(Credit: Javier del Real) The Norwegian soprano Lise Davidsen gained international attention after winning the Operalia, Queen Sonja and Hans Gabor Belvedere competitions in 2015. Since then, she has sung at major opera houses around the world such as The Met, The Royal Opera, La Scala, Wien staatsoper and Bayreuth Festival. The young soprano has sung the title role of {…}
Lise Davidsen has canceled her Dec. 9, 2023, Christmas Concert performance. The concert which was set in Gotenburg, was canceled due to illness by Davidsen. As a result, purchased tickets will automatically be refunded. The website noted if you have paid for your ticket with a card online, the refund will be made to the same card that you used {…}
(Photo: Michael Brosilow) The Lyric Opera of Chicago has announced a cast change for its production of “Jenůfa.” The company said, “Due to a family emergency that required her immediate return to Norway, soprano Lise Davidsen has had to withdraw from Sunday’s performance of ‘Jenůfa.’ Stepping into the title role will be Ryan Opera Center soprano Kathryn Henry. ” Meanwhile, {…}
Welcome back for this week’s look at the latest CD and DVD releases in the opera world. This week you get albums from two very famous singers, a soundtrack to one of this year’s Oscar contenders, and two complete opera recordings you cannot miss. Maestro Deutsche Grammophon releases the official soundtrack to Bradley Cooper’s new film “Maestro.” The recording features {…}
Musical America has announced the honorees for its 2024 awards. Among the winners this year are Lise Davidsen who was named Artist of the Year and Antonio Pappano who was awarded Conductor of the Year. Meanwhile, Kevin Puts was awarded the Composer of the Year and The Crossing was awarded the Ensemble of the Year. Anthony McGill was awarded the {…}
Lise Davidsen is set to release a “Christmas From Norway” via Decca Classics on Nov. 10, 2023. The new album is being described as a “delightful and personally-selected collection” of traditional Norwegian Christmas music and classic festive favorites. For this album, the soprano draws inspiration from the classic albums of iconic predecessors on Decca Classics, such as Kirsten Flagstad and {…}
Finals for singing competitions are an interesting experience to cover. On one hand, everyone on stage is a winner. In the case of the 2023 edition of the Queen Sonja Singing Competition, the six singers who took the stage on August 26 were picked from an overall pool of 521 contestants from around the world; not mention that the competition {…}
Soprano Lise Davidsen is set to give a recital at the Metropolitan Opera on Sept. 14, 2023. The program, which will feature Davidsen alongside pianist James Baillieu, will include music by Strauss, Wagner, Verdi, Grieg, Tchaikovsky, Sibelius, and Schubert. The performance kicks off at 8 p.m. local time. Davidsen will be headlining the Met Opera’s 2023-24 season with a production {…}
The Broadstage has announced its 2023-24 season. Here is a rundown of the classical vocal performances. Lise Davidsen makes her company debut in a recital alongside James Baillieu as part of the Celebrity Opera Recital Series. Performance Date: Sept. 17, 2023 The second of three performances in the Celebrity Opera Recital Series will feature Joseph Calleja. Performance Date: Nov. 11, {…}
Opera, especially Grand Opera, has always had a predilection for throwing up stories that test the boundaries of credibility and border on indelicacy, and Verdi operas frequently bask in both. “Don Carlo,” one of Verdi’s later works although arguably written whilst in his prime, is a truly convoluted tale, mostly fictional although involving true historical figures, that involves conflict, war, {…}
Valencia’s Palau de les Arts’ 2023-24 season featuring opera, recitals, concerts, and zarzuela. Opera Dima Orsho and Carla Nahadi Babelegoto star in “Women at Point Zero.” Performance Date: Sept. 15, 2023 James Gaffigan conducts Tchaikovsky’s “The Queen of Spades” in Richard Jones’ production. The cast includes Arsen Soghomonyan, Doris Soffel, Ekaterina Guseva, Elena Maximova, Roman Burdenko, and Nikolay Zemlianskikh. Performance {…}