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Soundcheck

Thursday, May 19, 2005
  • Renee Fleming - photo by Andrew Eccles
    Renée Fleming (Andrew Eccles)

    Opera Singers in the Jazz Club

    Before crossover became a fashionable record-biz term, opera singers were crossing over into the world of jazz and American popular song. In the 1950s, the American soprano Eileen Farrell surprised many with albums like "I Got a Right to Sing the Blues." Jessye Norman, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, and Dawn Upshaw have crooned the lyrics of Gershwin and Vernon Duke. The latest installment in this tradition is soprano Renée Fleming, whose new CD "Haunted Heart," is a collection of popular standards and ballads. Are opera singers "slumming" when they cross over or stretching their artistic boundaries? Opera News executive editor Brian Kellow joins us to look at this venerable tradition.

The Ill Effects of Urban Noise

Soundcheck

Soundcheck received an overwhelming response to our segment on the effects of urban noise. So much so that Arline Bronzaft decided to address the feedback. Listen to the original segment and read Bronzaft's response.