Superstar soprano Renée Fleming will perform two UK premieres as part of Barbican’s Artist Spotlight series. On 5 February Fleming will sing Anders Hillborg’s The Strand Settings and Robin Holloway’s C’est l’extase, accompanied by BBC Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Jiří Bělohlávek.
After the premieres, Fleming will chair The 21st Century Singer, a panel discussion that will examine the role of the modern singer. The 6 February symposium includes contributions by experts on performing, teaching, recording and artist management. Fleming will then share her insights with students from Guildhall School of Music later that day.
‘I liken forming a voice, and in fact the whole artistic package, to putting together an incredibly complex puzzle,’ said Fleming when asked for her thoughts on the work of a singer.
The next episode in the Spotlight series is a concert on 6 April continues with German pianist Hartmut Höll. A recital of beloved lieder, the session will include songs by Schumann and Strauss performed with Höll, who is a long time collaborator of Fleming’s.
Fleming’s appearance on film will be explored through two screenings: the documentary, American Voices, which was made during the 2013 American Voices Festival at Washington’s John F Kennedy Center will be shown 3 February; followed on 5 April by a screening of The 2008 Metropolitan Opera Gala Opening Night, a concert that has made history for its incredible singing, extravagant staging and multiple costume changes. Fleming will personally introduce both films at Barbican’s Cinema One.