Yet another anonymous user admonished me for a recent post of Angela Meade being interviewed about why she loves singing “Casta Diva.” I wanted to use this as an opportunity to discuss the relationship singers have with certain characters and music. Why does a singer choose a song or a character? The most intelligent and passionate singers can speak eloquently about what drives their choices. I posted an interview with Renee Fleming on singing the Marschallin in “Der Rosenkavalier,” and why she adores this part. Ms. Fleming stated that it was the universality of time and the Marschallin’s awareness of how quickly it moves, that spoke to her personally as a woman. That’s the sort of response I would expect from a great artist in a high-profile interview.

Nonetheless, this user admonished me for “hating on” (an expression that needs to be retired today) Ms. Meade for “answering questions in an interview.” This statement was not only woefully glib, but inaccurate as well. Clearly this user missed the whole point of my article. I wanted to know what, specifically, in the text, gave Meade a “special connection” with the aria as she had stated. She simply rattled off a list of her favorite singers and claimed she really didn’t know why she felt a connection with the aria. There didn’t seem to be much to justify her “special connection” to this famous aria and I was disappointed by this.

Furthermore, the user challenged me to list the rep that I sing (despite the fact that I’m not a singer) and “enlighten” my followers with the “profound connection” I have to my choices. This is exactly the kind of nasty, unnecessary vitriol that needs to stop. I have absolutely nothing to do with Ms. Meade, which is what makes this user’s rants so exasperating. I, at NO point, mentioned or implied my superiority to Ms. Meade, because that would be beyond ludicrous. I am simply a critic offering my viewpoint. I am not a rising international opera star singing a bel canto staple as my calling-card.

This user also seemed to miss the fact that I praised Ms. Meade’s singing and said that “fine things were headed her way.” It’s time we all grew up and started engaging in intelligent discussions, not knee-jerk personal attacks just because we disagree with a person’s point of view.

Singers! Thanks to SkyMall, you can now support a full Bellini phrase…

The soprano Renée Fleming has decided that “Norma” is not in her future.

Ms. Fleming had planned to portray the Druid priestess of the title at the Metropolitan Opera in the 2011-12 season, with several other engagements leading up to those performances. But after studying the role she realized it “wasn’t a fit,” a spokeswoman said yesterday.

“She came to the conclusion it was not something she wanted to live with,” said the spokeswoman, Mary Lou Falcone. “It was just the overall feeling. It’s one thing to sing it. It’s another thing to bring the drama to it. At the end of the day, the decision was: ‘This is just not for me. There’s a lot of other repertoire to do.’”

Ms. Falcone said Ms. Fleming would not be interviewed about the decision.

Bellini’s Norma is one of the most demanding soprano roles and has been the province of prominent divas, including Maria Callas and Joan Sutherland. It has long, florid lines filled with difficult ornamentation, requires great endurance and calls for emotional intensity.

In the past Ms. Fleming has not flinched from backing out of operas when she feels she is not ready. That happened with “La Traviata” at the Met in 2000, although she came back to sing it as recently as this season. She has ruled out “Norma” indefinitely, Ms. Falcone said.

Peter Gelb, the Met’s general manager, said: “She’s a highly intelligent and gifted artist who weighs decisions carefully and wants to perform at her best. The problem is with singers who go forward with projects they shouldn’t do.”

Mr. Gelb said “Norma” was to have been directed by Robert Wilson but was never formally scheduled. The house, he added, would find another vehicle for Ms. Fleming that season.

She was also expected to sing a concert version of the opera at Tanglewood Music Center three years ago, but instead performed in Tchaikovsky’s “Eugene Onegin,” as was reported by The Associated Press.