Four Last Songs

Renée Fleming (born February 14, 1959) is an American soprano whose repertoire encompasses Strauss, Mozart, Handel, bel canto, lieder, French opera and chansons, jazz and indie rock. Fleming has a full lyric soprano voice. Fleming has performed coloratura, lyric, and lighter spinto soprano operatic roles in Italian, German, French, Czech, and Russian, aside from her native English. She also speaks fluent German and French, along with limited Italian. Her signature roles include Countess Almaviva in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro, Desdemona in Verdi's Otello, Violetta in Verdi's La traviata, the title role in Dvořák's Rusalka, the title role in Massenet's Manon, the title role in Massenet's Thaïs, the Marschallin in Richard Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier, and the title role in Arabella. A Richard Tucker Award winner, she regularly performs in opera houses and concert halls worldwide. In 2008 she was awarded the Swedish Polar Music Prize for her services in music. Conductor Sir Georg Solti said of Fleming, "In my long life, I have met maybe two sopranos with this quality of singing; the other was Renata Tebaldi... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renée_Fleming 0:00 - 3:40 Four Last Songs, 'Frühling' In shadowy crypts I dreamt long of your trees and blue skies, of your fragrance and birdsong. Now you appear in all your finery, drenched in light like a miracle before me. You recognize me, you entice me tenderly. All my limbs tremble at your blessed presence! 3:40 - 9:21 Four Last Songs, 'September' The garden is in mourning. Cool rain seeps into the flowers. Summertime shudders, quietly awaiting his end. Golden leaf after leaf falls from the tall acacia tree. Summer smiles, astonished and feeble, at his dying dream of a garden. For just a while he tarries beside the roses, yearning for repose. Slowly he closes his weary eyes. 9:21 - 15:26 Four Last Songs, 'Beim Schlafengehen' Now that I am wearied of the day, my ardent desire shall happily receive the starry night like a sleepy child. Hands, stop all your work. Brow, forget all your thinking. All my senses now yearn to sink into slumber. And my unfettered soul wishes to soar up freely into night's magic sphere to live there deeply and thousand fold. 15:26 - 24:59 Four Last Songs, 'Im Abendrot' We have gone through sorrow and joy hand in hand; Now we can rest from our wandering above the quiet land. Around us, the valleys bow; the air is growing darker. Just two skylarks soar upwards dreamily into the fragrant air. Come close to me, and let them flutter. Soon it will be time for sleep. Let us not lose our way in this solitude. O vast, tranquil peace, so deep at sunset! How weary we are of wandering Is this perhaps death? Please Enjoy! I send my kind and warm regards,