Well, it was plenty hot, but the rain had stopped. The lawn picnickers were out in force - in fact, there was some kind of contest going on, to see who could present the most impressive spread. People went all out - floral centerpieces, candelabra, really fancy looking food. My favorite? the group who brought a Renee Fleming cake. I don't know who won (or what they won) but that one would have been the winner if I'd been the judge.
The performance opened with the CSO playing Schumann, conducted by Christoph Eschenbach. I thought that was kind of sneaky of them, actually, because the advertisements were all about seeing Renee, not sitting through an entire first half that was diva-less. The music was nice and all, but they weren't the reason I bought the ticket (sorry guys!) and I was waiting for the Diva. Even though I strongly advocate people going to orchestra concerts and otherwise engaging in performing arts activities, I found the Schumann kind of boring, and I can understand why these kinds of concerts aren't everyone's thing. I like a lot of visuals, I like there to be action - someone dancing, someone singing, doing something, but watching a bunch of people playing instruments... yeah. The big screens helped a lot though - they showed close ups of the conductor, the players, the pianist, etc. In the intermission, I got another bottle of cold water (I think they were doing a brisk business...)
Finally, finally, it was time for Renee. She emerged, dressed in a stunning red strapless gown and a whole lotta Diva BLING! She sang Strauss's Four Last Songs. These are not my favorites out of Renee's repertoire, I will be honest, but they were beautifully sung. She is so natural when she sings in German, she made it sound so effortless. If the angels could sing, they would sound like Renee. She thanked us all for braving the elements to come out and see her, and she gave us two encores - Cacile by Strauss and Marietta's Lied by Korngold. Heavenly. Oh, you have to listen to her sing. Just gorgeous. 
I was on her backstage list and was ushered with a big group back to the green room so she could meet and greet her guests. It blows me away how extraordinary she is. She took the time to chat with each person waiting for her - taking a photo or singing a program as well. This is not a one time thing for Renee, every time I have seen her backstage, she does this. Even after she's sung a four hour opera, she takes the time to meet people and speak, even if it is just for a few minutes.It has been awhile since I've seen her and I was feeling shy, but that's another thing about Renee, she puts people at their ease immediately. She saw me, gave me a hug and said that it had been awhile since she'd seen me last. I told her how wonderful it was to see her in Chicago again, and we talked about the fan group I started, The Beautiful Voice, eleven years ago, right after I saw her perform for the first time. She is well aware of the group and told me how much it means to her to have such a dedicated support group. She knows a number of the group members, and we all come to see her perform whenever she is in our corners of the world. She likes to see familiar faces in the audience, and visiting her backstage. In many cases, we've met up, and become friends, drawn together by the power of Renee. It's kind of awesome, when you think about it. She is so generous and kind, and has brought so much to all of us. It's a pleasure to support her. What an amazing, classy lady.
Anyway, it was a beautiful evening of opera under the stars. I'm looking forward to seeing Renee again sometime soon....
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