Sonya Yoncheva, Lise Davidsen, Ying Fang, Benjamin Appl, Thomas Hampson & Freddie De Tommaso Lead Verbier Festival’s 2025 Season

The Verbier Festival has announced its 2025 season. Here is a look at the vocal performances. The Verbier Festival Orchestra and Barbara Hannigan perform works by Berlioz, Haydn, Copland, Rodgers, and Bill Elliot. Performance Date: July 17, 2025 Thomas Hampson and Ksenija Sidorova perform works by Schubert and Weill. Performance Date: July 20, 2025 The VF Academy Atelier Lyrique and {…}

Nov 13, 2024

Metropolitan Opera 2024-25 Review: Tosca – Cast B

(Credit: Marty Sohl / Metropolitan Opera) On Nov. 12, the Metropolitan Opera revived its production of Puccini’s “Tosca” to celebrate 100 years of the composer’s death. It was the second cast in the season following an acclaimed turn from Aleksandra Kurzak in September. For this evening, the Met put its hopes on what, on paper, looked like an all-star cast {…}

Nov 11, 2024

Lise Davidsen & Freddie de Tommaso Lead Metropolitan Opera’s ‘Tosca’ HD

(Photo: Jonathan Tichler / Met Opera) The Metropolitan Opera’s 2024–25 Live in HD season will continue with Puccini’s “Tosca” on Nov. 23. The HD will star Norwegian soprano Lise Davidsen in the title role, tenor Freddie De Tommaso in his company debut as Cavaradossi, and baritone Quinn Kelsey as Scarpia. Bass-baritone Patrick Carfizzi returns as the Sacristan and Yannick Nézet-Séguinconducts David {…}

Nov 4, 2024

Listen to Second Act of Lise Davidsen’s First Isolde

(Credit: brsorchestra /Severin Vogl) On Nov. 1 and 3, Lise Davidsen sang the second act of Wagner’s “Tristan and Isolde,” with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir Simon Rattle. It was the first time the soprano took on the iconic role and was one of the most anticipated moments of the season. Davidsen was joined by Stuart Skelton, Karen Cargill, {…}

Sep 20, 2024

Staatsoper Unter den Linden 2024-25 Review: Tosca

(Credits: Hermann und Clärchen Baus) Giacomo Puccini’s “Tosca,” adapted from a play by Victorien Sardou, was famously criticized by American musicologist Joseph Kerman, who dismissed it as a “shabby little shocker” and predicted its swift decline from the operatic canon. Despite this, “Tosca” endures as a favorite among audiences, thanks to Puccini’s brilliant music and masterful orchestration that elevate it {…}

Sep 16, 2024

Aleksandra Kurzak, Sondra Ravdanovsky & Lise Davidsen Lead Metropolitan Opera’s ‘Tosca’ Revival

(Credit: Karen Almond/Metropolitan Opera) The Metropolitan Opera is set to present Puccini’s “Tosca” for 13 performances. The production, which runs between Sept. 25 and Jan. 23, will feature three casts. The opening cast in September–October, will star soprano Aleksandra Kurzak in the title role alongside tenor SeokJong Baek and baritone George Gagnidze. Xian Zhang and Marco Armiliato conduct. OperaWire raved {…}

Aug 23, 2024

Lise Davidsen to Feature in New Recording of ‘The Flying Dutchman’

(Credit: Courtesy of MWA Management) Lise Davidsen is set to headline a new release of Wagner’s “The Flying Dutchman” for Decca Classics. The recording was made during concert performances with the Oslo Opera on August 22 and 24, 2024. The new release will feature Davidsen alongside Gerald Finley and Stanislas de Barbeyrac. Edward Gardner, the Oslo Opera House’s new music {…}

Aug 7, 2024

Lise Davidsen to Sing ‘Macbeth’ at the Metropolitan Opera

The Metropolitan Opera is set to open the 2026-27 season with Verdi’s “Macbeth.” In a statement to the Associated Press, the Met noted that Davidsen would star in Verdi’s “Macbeth” opening the 2026-27 season on Sept. 22, 2026, with Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducting. The role is one of the many Davidsen will sing at the Met in the next seasons. The {…}

Aug 6, 2024

Lise Davidsen & Yuval Sharon to Lead Met Opera’s New ‘Ring Cycle’ & ‘Tristan Und Isolde’ Productions

The Metropolitan Opera has announced that Yuval Sharon will be directing new productions of “Tristan und Isolde” and “Der Ring des Nibelungen.” Sharon will make his Met debut during the 2025−26 season with a new production of “Tristan und Isolde” (conducted by Nézet-Séguin, with Lise Davidsen as Isolde). Then in 2026-27, he debuts his new Ring cycle with Davidsen as {…}

Jul 24, 2024

Munich Opera Festival 2024 Review: Pique Dame

(Credit: W. Hoesl) Lise Davidsen as the headliner in Tchaikovsky’s “Pique Dame” at the Munich Opera Festival is an apt addition. It is a production full of theatrical effects created by Benedict Andrews with full-screen projections of Lisa in various enticing poses, including cars serving as platforms for singers and chorus-women, a bleacher-filled chorus partially masked, and G-string quasi-strippers. There {…}

Jul 3, 2024

Great Performances to Broadcast Lise Davidsen’s Summer Night Concert

Great Performances is set to present the Vienna Philharmonic Summer Night Concert 2024 on August 23, 2024. The concert, which took place on June 7, 2024, focused on popular works from the 19th and 20th centuries that highlight Europe’s rich musical heritage. The concert took place from Vienna’s Schönbrunn Palace Gardens and celebrated the bicentennial of distinguished Czech composer Bedřich {…}