Renée Fleming has become more discerning with her material. Her latest album, Distant Light, is an eclectic collection featuring works by 20th-century American orchestral composer Samuel Barber, along with more modern pieces by Swedish maestro Anders Hillborg and – surprisingly – Björk.
With her 58th birthday approaching on Valentines Day, Fleming's hints that her performances in Richard Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier this month at London's Royal Opera and at the Metropolitan Opera House this spring could be her last in the standard repertoire.
“I haven’t found too many things that are appropriate for me because my voice has not got heavier or more dramatic,” she says.
“This will be my last Marschallin, but I definitely am hoping to do some new work in the future, and there’s a couple of things buzzing right now.”
Distant Light opens with Barber's Knoxville: Summer of 1915, a 1948 work set to a text by poet and novelist James Agee, and is a perfect fit for Fleming's silvery, soaring soprano.
It links with Hillborg's The Strand Settings, a 20-minute, four-song cycle debuted by Fleming with the New York Philharmonic in 2013. Various locales also play an inspirational role in Fleming's approach to Distant Light.
She explains how the album includes sounds recorded from a porch on a summer evening, a roof on a house near the sea on a starlit night and bees buzzing at a bus terminal. It all combines to create a textured, emotional soundscape.
“Because I’ve done all my standard rep, [music label] Decca said: ‘Hey, you haven’t recorded the Barber’. And I’m shocked that they recommended it because these major orchestral works are not exactly radio,” she says. “This album is sort of the beginning of me trying to explore this idea of new music.”
For Björk's Virus, Joga and All Is Full of Love, the microphone is much closer to her mouth, creating a contemporary rather than classical sound.
Fleming is full of praise for the trailblazing Icelandic singer. “Americans tend to kind of block Scandinavians together, and Björk is somebody who’s such a household name, and when I became more familiar with her music, I just thought: ‘God, this is so inventive, the use of language, the arrangements’,” says Fleming. “I’m looking for repertoire that is interesting to the public that’s a little bit more modern.”
The album ends with two tracks melding into a single recording.
“I wanted to do that for years. This is what pop artists do,” says Fleming, adding playfully: “I’m my own backup chorus”.
Born in Pennsylvania, she cut her teeth as a jazz singer to pay her tuition fees at New York's Juilliard School. Her big break arrived when at the age of 29 she won the Metropolotian Opera audition in 1988. That same year she landed a high-profile gig in what would become her signature role as Countess Almaviva in Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro by the Houston Grand Opera. Known for her masterful renderings of works by composers, including Richard Strauss, Mozart and Handel, Fleming is now viewed as one of the finest sopranos of her generation. She headlined the 2014 Abu Dhabi Festival in a sold-out performance at Emirates Palace.
She is also known for her spellbinding performances of the United States anthem before the World Series baseball games in 2003 and before US football's game of the year, the Super Bowl, in 2014 She also released a 2005 jazz recording, Haunted Heart, with Fred Hersch and Bill Frisell.
Despite her varied achievements, she feels women face more difficult career paths than men. “There are still many limits on what women can do,” she says.
“If you look at certain parts of our business, let alone Wall Street or anywhere, we definitely don’t make up half the population of many worlds in which we live,” says Fleming.
“Now when I tour, and sometimes I’m fortunate to have private tours of shows and museums, I always ask: ‘Tell me about the women that are represented here’. And people sometimes squirm, and sometimes they’re very proud to say, ‘we’re really working on it’.”
Following an administrative track established by her late friend Beverly Sills, Fleming in December 2010 became a vice president and creative consultant at the Lyric Opera of Chicago – there she curated Jimmy López's 2015 Bel Canto, based on Ann Patchett's 2001 novel.
Fleming added the role of artistic partner at the Kennedy Center in Washington in March last year.
Could she see herself running an opera company?
“I used to think about that, and I would say never say never,” she says. “But I think I’m probably more useful doing what I’m doing now rather than focusing in one area.”
* Ronald Blum / Associated Press
What are the main cyber security threats?
Cyber crime - This includes fraud, impersonation, scams and deepfake technology, tactics that are increasingly targeting infrastructure and exploiting human vulnerabilities.
Cyber terrorism - Social media platforms are used to spread radical ideologies, misinformation and disinformation, often with the aim of disrupting critical infrastructure such as power grids.
Cyber warfare - Shaped by geopolitical tension, hostile actors seek to infiltrate and compromise national infrastructure, using one country’s systems as a springboard to launch attacks on others.
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA
Starring: Nader Abd Alhay, Majd Eid, Ramzi Maqdisi
Directors: Tarzan and Arab Nasser
Rating: 4.5/5
Zayed Sustainability Prize
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Date started: March 2019
Founder: Dr Ali Al Hammadi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: AgriTech
Initial investment: None to date
Partners/Incubators: UAE Space Agency/Krypto Labs
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Company profile
Company name: Suraasa
Started: 2018
Founders: Rishabh Khanna, Ankit Khanna and Sahil Makker
Based: India, UAE and the UK
Industry: EdTech
Initial investment: More than $200,000 in seed funding
ANALYSTS’ TOP PICKS OF SAUDI BANKS IN 2019
Analyst: Aqib Mehboob of Saudi Fransi Capital
Top pick: National Commercial Bank
Reason: It will be at the forefront of project financing for government-led projects
Analyst: Shabbir Malik of EFG-Hermes
Top pick: Al Rajhi Bank
Reason: Defensive balance sheet, well positioned in retail segment and positively geared for rising rates
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Top pick: Arab National Bank
Reason: Attractive valuation and good growth potential in terms of both balance sheet and dividends
'Dark Waters'
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Rating: ****
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Cyclists must wear a helmet, arm and knee pads
Have a white front-light and a back red-light on their bike
They must place a number plate with reflective light to the back of the bike to alert road-users
Avoid carrying weights that could cause the bike to lose balance
They must cycle on designated lanes and areas and ride safe on pavements to avoid bumping into pedestrians
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- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
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Medicus AI
Started: 2016
Founder(s): Dr Baher Al Hakim, Dr Nadine Nehme and Makram Saleh
Based: Vienna, Austria; started in Dubai
Sector: Health Tech
Staff: 119
Funding: €7.7 million (Dh31m)
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sept 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
MAIN CARD
Bantamweight 56.4kg
Abrorbek Madiminbekov v Mehdi El Jamari
Super heavyweight 94 kg
Adnan Mohammad v Mohammed Ajaraam
Lightweight 60kg
Zakaria Eljamari v Faridoon Alik Zai
Light heavyweight 81.4kg
Mahmood Amin v Taha Marrouni
Light welterweight 64.5kg
Siyovush Gulmamadov v Nouredine Samir
Light heavyweight 81.4kg
Ilyass Habibali v Haroun Baka
THE BIO
Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Saturday (UAE kick-off times)
Leganes v Getafe (12am)
Levante v Alaves (4pm)
Real Madrid v Sevilla (7pm)
Osasuna v Valladolid (9.30pm)
Sunday
Eibar v Atletico Madrid (12am)
Mallorca v Valencia (3pm)
Real Betis v Real Sociedad (5pm)
Villarreal v Espanyol (7pm)
Athletic Bilbao v Celta Vigo (9.30pm)
Monday
Barcelona v Granada (12am)
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DUBAI SEVENS 2018 DRAW
Gulf Men’s League
Pool A – Dubai Exiles, Dubai Hurricanes, Bahrain, Dubai Sports City Eagles
Pool B – Jebel Ali Dragons, Abu Dhabi Saracens, Abu Dhabi Harlequins, Al Ain Amblers
Gulf Men’s Open
Pool A – Bahrain Firbolgs, Arabian Knights, Yalla Rugby, Muscat
Pool B – Amman Citadel, APB Dubai Sharks, Jebel Ali Dragons 2, Saudi Rugby
Pool C – Abu Dhabi Harlequins 2, Roberts Construction, Dubai Exiles 2
Pool D – Dubai Tigers, UAE Shaheen, Sharjah Wanderers, Amman Citadel 2
Gulf U19 Boys
Pool A – Deira International School, Dubai Hurricanes, British School Al Khubairat, Jumeirah English Speaking School B
Pool B – Dubai English Speaking College 2, Jumeirah College, Dubai College A, Abu Dhabi Harlequins 2
Pool C – Bahrain Colts, Al Yasmina School, DESC, DC B
Pool D – Al Ain Amblers, Repton Royals, Dubai Exiles, Gems World Academy Dubai
Pool E – JESS A, Abu Dhabi Sharks, Abu Dhabi Harlequins 1, EC
Gulf Women
Pool A – Kuwait Scorpions, Black Ruggers, Dubai Sports City Eagles, Dubai Hurricanes 2
Pool B – Emirates Firebirds, Sharjah Wanderers, RAK Rides, Beirut Aconites
Pool C – Dubai Hurricanes, Emirates Firebirds 2, Abu Dhabi Saracens, Transforma Panthers
Pool D – AUC Wolves, Dubai Hawks, Abu Dhabi Harlequins, Al Ain Amblers
Gulf U19 Girls
Pool A – Dubai Exiles, BSAK, DESC, Al Maha
Pool B – Arabian Knights, Dubai Hurricanes, Al Ain Amblers, Abu Dhabi Harlequins
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