Renée Fleming's "Cities That Sing: Paris and Venice" IMAX Documentaries

Renowned operatic soprano Renée Fleming will host and perform in two upcoming IMAX documentaries, produced and presented by IMAX and Stage Access, that will explore the music and culture of two major European opera capitals: Paris and Venice.  The documentaries will feature Ms. Fleming and special guests from the opera world, supplemented by journeys into the art, history and cuisine of each city.  Each is presented at select IMAX and Fathom Theaters.

“My career has taken me to stages all over the world singing repertoire that is so virtuosic, so beautiful and enriching, and now I get to bring some of that experience to movie screens through this spectacular pairing of IMAX and Fathom Events,” said Ms. Fleming. “This is an extraordinary combination that allows these two special films to be seen by the largest possible audience. Opera is called grand opera for a reason: It’s larger than life, incorporating every art — instrumental music, singing, drama, poetry — into one major art form that is a wonderful experience on the big screen.”

"Cities that Sing: Paris" is presented August 26, 2023.  Audiences will be taken inside the grand Théâtre du Châtelet to experience a cinematic journey of sight, sound and history of the City of Lights.  Ms. Fleming will be joined by guest singers Axelle Fanyo, Alexandre Duhamel and tenor Piotr Beczała, and the Orchestre Victor Hugo Franche-Comte for chamber pieces and arias conducted by Jean-François Verdier, along with piano accompaniment by Tanguy de Williencourt. The program includes repertoire from Reynaldo Hahn’s L'heure Exquise, Gabriel Faure’s Pleurs d'or, and Léo Delibes Les filles de Cadix. The famous Barcarolle from Jacques Offenbach’s Les Contes d'Hoffmann and the beloved duet Au fond du temple Sain from Georges Bizet's Les pecheurs de Perles are included, and the program concludes with selections from Bizet’s famed Carmen and Giuseppe Verdi's La Traviata. But the program is also an affectionate look at the City of Lights as Ms. Fleming journeys into the places and spaces that make Paris one of the world’s great centers of art and fashion, including conversations with internationally acclaimed Couturier Alexis Mabille and praised Canadian Opera Director Robert Carsen reflecting on the influence of Parisien culture on classical music from its origins through today.

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"Cities that Sing: Venice" is presented September 16, 2023.  From Venice, the birthplace of Italian opera, Ms. Fleming and special guests Francesco Meli, Mattia Olivieri, Paola Gardina will perform at Venice’s legendary Teatro La Fenice in masterworks that include Giuseppe Verdi’s Rigoletto and La Traviata, Gioachino Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia and Giacomo Puccini’s La Boheme and Tosca, and more. The Orchestra Del Teatro La Fenice will be conducted by Riccardo Frizza.  We’ll have a guided tour as Ms. Fleming will mix sightseeing and conversation with performances of works that trace their beginnings to this enchanted city.  And we’ll hear Ms. Fleming’s conversations with her contemporaries, including La Fenice’s Artistic Director, Fortunato Ortombina, and Conductor Riccardo Frizza, as they explore Venice’s landscape and its unique history, art and music.

Tickets for both Renée Fleming’s Cities That Sing: Paris and Venice are available here.