Renée Fleming may be one of the world’s most sought-after sopranos, but even she isn’t above the occasional spot of nerves. When we talk before the American singer’s Abu Dhabi debut, Fleming is fresh from her biggest gig yet — singing the American national anthem at the Super Bowl.
“I performed in front of 111 million people, which is just really hard to comprehend,” she says, breaking into a laugh. “The sense of expectation was enormous, especially because the performance was just two minutes long. I see people competing in short, intense events at the Olympics and it felt a little like that. I was thrilled afterwards, though. It seems the sleepless nights paid off.”
That Fleming has achieved a level of stardom to make such performances possible isn’t hard to understand when you know her career.
At 54, the Pennsylvania native is one of the best ambassadors of opera. Known for a powerful, remarkably versatile voice that can make technically complex music sound easy and also convey a powerful sense of longing, she is a regular at the world’s main opera houses and increasingly famous for her flawless concert recitals, all the while remaining an approachable, friendly figure who blows the usual diva clichés out of the water.
Now UAE residents will get to hear live just why Fleming is so admired.
As part of the Abu Dhabi Festival, she is performing for the first time at the Emirates Palace on March 23. She hopes her debut, a gala evening with the tenor Michael Schade and the Dresden Philharmonic, will help dispel some common misconceptions about opera. And while her chosen genre has a long history, she nonetheless believes people want it more than ever.
“So many are afraid of the formality of opera or worry they won’t have enough knowledge. They might also fear that singers will just stand stock still and bellow, while for a long time now, singers move and act, and the performers tend to be quite beautiful. I really appreciate people coming because I know how we are all so hard-pressed to find time to do anything. In fact, I think the desire for culture is even stronger now — we’re hooked to this electronic life and many people want a rest from all that, to experience music as a community of listeners.”
Fleming's desire to break out of the musical box is something that has defined her career. Initially famous for her exquisite performances of Mozart, she has since moved into territory that demands a weightier voice, focusing primarily on the German composer Richard Strauss. Indeed, her haunting performance of Strauss's Four Last Songs, written just before the composer's death, are close to being perfect in their delicate melancholy.
But Fleming has also charted waters that most classical singers fear or ridicule. In 2010, she released Dark Hope, an album of indie-rock covers of songs by Duffy, Leonard Cohen and The Mars Volta. What could have been an excruciating mismatch actually produced an album of offbeat charm, with Fleming lowering her pitch and volume to produce an unlikely success.
"I was worried it would be poorly received but people have actually been very nice about the album. I was taken aback by the success. Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah is now my biggest-selling track. A man who wrote a book about only that one song interviewed me about it, which wasn't an experience I ever expected to have."
The music choices for Fleming’s Abu Dhabi debut are slightly less unusual but equally eclectic. Choosing her own programmes, she explains that she has tried to make the music choice as broad as possible.
"The gala is almost a history of opera. There will be music by Mozart and Handel, some arias from [Giuseppe Verdi's] La Traviata and [Jules Massenet's] Manon. Then I'm taking it on into operetta, with some songs by Gershwin and Berlin.
As it’s my debut here, I really wanted to make sure there is plenty of variety.”
Onstage, Fleming has a noble, elegant presence that makes her seem quite the grande dame, but she is known for being down-to-earth yet ever-professional offstage — a fact confirmed during our interview by her polite, ego-free filling in of my knowledge gaps about her work. Rather than taking sole personal credit for her reputation, she believes that it is changes in the opera world that have led to fewer singers being loaded with the diva tag.
“When I was first starting out, there was a higher tolerance of that sort of behaviour; people were keen to write about the lives of singers within that frame. Now, however, the business is so fractured that that kind of behaviour is no longer rewarded. I’m really biggest here [in the United States] and I think people respond to me because I’m approachable, I haven’t changed with success.”
• Renée Fleming performs at Emirates Palace on March 23 as part of the Abu Dhabi Festival, which runs until April 4
artslife@thenational.ae
BORDERLANDS
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis
Director: Eli Roth
Rating: 0/5
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Company%20profile
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AS IT STANDS IN POOL A
1. Japan - Played 3, Won 3, Points 14
2. Ireland - Played 3, Won 2, Lost 1, Points 11
3. Scotland - Played 2, Won 1, Lost 1, Points 5
Remaining fixtures
Scotland v Russia – Wednesday, 11.15am
Ireland v Samoa – Saturday, 2.45pm
Japan v Scotland – Sunday, 2.45pm
MATCH INFO
Burnley 0
Man City 3
Raheem Sterling 35', 49'
Ferran Torres 65'
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
ASSASSIN'S%20CREED%20MIRAGE
%3Cp%3E%0DDeveloper%3A%20Ubisoft%20Bordeaux%0D%3Cbr%3EPublisher%3A%20Ubisoft%0D%3Cbr%3EConsoles%3A%20PlayStation%204%26amp%3B5%2C%20PC%20and%20Xbox%20Series%20S%26amp%3BX%0D%3Cbr%3ERating%3A%203.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
ETFs explained
Exhchange traded funds are bought and sold like shares, but operate as index-tracking funds, passively following their chosen indices, such as the S&P 500, FTSE 100 and the FTSE All World, plus a vast range of smaller exchanges and commodities, such as gold, silver, copper sugar, coffee and oil.
ETFs have zero upfront fees and annual charges as low as 0.07 per cent a year, which means you get to keep more of your returns, as actively managed funds can charge as much as 1.5 per cent a year.
There are thousands to choose from, with the five biggest providers BlackRock’s iShares range, Vanguard, State Street Global Advisors SPDR ETFs, Deutsche Bank AWM X-trackers and Invesco PowerShares.
RESULT
Argentina 0 Croatia 3
Croatia: Rebic (53'), Modric (80'), Rakitic (90' 1)
THE SIXTH SENSE
Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: 5/5
Confirmed%20bouts%20(more%20to%20be%20added)
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The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
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Racecard
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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RECORD%20BREAKER
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Tonight's Chat on The National
Tonight's Chat is a series of online conversations on The National. The series features a diverse range of celebrities, politicians and business leaders from around the Arab world.
Tonight’s Chat host Ricardo Karam is a renowned author and broadcaster who has previously interviewed Bill Gates, Carlos Ghosn, Andre Agassi and the late Zaha Hadid, among others.
Intellectually curious and thought-provoking, Tonight’s Chat moves the conversation forward.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
Miguel Cotto world titles:
WBO Light Welterweight champion - 2004-06
WBA Welterweight champion – 2006-08
WBO Welterweight champion – Feb 2009-Nov 2009
WBA Light Middleweight champion – 2010-12
WBC Middleweight champion – 2014-15
WBO Light Middleweight champion – Aug 2017-Dec 2017
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Power: 650hp at 6,750rpm
Torque: 800Nm from 2,500-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel consumption: 11.12L/100km
Price: From Dh796,600
On sale: now
No more lice
Defining head lice
Pediculus humanus capitis are tiny wingless insects that feed on blood from the human scalp. The adult head louse is up to 3mm long, has six legs, and is tan to greyish-white in colour. The female lives up to four weeks and, once mature, can lay up to 10 eggs per day. These tiny nits firmly attach to the base of the hair shaft, get incubated by body heat and hatch in eight days or so.
Identifying lice
Lice can be identified by itching or a tickling sensation of something moving within the hair. One can confirm that a person has lice by looking closely through the hair and scalp for nits, nymphs or lice. Head lice are most frequently located behind the ears and near the neckline.
Treating lice at home
Head lice must be treated as soon as they are spotted. Start by checking everyone in the family for them, then follow these steps. Remove and wash all clothing and bedding with hot water. Apply medicine according to the label instructions. If some live lice are still found eight to 12 hours after treatment, but are moving more slowly than before, do not re-treat. Comb dead and remaining live lice out of the hair using a fine-toothed comb.
After the initial treatment, check for, comb and remove nits and lice from hair every two to three days. Soak combs and brushes in hot water for 10 minutes.Vacuum the floor and furniture, particularly where the infested person sat or lay.
Courtesy Dr Vishal Rajmal Mehta, specialist paediatrics, RAK Hospital
Company%20profile
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Tips to keep your car cool
- Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
- Park in shaded or covered areas
- Add tint to windows
- Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
- Pick light interiors - choose colours such as beige and cream for seats and dashboard furniture
- Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champioons League semi-final, first leg:
Liverpool 5
Salah (35', 45 1'), Mane (56'), Firmino (61', 68')
Roma 2
Dzeko (81'), Perotti (85' pen)
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Russia's Muslim Heartlands
Dominic Rubin, Oxford
What is graphene?
Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.
It is 200 times more resistant than steel and five times lighter than aluminum.
It conducts electricity better than any other material at room temperature.
It is thought that graphene could boost the useful life of batteries by 10 per cent.
Graphene can also detect cancer cells in the early stages of the disease.
The material was first discovered when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were 'playing' with graphite at the University of Manchester in 2004.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Globalization and its Discontents Revisited
Joseph E. Stiglitz
W. W. Norton & Company
TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5