Renee Fleming plans a 'really fun' program for Schubert Club recital

Wednesday at 7:30 p.m., Classical MPR will broadcast the live Schubert Club recital of soprano Renée Fleming, accompanied by pianist Hartmut Höll.

Before the recital, Fleming sat down for a conversation about what the audience can expect, about some of her favorite pieces, about her musical partnership with Höll, and how she prepares for a recital.

Could you talk about the October 5 program in general? That is, are there any obvious themes running throughout the music?

Renée Fleming: You know, what I really wanted to accomplish with the program was not only to have it have a tremendous amount of range but to have it be really fun, too, because I've explored the corners of the more obscure repertoire in recent years … So the arias, the French arias and songs, the same with Italian arias and songs, Schumann's Frauenliebe und -leben, which is an incredibly important song cycle and very loved. Two songs in Spanish and Rogers and Hammerstein selections from the King and I, so I think it's a really wonderful program and it's a lot of fun.

There seems to be a mix of the familiar (Schumann's cycle) and the slightly less familiar (Oscar Straus: "Je t'aime quand m'eme") … How did you decide that these were the pieces you would perform tonight?

RF: When I put together a program, it's a little bit like putting together a meal — I want to make sure there's a main dish, which would be the Schumann; I want to have a dessert and sorbet and appetizer. And I don't do that necessarily in the same order, but I'm thinking about the entire audience and wanting to provide something for everybody, and also something that really showcases my entire vocal range, taste and musical sensibility.

Do you have any personal favorites on tonight's program? Which ones and why?

RF: I don't have any personal favorites because I love it all, and that's why I program it. I think singing song recitals is a tremendous privilege. We're building on this phenomenal art form that's developed over centuries. It started, really — there were court performances; they were parlor performances in the 19th century. And now it's something very rarified because it's intimate. It's a relationship that I build with the audience with a brilliant partner in piano. It's probably my favorite thing to do.

I think Camille Saint-Saëns' Soirée en mer is one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard - can you talk a little specifically about this piece?

RF: I felt the same way when I heard this song. There's something so plaintive about it. When I saw that the original poem has something like 24 or 25 strophe — he chose, I think, six for the song — and there's this brilliant Victor Hugo expose on yin and yang or on opposites attract. I just thought it was evocative and incredibly beautiful. I love it so much I've had it orchestrated and I'm doing it on orchestra concerts as well. I'm so glad you like it, too.

Stefano Donaudy is not a composer I'm familiar with … from a little bit of searching, I read that "O del mio amato ben" is one of the few pieces of his that singers still sing today?

RF: He was really a composer of vocal music, including complete operas and songs. And the operas are mostly forgotten as so much of this repertoire is, but the song collection, Arie di Stile Antico, is still in print, and these pieces are often performed in concerts by Italian singers. So he taught and also coached singing, and played as an accompanist as well. And this song is very moving to people; it's a kind of perfect expression of loss.

I recently heard Joshua Bell perform an arrangement for violin and piano of "Estrellita." And, online, there are versions of it for violin, piano, guitar...is it originally a song? Or did Ponce compose it for violin/guitar/piano?

RF: Well, it was originally a song and extremely popular in Mexico, and he really bridged these worlds of classical music and popular song, including folk songs. I heard it — Plácido Domingo's version with Itzhak Perlman — and I've listened to so many versions because it's been done very much as a popular song by different singers and Latino singers, but it's also been done in a more classical version. Deanna Durbin did a beautiful version. Beverly Sills -- who loved Mexico and went there often -- her version is something I love as well. And the violin version has become very famous, and it's kind of an interesting story: it dates back to the '20s, when Jascha Heifetz was performing in Mexico City, and he wanted to do something Mexican on his program. He heard this song in a café, and the story is he took notes on a napkin and wrote the arrangement for violin and piano that night, and it became one of his most popular encores. So all violinists I know now play this song: Joshua Bell plays it and Itzhak Perlman; it's very popular. And I love singing it because it just fits my voice like a glove.

You'll be performing with pianist Hartmut Höll … I've read some reviews that say you were "perfectly partnered" by Höll … so, I'm curious: How were you partnered together in the first place, how long have you been performing together, and why are you good recital partners?

RF: Hartmut and I met at the Hochschule für Musik in Frankfurt. I had a Fulbright Scholarship and studied there, and I ended up studying only German Lieder that whole year, and he was my primary coach and teacher. He worked with me, actually, with a young pianist who was my friend and partner, and he was the teacher. It was some years later, in mid-career, I would say, that I thought, 'Gosh …' you know, I studied with him.' And he played for Fischer-Dieskau and has had a very illustrious career. And I thought 'I wonder if he'd do a concert with me' and we've been touring ever since. He brings so much musical imagination to the table, and I knew I wanted to work with him when I listened to him in a series of concerts in Carnegie Hall with Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, and I was listening to him because his playing was so compelling in terms of the musical imagination. What one really wants in a concert, in a recital, is a partnership where two equal, strong musical ideas are working together to bring the song to life.

Tonight's concert marks the 4th time you'll be performing on the Schubert Club's stage...and it's a sold out performance. I read an article recently in the New York Times about some of your favorite cities around the world...I noticed St. Paul wasn't on the list! Kidding, of course, but is there a reason why you enjoy coming back to this area?

RF: Well I have a lot of friends in Minneapolis and St. Paul. It's obviously the home of so many illustrious artists. You have a spectacular museum in St Paul which I adore visiting every time. I think the Twin Cities are phenomenal. As one of my best friends said, who moved there from our hometown, she said, "You know, it may be cold and there may be snow, but it's sunny." For me, that really is important.

I wonder if you could speak just a bit about the masterclass you'll be holding tomorrow (October 6)? I imagine the students are incredibly eager to work with you - and incredibly nervous, too! How often do you conduct masterclasses?

RF: I conduct master classes when I can. When I'm on the road and have time available. And it's becoming more and more often; I enjoy doing it very much. It's a way of getting to know the community better, giving back, and also kind of keeping my finger on young talent as it's coming through the ranks. There've been people that I've heard that I've recommended for certain auditions, and that's how obviously I started as well. We have this phenomenal tradition of giving back, and that means sharing what we've learned and sharing the expertise and the experience that we've had.

What other things — performances, productions, recordings — do you have coming up this season about which you're especially excited?

RF: I have Rosenkavalier, a new production by Robert Carson, who's a dear friend and a longtime collaborator, at both the Royal Opera in London and then at the Metropolitan Opera, so I'm very excited about that. And I'll continue touring and really seeing the world, which I've had the great joy of seeing South America and New Zealand and Australia, and I'll be in Asia this spring. I enjoy that very much, so I'm looking forward to my entire season.

Listen to Renée Fleming's Schubert Club recital concert live on Classical MPR, Wednesday, Oct. 5, at 7:30 p.m. Elena See hosts.