Music review: Renée Fleming

World renowned soloists aren’t new to Sarasota audiences, but it’s been a while since we’ve had a singer of Renée Fleming’s stature performing here. We’re very proud of our Sarasota Orchestra, and I find it amusing when visitors are surprised by the level of music-making our all-professional, full-time orchestra achieves.

I’ve kept my New York ears, and I’ll stand by my opinion that the Sarasota Orchestra is up there with many world class ensembles. It’s particularly notable, since this is not exactly a big city, but we certainly have a big-city ensemble. So when soprano Renée Fleming raved about the Orchestra and said, repeatedly, that it was a privilege to perform with those musicians, my heart sang.

But it was Fleming’s singing with the Orchestra that the full-to-bursting audience turned out to hear, and all I could wish was that we had a concert hall that could live up to the event. The Van Wezel is great for amplified performances but, when it comes to natural acoustics, it is not a very friendly place.

The classical pops program, under the direction of Anu Tali, ranged from Mozart and Barber to Tosti and Rodgers and Hammerstein, and was perfect for this kind of gala evening. There was a trio of overtures: Mozart’s “The Marriage of Figaro,” Rossini’s “La Gazza Ladra” (“The Thieving Magpie”), and Glinka’s “Russlan and Ludmilla.” All bright, fun overtures, Tali took them at exceptionally brisk paces that really showed the virtuosity of the players - - virtually breakneck tempi but exciting and played so well they had the audience cheering.

Of course, Fleming was the celebrity of the night and she outdid herself with charm, beauty of voice and stagecraft. Her “Porgi, amor,” the Countess’s first aria from “The Marriage of Figaro,” was sung with luminous phrasing, as was her “O mio babbino caro,” from Puccini’s “Gianni Schicchi.”

Samuel Barber’s “Knoxville: Summer of 1915,” the epic work for soprano and orchestra, with words by James Agee, is one of the most nostalgic pieces I know. Barber’s beautiful music underscores Agee’s description of an “evening when people sit on their porches, rocking gently and talking gently and watching the street…people in pairs, not in a hurry…parents on porches…one is my mother who is good to me. One is my father who is good to me…here they are, all on this earth; and who shall ever tell the sorrow of being on this earth, lying on quilts, on the grass, in a summer evening, among the sounds of the night.”

Tears can’t help but fall when you hear those words set to Barber’s wistful music and, with Fleming’s rich, opulent voice, it’s hard not to run your mascara. The problem was the Van Wezel’s acoustics, even with the new shell, didn’t allow most of us to hear all the words so, beautiful as the soprano’s sounds were, half the delight was lost. The shell helps large ensembles but, for soloists, it’s no friend at all.

Concertmaster Daniel Jordan was soloist in the gorgeous “Meditation” from Massenet’s “Thais,” and while we had no problem hearing the violinist’s immaculate intonation and sweet sound, some of the dynamics were muffled because of those darned acoustics. Still, it was a beautiful performance and Fleming seemed very impressed when she returned to the stage to sing.

And sing she did. But she was smart because, when she got to the more popular sections of the program - - selections from “The King and I,” and two of her three encores - - she wisely used a microphone.

Renée Fleming is not only an astute singer and musician, she’s also a charming personality and she absolutely had us in the palm of her hands throughout the evening. Teasing, playing, enchanting and captivating us with simple, direct conversations, we felt she was there to share with good friends, the music she loves. That’s entertainment.