Her Greatest Moments at the MET

“Moments” hardly does justice to the extraordinary artistry compiled here from 20-plus years of live recordings. Renée Fleming made her debut at New York’s hallowed Metropolitan Opera as the Countess in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro in 1991 and opens this unmissable double album with a spine-tingling reading of the role’s deeply affecting “Dove sono”. The American soprano’s technical consistency, linguistic command, expressive insight and dramatic imagination are put to the test and never found wanting in works from across the lyric-soprano repertoire. She’s on breathtaking form in the title roles of Richard Strauss’ Arabella, Carlisle Floyd’s Susannah and Dvořák’s Rusalka, backed to the hilt by the Met’s equally superb orchestra. Even without periodic ovations, you’ll feel the love coming Fleming’s way from the Met audience.