Renée Fleming - D'Amore al dolce impero from Armida (1994, Sony Classical). Well, I guess you are going to have to go to hölle because I really do like—no, love—Renée Fleming. I remember watching her Met telecast in Otello when I was teen and realizing, "Oh, wow. I'm kind of watching history in the making right now." Later on, she opened the Carnegie Hall season with a concert that was televised on PBS. I reviewed it on Opera-L. It was gushy and totally genuine. Leave me alone; I was seventeen years old at the time. Her travel agent somehow took notice of my review and sent it to Renée herself. A few weeks later, I received the kindest hand-written letter from her thanking me for my generous words and my support (I still have her home address! Stalking, commence.). We emailed back and forth for a few months. I think a couple years later, in May, was her début Arabella at the Houston Grand Opera, and she arranged to have me come backstage to meet her, and look folks: Despite what you may think about her stylistic choices since the late mid-90's, Renée Fleming is wholly gracious and extremely intelligent in a way that is not pointed or calculated. Everything about her, as with her talent, is absolutely natural. As for this recording, it is taken from a capture of a 1993 live performance in Pesaro of the Rossini rarity Armida. This was before all the major press and talk show circuit fame. Before the Ferré couture and jazz album. Here she was simply an up-and-coming artist, absolutely devoted to showing off the composer's work, the drama, and the virtuosity of her own voice. She recorded this aria later on her Bel Canto album, but I prefer this version—its effervescence, its rhythmic impulse, and its sheer beauty and accuracy of the variations. I almost like Fleming's take better than either of the recordings of Callas. Callas was perhaps a bit too steely in the top and constricted in the bottom. The aria is, afterall, about love, and Armida is a sorceress. I am inclined to think that she might know about the lighter, headier tones of Love itself and stir those into her brew, instead of being outright witchy. One gets the sense that, with Fleming, Armida is levitating by way of her own vocal magic. I like that in this production, Armida is made to look like a 1960's Times Square drag queen-slash-hooker.

Speaking of, while watching John Waters's Female Trouble (starring Divine) the other night, I held hands with the Noise Band Dude* that I mentioned in the Carpenters/Sonic Youth post. Of course, I couldn't tell you what the movie's about, since things—well, progressed quite quickly. And perhaps that's the real reason why I've posted this Armida bit. Don't cringe, but guess what. I think I'm falling in love. *Noise Band Dude has asked that I make it known that he also has a severe affinity for the Taj Mahal Travellers, Sandy Kane, Albert Ayler, Lauhkeat Lampaat, and Bow Wow Wow. Do you see what is happening to me now???

ARMIDA
D'Amore al dolce impero
Natura ognor soggiace.
Dov'è quell'alma audace
Che non apprezzi Amor?
Chi, misero, non sente
La fiamma sua possente,
Di smalto ha il core in petto,
O mai non ebbe un cor.

CORO
Dov'è quell'alma audace
Che non apprezzi Amor?

ARMIDA
Gli augei tra fronde e fronde
Spiegano amor col canto;
Aman perfin dell'onde
I muti abitator.
Aman le crude belve
Là tra le ircane selve,
Son per amor feconde
Le stesse piante ancor.

CORO
Dov'è quell'alma audace
Che non apprezzi Amor?

ARMIDA
La fresca età sen fugge,
È la beltade un lampo,
Ché l'una e l'altra strugge
Il tempo vorator.
Dunque godete amanti
De' vostri liet'istanti,
Or che vi ride in volto
Di giovinezza il fior.
(Armida siede accanto a Rinaldo).

CORO
Ah! sì, godete amanti
De' vostri liet'istanti,
Or che vi ride in volto
Di giovinezza il fior.