Acclaimed for her mastery of roles in the operas of Mozart and Strauss, Fleming's latest CD release, Bel Canto, finds her returning to Bellini, Donizetti and Rossini -- the music that first inspired her to sing. For Fleming, the bel canto repertoire is among the most formidable challenges for a singer, requiring a perfect sense of line and beauty of tone throughout an extended range, a light tone in higher registers, and a flexible and fiery coloratura.

Listen to Part 1 -- Renée Fleming talks to host Fred Child about her new CD and explains why bel canto singing should be considered the music equivalent of an "exteme sport" Listen to Part 2 -- Fleming claims that she doesn't have a natural technique and describes how she has struggled to get where she is today