A Matter of Style- Can a operatic style do justice to the Classic AMerican Songbook ?

A Matter of Style: Can an operatic approach do justice to the Classic American Song Book ?
 One rarely hears of pop singers attempting the more demanding Grand Opera arias . There are challenging technical demands as well as language hurdles and perhaps a belief that such songs do not lend themselves to the American popular song traditions we have been discussing.
 Obviously, opera or concert performers have all of the technical and vocal capabilities to perform the repertoire but can they do justice to the freedom and interpretive qualities inherent in a Gershwin or Rodgers and Hart song ?
Eileen Farrel was able to bridge the two musical " solitudes"as an acclaimed opera and concert singer and one who ably performed the standards. Leontyne Price, a magnificant diva, also sang credibly with jazz pianist Andre Previn. Other operatic performers often sound stilted and have the effect of singing as if their corsets were too tightly bound. They may sing the notes correctly. But one of the hallmarks of superior popular singing is the freedom to alter melody, harmony and rhythm-in fact to add personal interpretive elements instead of a slavish devotion to what is printed on the sheet music.  Let me provide a challenging example.

Harold Arlen's "Somehere Over The Rainbow"  was voted the favourite popular song of the Twentieth century. It's promise of finding happiness resonates especially with the American spirit of optimism and a belief in a promising future. Over the years, I personally have talked about the song with several hundred people. Without exception either by age , sex or ethnicity, everyone responds positively at the mere mention of the song never mind hearing it. Yes , the movie " The Wizard of Oz"  accounts for the wide spread popularity of the song but it also stands on its own as a wonderful marriage of melody and sentiment. Listen to American born Renee Fleming, the reigning operatic diva sing with the Beijing Symphony. ( Also note how joyously the audience responds as soon as Reneee Fleming announces the name of the song.) The lush and expansive orchestration is what one would hear in any Twentieth century opera or art song and the interplay between singer and orchestra is masterful.
Her voice is unmatched in terms of power and range and the dynamic shifts she undertakes are arresting. Renee Fleming even takes liberties with the melody and in her concluding segment  creates her own particular cadenza to conclude the song. Although her approach is quite different than the equally satisfying interpretations of Ella Fitzgerald or Judy Garland, she does justice to what Arlen and his lyricist E.Y. Harburg have provided in their collaboration. Renee Fleming's performance demands an attentive hearing.

PERFORMANCE LINK   http://youtu.be/NY30HTziUA4

POSTSCRIPT:   I just discovered another wonderful version of the " Rainbow" song. It's by Audra McDonald who herself is a highly trained singer with classical chops. But here she is accompanied not by a symphonic orchestra but by a single acoustic guitar. Yet more proof that there are a great  number of ways that a song can be sung if  talented and committed singers put both their hearts and minds into a personal interpretation of a song.

PERFORMANCE LINK :  http://youtu.be/y9_vZJK7LIc