Lise Davidsen

6691 Views 116 Replies 23 Participants Last post by Op.123, 2 mo ago

Belowpar

Discussion Starter · Mar 2, 2020

My cup runneth over. In recent weeks I've been thrilled by Elizabeth Llewellyn as Luisa Miller and Natalya Romaniw as Cio-Cio San but yesterday....

Lise Davidsen is a new name to me and yesterday she was given an opportunity to shine with Papanno conducting the forces of the ROH, opposite Jonas Kaufmann in a new production of Fidelio.

Such a huge and sumptuous voice, I've never had formal training but she seemed to be singing with ease and naturalness throughout, wonderful. At 6'2" she certainly has presence.

But I wasn't the only one stunned by her performance. I expect more plaudits will follow.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/opera/w...royal-opera-royal-opera-house-stagings-silly/

Upcoming visits to Bayreuth perhaps suggest her long time future, but I hope to see her in other roles as well. We can but hope.

PS I'm aware there was a previous thread where 2nd hand comments were made about her debut disc saying it wasn't all that. But I can't see its relevant here.

Lets start again as she's ascended to new heights.

https://www.talkclassical.com/61688-lise-davidsen-2.html?highlight=Lise+Davidson

Reactions: 5

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JoeSaunders

· #2 · Mar 2, 2020 (Edited)

She's a real one to watch. I've only ever heard good things about her live performances, and I absolutely cannot wait to see how her career unfolds. The review from this Fidelio is quite reassuring, so I'll be sure to see the ROH broadcast at my cinema

Reactions: 2

mountmccabe

· #3 · Mar 3, 2020

I am a big fan, though I have not yet managed to hear her live. The biggest motivation for my trip to Germany last year was to hear her as Elisabeth in Tannhäuser in Munich. Sadly, she missed the night I had a ticket for (and only that night in the run). Now I'm hoping to make it to the Met in December when she'll be in Fidelio there.

She first came on my radar when she sang Ariadne at Glyndebourne in 2017. She sang it at Aix in 2018 and I was blown away listening via the stream (would love to have that DVD). I'm excited to hear more from her.

Reactions: 3

Dyolf

· #4 · Mar 3, 2020

New member here, and this is my first post. Miss Davidsen has received a lot of accolade in the resent year, and yet, nothing can begin to prepare the listener/viewer, for the entrance of the young soprano on stage. I was fortunate to see her in Oslo in Cavalleria Rusticana back in 2018, and even before she opens her mouth, she owns the stage. And then when she does open her mouth……, she is that kind of person you simply love to love. Every tone just seem to leave the stage effortlessly, and soaring over the orchestra. Her in Norway she is compared to the legend Flagstad, but Lise Davidsen has the chance and the skills to go even further.

Reactions: 2

howlingfantods

· #5 · Mar 9, 2020 (Edited)

She sang an outstanding Elisabeth in the Tannhauser at last year's Bayreuth.

Went searching, it's on Youtube still:

edited to add--I missed that earlier thread where her solo album was discussed. I hadn't heard it until now, but it is notable that that habit wkasimer mentioned about how she starts notes without vibrato then swells into it is present in this live performance, but significantly less frequently than in her studio album.

haydnguy

· #6 · Mar 9, 2020

I was part of the earlier thread that discussed her album. (First album).

I was disappointed when I first heard it but I will dig it out of the pile and listen again. Part of the disappointment may have been the hype that initially discussed her. Obviously from the Youtube clip above she has a wonderful voice so I judged her too soon.

Tsaraslondon

· #7 · Mar 9, 2020

haydnguy said:
I was part of the earlier thread that discussed her album. (First album).

I was disappointed when I first heard it but I will dig it out of the pile and listen again. Part of the disappointment may have been the hype that initially discussed her. Obviously from the Youtube clip above she has a wonderful voice so I judged her too soon.

I also wasn't impressed with the debut album, but I've now listened to some of the live stuff on youtube and find her much more impressive. I'm not sure if it is a voice I will ever love, but that comes down to personal taste. I've never really liked Nilsson's either. I also note that, at 33, she is not that young, which is a good thing for a dramatic soprano. She's obviously been taking things quite slowly.

I'm assuming that, like Nilsson, it's a large, cutting voice and I wonder if the engineers had difficulty capturing it in the recording studio. After all these days, they are much more used to recording small to medium sized voices.

Reactions: 2

Woodduck

· #8 · Mar 10, 2020

From what I've heard so far, I like Davidsen's voice more than others currently doing dramatic repertoire (Nina Stemme, Christine Goerke, and others I like still less such as Evelyn Harteros). I don't want her to rush into the heaviest parts; Elisabeth and Elsa, and maybe Sieglinde, would seem good fits right now. Flagstad didn't do her first Isolde until her late thirties, so maybe Lise will follow in the footsteps of her countrywoman. I wish her, and us, the best.

Now for a heldentenor...

Reactions: 3

nina foresti

· #9 · Mar 10, 2020

It is just killing me that I will be out of the country in December when she is going to be at the Met with "Fidelio."
I pray that she will start doing more at the Met -- and soon. She is a wonder!

howlingfantods

· #10 · Mar 10, 2020

She's doing Sieglinde and reprising her Elisabeth this year's Bayreuth, for those of you who want to make some travel plans.

nina foresti

· #11 · Mar 10, 2020

Woodduck said:
From what I've heard so far, I like Davidsen's voice more than others currently doing dramatic repertoire (Nina Stemme, Christine Goerke, and others I like still less such as Evelyn Harteros). I don't want her to rush into the heaviest parts; Elisabeth and Elsa, and maybe Sieglinde, would seem good fits right now. Flagstad didn't do her first Isolde until her late thirties, so maybe Lise will follow in the footsteps of her countrywoman. I wish her, and us, the best.

Now for a heldentenor...

IS there an Evelyn Harteros? I am only familiar with an Anja Harteros.

Reactions: 1

vivalagentenuova

· #12 · Mar 10, 2020

She obviously has tremendous natural talent. Like Sutherland, it's a naturally large voice. But like Sutherland, I don't at all care for the way she has cultivated it. While she thankfully lacks the stridency of many dramatic sopranos today, her sound is still fundamentally based on a falsettish sound. That's not the kind of sound I'm interested in. It's a shame, because she could indeed be like a Flagstad or Destinn with different training.

Barbebleu

· #13 · Mar 10, 2020

nina foresti said:
IS there an Evelyn Harteros? I am only familiar with an Anja Harteros.

I think Woodduck probably meant Evelyn Herlitzius. :lol:

Reactions: 1

Woodduck

· #14 · Mar 10, 2020

Barbebleu said:
I think Woodduck probably meant Evelyn Herlitzius. :lol:

I meant Evelanja Hartelitzius. I don't care for her voices.

Reactions: 2

Bonetan

· #15 · Mar 10, 2020

Woodduck said:
I meant Evelanja Hartelitzius. I don't care for her voices.

I said it out loud :lol:

Reactions: 1

Barbebleu

· #16 · Mar 10, 2020 (Edited)

Woodduck said:
I meant Evelanja Hartelitzius. I don't care for her voices.

:lol:xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Becca

· #17 · Mar 10, 2020

Woodduck said:
I meant Evelanja Hartelitzius. I don't care for her voices.

Isn't that the soprano with the split personality?

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Woodduck

· #18 · Mar 12, 2020

Becca said:
Isn't that the soprano with the split personality?

You may be thinking of Birgsten Nilsstad. Or maybe Marthrid Varnodl.

Reactions: 4

The Conte

· #19 · Mar 12, 2020

Just don't mention Manata Cabaldi, her fans get really snarky!

N.

Reactions: 1

Hermastersvoice

· #20 · Mar 18, 2020

I saw her as Cherubini’s Medea in Wexford in 2018. The singing was amazing, as good as the greatest Medeas on record. Unfortunately, the staging was so inept that the audience forgot to listen. They didn’t even applaud at her big aria.

Reactions: 1

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