Famous Last Words

by Natasha Wolff | April 23, 2015 11:00 am

For Renée Fleming, the four-time Grammy Award–winning soprano—and arguably the world’s most celebrated opera singer—the past year has presented a series of larger-than-life firsts. Fleming performed the National Anthem at the Super Bowl in 2014, and this spring she’ll make her inaugural appearance on Broadway in the upcoming Living on Love. 

Her handwriting[1] above sheds some light on her momentum. “In terms of the speed at which she writes, she reveals herself to be highly dynamic,” says graphologist Annette Poizner. “She thinks fast, and likes to keep the show moving.” Fleming says this quote, by the legendary choreographer Martha Graham, has been a source of inspiration to her over the years. “For those of us who are interpretive performers, we’re taking someone else’s creative effort and expressing it to the world, while adding a little bit of our own to it,” she says. “For singers to remember that your artistic statement is completely your own is an extraordinary gift.”

Fleming will be putting her own stamp on Living on Love, a comedy about an opera diva and her maestro husband who fall for their younger assistants. The singer says she’s thrilled by the opportunity to try something new. “I’ve spent my entire career playing women who are victimized or are tragic,” she explains. “I’ve never been able to do comedies but have always loved making people laugh.”

Poizner thinks it should come as no surprise that Fleming is excited by the prospect of a new experience. “If this was the handwriting of a male, we would call him ‘a renaissance man.’ She is a renaissance woman,” she says. “There is a certain intensity about her. Imagine that you are so bright and there are so many things you can and want to do. The moments are hardly enough.”

1. Notice her exquisite spacing. The text is nicely laid out, like a painting surrounded by a wide margin. There is an artistry to everything she does.

2. There are many sharp angles in this handwriting. Look at the word “unique.” Angles denote the strong worker: decisive, driven, and focused.

3. Her signature is larger than the text. People who are used to being the center of attention often show a certain largeness in their signature.

4. The word “of” looks like a musical note. People with a musical affinity often write that word so it looks that way.

5. Her handwriting flies, forging ahead. She’s busy, on the move.

Source URL: https://dujour.com/culture/renee-fleming-living-on-love-interview/