
Norwegian soprano Lise Davidsen to release new opera recording while awaiting birth of twins
'Davidsen Goes out with a Bang,' read the headline in Broadway World's review of the Metropolitan Opera revival of Beethoven's 'Fidelio.'
And indeed Lise Davidsen is in a sense 'going out.' After she gives her final performance as the wife who disguises herself as a man to save her husband, she'll head home to Norway to prepare for a new role — as the mother of twins.
But the soprano's fans will also have something new to savor while she's on maternity leave. Decca is releasing a recording of Wagner's 'Der Fliegende Holländer' ('The Flying Dutchman'), an opera she had never sung before and may never do again.
What convinced Davidsen to record 'The Flying Dutchman'
The role of Senta, the sea captain's daughter who is obsessed with rescuing the Dutchman from eternal damnation, is one that Davidsen said she had been 'asked to do for almost 10 years,' but always turned down because 'I didn't feel ready.'
That might seem surprising since the role is relatively short and is often grouped with other Wagnerian roles she has already sung, like Elisabeth in "Tannhäuser' or Sieglinde in 'Die Walküre.'
But the tessitura of the role — the amount of time the voice spends in a particular range — 'was difficult for me six or seven years ago,' she said. 'It lies in a tricky place and is surprisingly dramatic in the high range. For me, it was a little bit too high for too long a time.'
What changed her mind, she said, was mastering the title role of Richard Strauss's ' Salome,' another opera that requires the soprano to sing near the top of her range much of the time. She performed that to great acclaim last year at the Paris Opera.
Added incentives to record Senta came from the team Decca assembled and the fact that it was taped in two live performances at the Oslo Opera House. Edward Gardner, music director of the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet, was the conductor, and the role of the Dutchman was sung by baritone Gerald Finley, a singer she has long admired.
In their great second-act duet, Davidsen said that when Finley sang his opening phrases in an otherworldly hush, 'It just gave me goosebumps because his sound is so beautiful. It's so inspiring and clear.
'I wanted to take his voice and put it in my pocket and have it with me for a sad day.'
Davidsen matches him, scaling back her enormous voice to sing with aching purity, then unleashing a torrent of sound for the climaxes.
The recording, also featuring bass Brindley Sharratt as Senta's father Daland, and tenor Stanislas de Barbeyrac as her hapless suitor Erik, will be released April 18.
Now that the project is behind her she said she has no plans to sing the role on stage.
'I can never say never,' she said, 'and maybe in five years something changes. But for now there's a lot of other roles I have coming.'
What's next for Davidsen onstage
Chief among those are the two pinnacles of the Wagnerian repertory for dramatic soprano, Isolde in 'Tristan und Isolde,' and Brünnhilde in the 'Ring' cycle. Both have been announced for upcoming productions at the Met directed by Yuval Sharon with the Isolde in just a year from now.
In addition she is determined to keep exploring the Italian repertory. Already she has scored success in two major Verdi roles: Elisabetta in 'Don Carlo' and Leonora in 'La Forza del Destino.'
A very different Verdi role she's eager to add is the murderous Lady Macbeth in 'Macbeth.' She will open the Met's 2026-27 season in a new production of the work.
'I just love that woman,' she said. 'There's something so loco in her, and I'm anxious to see where I can go with it. The other ladies are pure, but she's on a different planet.'
Davidsen's twins are due in June, and she plans to extend her leave from singing for the rest of 2025. 'In America they think that's a very long leave,' she said, 'but back home they think it's very short.'
Once she does return, she'll be doing fewer concert tours that require quickly jumping from city to city. 'The back and forth, here and there, I don't want to do it,' she said.
'The good thing with new opera productions is we can all be here together,' she said. Between rehearsals and performances, a new production typically allows for at least a two-month stay in one place.
Meanwhile, the final 'Fidelio' on Saturday afternoon will be broadcast live in HD to movie theaters worldwide. Susanna Mälkki conducts a cast that includes tenor David Butt Philip as the unjustly imprisoned Florestan; bass Rene Papé as the jailer Rocco, soprano Ying Fang as his daughter Marzelline, and baritone Tomasz Konieczny as the villainous Don Pizarro.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


BBC News
a day ago
- BBC News
A new golden era for opera begins at the Met
Once viewed as a static art form, opera is being revitalised with contemporary stories and fresh perspectives to connect with modern audiences. From groundbreaking productions like Grounded to the passion of young singers from around the globe, The Met embraces change while preserving opera's timeless ability to ground us as human beings. The Metropolitan Opera's Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin and General Manager Peter Gelb discuss the bright future of the art form alongside lauded tenor Benjamin Bernheim.


The Independent
4 days ago
- The Independent
Met singers' union gets 5% increase partly funded by $5M appropriation from New York state
The Metropolitan Opera and the union for its soloists and chorus announced a one-year agreement Friday on a contract. The agreement calls for a 2.5% wage increase plus an additional temporary 2.5% hike that followed the labor group's assistance in securing a $5 million appropriation in New York state's budget. The deal between the Met and the American Guild of Musical Artists starts Aug. 1 and runs through July 31, 2026. It must be ratified by the union. AGMA also represents dancers, full-time actors, stage managers, stage directors and choreographers. The Met said AGMA helped lobby the state government for the appropriation, and the additional 2.5% rise will sunset when the deal expires. Two other major Met union deals expire July 31, with Local 802 of the American Federation of Musicians, which represents the orchestra, and Local One of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, which represents stagehands.


Daily Mirror
6 days ago
- Daily Mirror
Guardiola and Man City to poach second Liverpool mastermind in matter of days
Pep Guardiola is rebuilding his backroom staff at Manchester City in the search for fresh ideas, with the Spaniard targeting Premier League title rivals Liverpool Manchester City are set to raid Liverpool for analyst James French as Pep Guardiola continues to revamp his backroom staff. Following a disappointing season that left City without a major trophy, their boss is looking to reinvigorate his reign. He has started by dispatching with three key assistants, with Juanma Lillo, Carlos Vicens, and Inigo Dominguez all leaving the Etihad Stadium. Guardiola is pushing for new voices and ideas to challenge him next season. That push has seen him look towards Liverpool to raise standards at City. Liverpool have been City's closest challengers over the past decade and are the only team in the past eight seasons to pip them to the Premier League title. Legendary German manager Jurgen Klopp mostly led that challenge during his nine years at Anfield. He won the title in 2020, with the Reds repeating that success under his replacement Arne Slot this season. Guardiola first targeted Klopp's regime, with his former assistant Pep Lijnders having already agreed a deal to join City. The Dutchman is expected to be in place in time for the Club World Cup, which starts in 10 days. According to The Athletic, City have followed that up by making a move for analyst French. The Portuguese-born anaylst has worked on opposition teams for the Reds since 2012, initally joining during Brendan Rodgers ' reign. He has since become a key man under both Klopp and Slot, but said his goodbyes as Liverpool celebrated their title win last month. French is expected to take on a role focusing on set-piece coaching and analysis at City. Lijnders meanwhile will return to the Premier League in the coming days. He was most recently head coach at Red Bull Salzburg, having decided to leave Anfield at the same time as Klopp. But he endured a disastrous reign in Austria and was sacked in December, with Salzburg 10 points behind Sturm Graz in the Bundesliga. Lijnders also held talks with Norwich City over their managers' job, though that has since gone to Liam Manning. The Dutchman made a key step towards securing his move to City on Wednesday. Salzburg announced that they had come to an agreement with Lijnders to offically terminate his contract. That move paves the way for him to link up with City as Guardiola's new lieutenant. Salzburg's Managing Director for Sport and General Manager hailed Lijnders as they confirmed the termination of his deal. "After some very constructive and positive discussions in recent days, we have terminated the contract with our former coach Pepijn Lijnders by mutual agreement," Rouven Schröder and Stephan Reiter said in a joint statement. "We would like to thank Pep once again for his hard work during his time with us and wish him all the very best for his future in football!"