Renée Fleming arrived at Carnegie Hall on May 31 with something to prove. In recent years, the 64-year-old soprano has drifted away from the core classical music repertoire, while also remaining cagey on the subject of retirement. She’s starred on Broadway, recorded the music of Björk and Death Cab for Cutie, and recently ventured back to the Met for the world premiere of The Hours by Kevin Puts.

When I last heard Fleming in recital, at Philadelphia’s Verizon Hall in 2017, the program toggled between opera arias, pop songs, and standards. Between numbers, she chatted with the audience, often reaching for a microphone secreted inside the belly of the piano. To call it a concert would probably be more accurate and appropriate.

By contrast, her evening in the Stern Auditorium featured the kind of set list you compile when you want to remind your audience that you’re a serious artist…

Click here to read the full review at Parterre Box.