“The opera firmament was shaken yesterday when a New York Times article, headlined ‘The Diva Departs: Renée Fleming’s Farewell to Opera,’ landed online,” writes Tom Huizenga in a Thursday (4/6) Deceptive Cadence post at National Public Radio. “The lengthy piece gave the impression that Fleming, a beloved star of classical music and one of the most successful sopranos of her generation, was ready to call it quits as far as opera was concerned. Her ostensible final performance would come on May 13 in Richard Strauss’ Der Rosenkavalier at New York’s Metropolitan Opera. The 3,000-word article begins with a wistful prelude probing Rosenkavalier’s themes of farewell and letting go. … But also this: ‘Rosenkavalier may well be her farewell to staged opera. She will sing her final performance on the afternoon of Saturday, May 13.’ The key word here is ‘may.’ Truth be told, Fleming has no plans to quit opera at all. ‘I never said that I was stepping away from the opera stage for good,’ Fleming [said] in a phone conversation from her home … ‘So I just want to make sure that gets cleared up.’ Fleming said she told the newspaper she was interested in pursuing new operas and had received proposals from composers. … Her schedule, she says, is booked for the next two years.”
Posted April 10, 2017
