who hate him; on this recording, though, he pairs so seamlessly with Fleming that the result is indeed, as she describes his work, ìmagic.î The recording is a series of 14 selections that are one better than the other, dramatically sung and elegantly accompanied.
The operas from which Fleming drew her selections are Cileaís Adriana Lecouvreur (Milan, 1902); Smetanaís Dalibor (Prague, 1868); Tchaikovskyís Oprichnik (premiered at the Mariinsky in 1874); Korngoldís last two works, Das Wunder der Heliane (Hamburg, 1927) and Die Kathrin (Stockholm, 1939); Gounodís Mireille (Paris, 1864); Richard Straussí Die Liebe der Danae (Salzburg, 1952); Rimsky-Korsakovís Servilia (also at the Mariinsky, 1902); and Massenetís ClÈop‚tre (Monte Carlo, 1914-15). The three remaining, Il trovatore (Rome, 1853óthe earliest work represented), Tosca (Rome, 1900) and Jen?fa (Brno, 1904) are the most commonly known operas on the list. Although all of the other works contain gems for the diva voice, their histories in many cases reflect scores and librettos that in their day were considered troublesome. Dalibor, for instance, drew initial criticism for not being ìCzechî enough; Mireille, too, had a spotty history, as did Danae, a performance of which was sidetracked by none other than Joseph Goebbels. Nevertheless, the compilation is a credit to Flemingís desire to resurrect rich and worthy numbers.
In the Smetana and Jan·?ek, Fleming demonstrates her facility with Czech; she is equally able in the other four languages represented: Italian, French, German, and Russian. Her voice also ìfitsî the gamut of this repertory, from the traditional aria forms of ìTacea la notte Ö Di tale amorî to the other-worldly melodies of the two Korngold works. Her intelligent renditions of all of the arias and the sensitive orchestral support of Gergievís baton make this recording a noteworthy offering from one of the most respected divas of the contemporary American stage.
Denise Gallo
Click here for more information on this album, including musical excerpts.
[Editor’s Note: Dr. Gallo is the author of Opera ó The Basics (New York and London: Routledge, 2006)]
image=http://www.operatoday.com/content/Homage.png
image_description=Homage ó The Age of the Diva
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product_title=Homage ó The Age of the Diva
product_by=RenÈe Fleming (soprano), Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theatre, Valery Gergiev (cond.)
product_id=Decca 475 8068 (US); 475 8069 (In’tl) [CD]
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