Renée Fleming

1	Gianni Schicchi, opera: O
2	Madama Butterfly (Madame
3	La bohème, opera: Quando
4	Turandot, opera: Signore,
5	Pagliacci, opera: Stridon
6	Adriana Lecouvreur, opera
7	La Wally, opera (dramma m
8	Manon, opera in 5 acts: J
9	Manon, opera in 5 acts: A
10	Carmen, opera: Je dis que
11	Roméo et Juliette, opera:
12	Simon Boccanegra, opera:
13	Norma, opera: Casta Diva
14	I Vespri siciliani, opera
Renée Fleming
1.	Gianni Schicchi, opera: O mio babbino caro 2:55
	Composed by Giacomo Puccini
	Performed by Renée Fleming and London Philharmonic Orchestra
	Conducted by Charles Mackerras
2.	Madama Butterfly (Madame Butterfly), opera: Un bel di vedremo 4:55
	Composed by Giacomo Puccini
	Performed by Renée Fleming and London Philharmonic Orchestra
	Conducted by Charles Mackerras
3.	La bohème, opera: Quando me n'vò 2:51
	Composed by Giacomo Puccini
	Performed by Renée Fleming and London Philharmonic Orchestra
	Conducted by Charles Mackerras
4.	Turandot, opera: Signore, ascolta! 2:58
	Composed by Giacomo Puccini
	Performed by Renée Fleming and London Philharmonic Orchestra
	Conducted by Charles Mackerras
5.	Pagliacci, opera: Stridono lassù 5:03
	Composed by Ruggero Leoncavallo
	Performed by Renée Fleming and London Philharmonic Orchestra
	Conducted by Charles Mackerras
6.	Adriana Lecouvreur, opera: lo son l'umile ancella 3:57
	Composed by Francesco Cilea
	Performed by Renée Fleming and London Philharmonic Orchestra
	Conducted by Charles Mackerras
7.	La Wally, opera (dramma musicale) in 4 acts: Ebben?... Ne andrô lontana 5:04
	Composed by Alfredo Catalani
	Performed by Renée Fleming and London Philharmonic Orchestra
	Conducted by Charles Mackerras
8.	Manon, comic opera in 5 acts: Je suis encor tout étourdie 3:57
	Composed by Jules Massenet
	Performed by Renée Fleming and London Philharmonic Orchestra
	Conducted by Charles Mackerras
9.	Manon, comic opera in 5 acts: Adieu, notre petite table 4:30
	Composed by Jules Massenet
	Performed by Renée Fleming and London Philharmonic Orchestra
	Conducted by Charles Mackerras
10.	Carmen, opéra-comique in 4 acts: Je dis que rien ne m'épouvante 6:30
	Composed by Georges Bizet
	Performed by Renée Fleming and London Philharmonic Orchestra
	Conducted by Charles Mackerras
11.	Roméo et Juliette, opera: Ah! Je veux vivre 3:42
	Composed by Charles Gounod
	Performed by Renée Fleming and London Philharmonic Orchestra
	Conducted by Charles Mackerras
12.	Simon Boccanegra, opera: Come in quest'ora bruna 6:17
	Composed by Giuseppe Verdi
	Performed by Renée Fleming and London Philharmonic Orchestra
	Conducted by Charles Mackerras
13.	Norma, opera: Casta Diva 7:36
	Composed by Vicenzo Bellini
	Performed by Terry Edwards, Renée Fleming, London Philharmonic Orchestra and London Voices
	Conducted by Charles Mackerras
14.	I Vespri siciliani, opera (Les vêpres siciliennes): Merci, jeunes amies 4:30
	Composed by Giuseppe Verdi
	Performed by Terry Edwards, Renée Fleming, London Philharmonic Orchestra and London Voices
	Conducted by Charles Mackerras

Barnes & Noble

Like The Beautiful Voice, Renée Fleming's glorious 1998 collection of songs and arias, this self-titled album's contents were culled from requests by the soprano's family and friends. The result is a richly varied program that includes some pieces Fleming has been singing for years as well as a few fresh challenges. In the opening quartet of Puccini arias, Fleming wisely avoids any hint of melodrama, investing the characters with uncommon dignity. The final climax of "Un bel di" from Madama Butterfly is certainly not wanting in emotional intensity, but her tone is never strident. Fleming turns up the dramatic heat for "Stridono lassù" from Leoncavallo's I Pagliacci, showing us the essential difference between Nedda's defiant temperament and the more timid supplications of Puccini's heroines. Drama is almost beside the point in "Io son l'umile ancella" (from Cilea's Adriana Lecouvreur), "Casta diva" (from Bellini's Norma), and "Ebben? Ne andrò lontana" (from Catalani's La Wally), and Fleming clearly relishes these arias' bounteous lyricism. With creamy tone and weightless, whisper-soft high notes, she creates gleaming, rhapsodic oases. The soprano's winsome performance of a pair of arias from Massenet's Manon indicates she would be a knockout in this role, especially given her recent success in Thaïs. Only in "Je veux vivre" from Gounod's Romeo et Juliette does Fleming seem to be out of her element; despite her charm and virtuosity, the voice is simply too luxurious for such flighty roulades. The heftier fireworks of the bolero from Verdi's Les Vêpres Siciliennes are more her style, and here she is absolutely electrifying. Sir Charles Mackerras and the London Philharmonic lend vivid, vital support that's fully worthy of Fleming's extraordinary talents. Andrew Farach-Colton

All Music Guide

The voice of Renée Fleming is one of the most beautiful in opera. Her wide range of roles, from Handel's "Alcina" to her appearance in Previn's "A Streetcar named Desire," display a breadth of interest in and curiosity about the byways of opera. This recital covers some of the greatest soprano arias from Bellini to Puccini. All have been recorded many times, and most listeners will have a favorite version as a touchstone performance. As lovely one may find much of the singing, it is possible to be troubled by this disc. Perhaps in an effort to avoid the criticism of blandness often applied to Kiri Te Kanawa, Fleming has gone too far in trying to inflect every word with deep meaning. The tempo and phrasing are played-with so much that at times you may be reminded of Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, although Fleming never goes to her extremes. There are times when just allowing the music to makes its point is enough. The recitative preceding Nedda's "Bird song" in "I Pagliacci" is simply too weighty for the character. Unfortunately the recitative to the "Adriana Lecouvreur" aria is omitted -- and that would be the place for such an approach. "Casta diva" needs to have its cabaletta to fulfill the form of the piece. The French arias are the best items, and it is good to have a recording of the "Bolero" from Verdi's "Les Vèpres siciliennes" in the original French. Fleming's high E at the end is fine, but Mackerras should have utilized the traditional concert ending; the coda is too long for recital purposes. Nitpicking aside, there is fine singing on this disc -- but its approach is too intellectual for the content. Richard LeSueur

New York Times

Perhaps had there been more room on the jacket, this CD's full title might have been "Renée Fleming Sings 14 of the World's Most Heart-Melting, Passionate, Lyrical 19th-Century Italian and French Arias." Instead, it is called simply "Renée Fleming," and in truth, the name says it all. Ira Rosenblum