Originally designed for the infamous 1936 Olympics,
the Waldbühne arena in Berlin is built into the Murellen
Gorge and steeply raked seats were cut into the rock-face. With
the less formal seated on the grass in front of the bandstand
there are over twenty two thousand spectators at these concerts.
The use of the arena for concerts was discovered by the pop
world and now often involves famous opera singers with the likes
of Domingo, Pavarotti and Villazon appearing. The venue has
come to mark the end of season festivities of the Berlin Philharmonic.
For this end of season concert the conductor was the Romanian-born
Ion Marin, now a naturalised Austrian, whilst the guest artist
was the American lyric soprano Renée Fleming. Looking
stunningly glamorous and seemingly ageless in her series of
couture gowns by Angel Sanchez, the fifty-year-old diva did
not stint on her contribution in either timing, quality of singing
or interpretive insight. Following Marin’s brisk reading
of Mussorgsky’s Night on a Bare Mountain (CH 2)
Fleming started with her signature Song to the Moon from
Dvořák’s water sprite opera, Rusalka
(CH 3). Her smooth legato followed the immaculate harp and woodwind
introduction as Marin drew soft gentle phrases from the orchestra.
Fleming was as secure as ever as was the power of the voice
at the conclusion. There’s no sign of spread or beat.
This speaks of an artist who has cared for her instrument and
what she has asked of it since her professional debut way back
in 1986.
If the Dvořák aria gave one of many titles to this
concert, Miss Fleming’s varied programme matched that
of the orchestra who were in top form; are they ever anything
else? Marin’s choice of repertoire ranging, among others,
across Wagner, Elgar and Tchaikovsky. The coverage was as eclectic
as that of his singer. Renée Fleming took on the long
scene from Richard Strauss’ Capriccio (CH 5) where,
after the dramatic start, her singing in tonal beauty, strength
and characterisation showed just why certain of the composer’s
works are favourites of hers. In this she follows her illustrious
predecessor, Kiri Te Kanawa, whose vocal type, strengths and
longevity of tonal lustre she mirrors. The difference with Korngold’s
Glùck, das mir verbieb from his iconoclastic
Die tote Stadt was as interesting as it was arresting
(CH 7). But for me a most interesting aria was Donde lieta
uscì from Puccini’s La Bohème.
Mimi is a role she first sang in 1989 for her debut at New York’s
City Opera. Whilst she has undertaken Puccini’s consumptive
fairly regularly in recent years I have not noticed Mimi featured.
A pity, as like the older Mirella Freni she brings many an insight
to Mimi’s plight in that heart-rending aria (CH 10). It
was an inspiration of casting to include the two extracts from
Leoncavallo’s opera of the same name (CHs 11-12). Needless
to say, Miss Fleming brought real feeling to Liu’s plea
to the emotionally glacial Princess Turandot in Tu che di
gel sei cinta (CH 13) from Puccini’s last opera. Her
final contribution to a great evening was a gentle and heartfelt
rending of the same composer’s ever-popular O mio babbino
caro (CH 16) from Gianni Schicchi.
Renée Fleming was the visiting star, but she did not
overshadow the home orchestra whose Romeo and Juliet
(CH 14) was their answer to her Capriccio extract which
they had accompanied with such taste. The camera-work between
soloist, members of the orchestra in lounge suits and the rapt
audience in various parts of the arena was first rate. With
singer and orchestra on top form this night, when the weather
behaved immaculately and followed Germany beating England in
the football World Cup earlier in the day, was as appropriate
a celebration as any in the audience could have wished for.
Congratulations to Euroarts for bringing the concert out on
DVD so soon after the event. It should feature in many a Christmas
stocking.
Robert J Farr
Tracklist
Modest MUSSORGSKY (1839-1881) Night on a Bare
Mountain [10.33]
Antonín DVOŘÁK (1841-1904)
Rusalka, Mesicku na nebi hlubokém (Song to the
Moon) [7.43]
Aram CHATSCHATURJAN (1903-1978) Spartacus,
Spartacus and Phrygia [11.40]
Richard STRAUSS (1864-1949) Capriccio,
Morgen Mittag um elf! [19.59]; Zueignung, op. 10 no.1
Richard WAGNER (1813-1883) Rienzi, Overture
[12.55]
Erich Wolfgang KORNGOLD (1897-1957) Die tote
Stadt, Glùck, das mir verbiieb [6.29]
Edward ELGAR (1857-1934) Salut d'amour,
op 12 [5.30]
Giacomo PUCCINI (1858-1924) La Bohème,
Donde lieta uscì [4.00]; Turandot, Tu che di gel
sei cinta [4.43]; Gianni Schicchi, O mio babbino caro
[3.38]
Ruggero LEONCAVALLO (1858-1919) La Bohème,
Musette svaria sulla bocca viva [2.17] Mimi Pinson, la biondinetta
[2.37]
Piotr Ilyich TCHAIKOVSKY (1840-1893) Romeo
and Juliet, [22.09]
Gregorias DINICU (1889-1948) Hora staccato
[no timing given]
Paul LINCKE (1866-1946) BerlinerLuft [no
timing given]
Renée Fleming (soprano) 
2058078 [125:00] 
