The American singing sensation will continue to perform but only in recital.

Opera lovers in Melbourne will be treated to a concert performance by superstar soprano Renée Fleming next year when she joins the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra in September. However anyone hoping to see the American singing sensation on stage performing one of the operatic roles that propelled her to international stardom will need to hurry, as the 55 year old singer has revealed that she intends to retire from opera performances in the next three years.

In an interview published by international news agency Reuters, Fleming admitted that while she will continue to be a creative consultant for the Lyric Opera of Chicago, as well as giving recital performances, she would no longer wish to perform the soprano roles she has forged her career doing as it would be inappropriate dramatically given her age. “If I were a mezzo or a dramatic soprano then there are those parts, those character parts. But for the soprano there’s almost nothing,” said Fleming. While this might be a rather bleak view, Fleming is far from melancholy about the...