*** “SIGNATURES: GREAT OPERA SCENES.” Renee Fleming, soprano; London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir Georg Solti. (London)
Versatility has been Fleming’s stock in trade since she first appeared on the international scene less than a decade ago. Here, she again proves her worth in plangent sound and dramatic singing in two arias from “The Marriage of Figaro,” the Letter Scene from Tchaikovsky’s “Eugene Onegin,” the Song to the Moon from Dvorak’s “Rusalka,” the closing arias from Verdi’s “Otello,” the Embroidery Scene from Britten’s “Peter Grimes” and the Transformation Scene from Richard Strauss’ “Daphne.”
Character identification, healthy climaxes and limpid tone mark the more successful performances, aided in no small way by the authoritative Solti and the resourceful Londoners. But Fleming can be inconsistent technically, the result being a few thin or equally top notes and a lack of solidity in the long lines of the Strauss excerpt. Trying to be all things to all composers can take a toll.
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Recordings are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent).
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