Claritin Allergy Medicine Could Save Escamillo From Spring Allergies

Claritin allows you to get back to your daily activities which may include kicking a soccer ball
into a shopping cart or going to the opera!

The latest commercial for allergy medication product Claritin features the overture from Bizet's Carmen. The tune is from the aria "Votre toast, je peux vous le rendre," more commonly known as Escamillo's "Toreador Song." Watch the commercial, and a video of James Levine conducting the overture, after the jump.

Renée Fleming Has Given Berg To The World For 30 Years On Disc

Modern Medium: Renée Fleming performs with the Emerson String Quartet

Soprano Renée Fleming is known for singing the Germanic repertoire of Richard Strauss, but it is the music of Alban Berg that continue to surprise audiences with its intensely difficult vocal line and soaring range. Her first foray into the recorded repertoire of Berg began in 1996 when

she partnered with The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra under the direction of James Levine to record "Lied der Lulu" from Lulu Suite and excerpts from Wozzeck for Sony Classical. The next installment of the 20th century composer came when Ms. Fleming collaborated with Claudio Abbado and the Vienna Philharmonic for a live recording of the Sieben frühe Lieder in 2005. A decade later, she is releasing a new disc  accompanied by the Emerson String Quartet: "This release unites on record for the first time Americas reigning star soprano Renée Fleming and its premier string quartet, The Emersons, to take us on a journey into the twilight world of Vienna in the 1920s and 30s in music imbued with late romanticism and burgeoning modernism. Berg's Lyric Suite is a work of intricate, complexity believed to have a secret

dedication and to outline a secret programme relating to Berg's affair with Franz Werfels sister (Werfel was married to Mahler s widow, Alma). Theodor Adorno called the work a latent opera and in its sixth and final movement, the Largo desolato, Berg introduces the soprano voice and quotes Wagner's Tristan motif to evoke his doomed, impossible love. This was still secessionist Vienna: a world of paintings by Klimt, psychoanalysis by Freud and a musical life where you could hear Bruno Walter conduct Mahler and Clemens Krauss lead the operas of Richard Strauss. Egon Welleszs highly expressive setting of Sonnets by Elizabeth Barrett-Browning was one of the last works he completed before leaving Austria ahead of the Anschluss in 1938. It is heard here in its original version for soprano and string quartet. Barrett-Browning was one of the most popular English poets of the Victoria era, although Wellesz turned to

German translations by Rainer Maria Rilke for his setting. Renée Fleming is famed for her intense and luxurious (Evening Standard) performances of Richard Strauss and Korngold, Berg and Mahler. Her sumptuous sound is uniquely suited to this repertoire. As Edward Seckerson wrote of her fin de siècle recital at the Barbican in 2012: 'We were back in Viennas golden age and it seemed like that was where she had always belonged.'" The disc will be released internationally on September 11, 2015. Pre-order your copy here. [Source] See the full track list, watch a video of Renée Fleming and the Emerson String Quartet performing Berg's Lyric Suite, and see more photos, after the jump.

In Session: Renée Fleming recording Alban Berg with the Emerson String Quartet

Watch The Entire Maestro James Levine "60 Minutes" Interview

Looking Back: Maestro James Levine conducts Marilyn
Horne (left) and Leontyne Price (center) as featured
 in the 60 Minutes interview with Bob Simon.

Hopefully with the reminder last week about Maestro James Levine's interview on 60 Minutes it was on everyone's calendar. But in case you missed it, you can watch the full interview below, as well as two web exclusive clips after the jump. Although not Bob Simon's final interview before his death, it was one of the last and the opera world can be happy that it was finished in its entirety. Read more about the interview by clicking here. There are also a few photos after the jump featuring highlights from the interview.

James Levine Interviewed On "60 Minutes" By Late Bob Simon

"60 Minutes pays tribute to Bob Simon's love of opera by broadcasting his profile of James Levine, music director of New York's Metropolitan Opera. Watch Simon's report on Sunday, March 8 at 7 p.m. ET/PT." [Source] Watch a preview after the jump. Also read more about Bob Simon's adoration of the MET by clicking here.

Vintage Concert Footage: Jessye Norman and Kathleen Battle

"James Levine: America's Maestro" Documentary Now Online

Watch the full episode. See more American Masters.

MET Sirius XM Radio Tonight: "Ariadne auf Naxos"

Listen to the Metropolitan Opera perform Strauss's Ariadne auf Naxos live tonight at 8:00 PM EST on Sirius XM radio. Intermission guests: James Levine.