La Scala grabs Lise Davidsen debut

La Scala grabs Lise Davidsen debut

Opera

norman lebrecht

April 29, 2021

The Norwegian soprano is being parachuted in for a May 10 concert to mark the 75th annoversary of the theatre’s post-Mussolini reopening.

She will sing Dido’s Lament, followed by heavy-lifting Wagner and Strauss.

Streamed from May 11.

 

 

 

Comments

  • Sound’s Off says:

    Let’s hope the sound engineer has been fired after the Tézier recital. Mr. Tézier has a voice of stentorian power, brilliance and harmonic range, yet the mics assigned to record the vocal channel were placed right in front of him, as though they were recording Frank Sinatra, and the gain set for a poetry reading! The result was an astonishing recital, blown out and wasted. Amazing they didn’t notice straight away and adjust! Please, La Scala, do not do the same for Ms. Davidsen. Let her voice travel into the space, then pick it up in the bloom spot. I’m sure you mix piano, voice and room channels, but for big voices you just have to give them some air to the main vocal mic. (After all, we listen to a voice recital some distance from the singer, just as we stand back from a work of art). And set the gain in rehearsal, but on the low side, since singers usually hold something back. You can always bump up the master, but you can’t save a blow-out. (This is novice stuff, of course, which is why I can’t believe they got it so wrong.) Otherwise we will have a repeat of the Tėzier recital, only worse.

  • fred says:

    great choice of singer WRONG choice of repertoire, no Italian composers available? What were they thinking?

    • AB says:

      Only Italian opera can be performed in Italian theaters? La Scala has had non-stop Italian rep for the last year.

    • Maurice says:

      Are the Milanese that parochial? Wouldn’t they like to hear her sing what she does best?

  • Nik says:

    Is Dido’s Lament the theme song of NHS Test and Trace?

  • Warren stutely says:

    What a pity she couldn’t manage a full performance of Dido !! Or William Lawes or John Jenkins or even the wonderful Birtwistle. !! Spode we should be grateful for any crumbs. Madly yours. Warren

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