Watch now: Lise Davidsen sings for women
OperaSlippedisc, courtesy of Opera Vision, is streaming the Norwegian soprano, Lise Davidsen on 8 March to mark International Women’s Day 2024. She is a sensation, with a very full diary and accolades to match. Between her engagements at the Metropolitan Opera, La Scala and Bayreuth, she has taken time to record a unique concert with Norwegian Opera Orchestra under the baton of Edward Gardner. Filmed by Einar Film and staged by film director Eivind Holmboe, here is a new take on a solo recital. The resulting hybrid between concert and film gets us close to Lise, inside the iconic Norwegian National Opera and under the skin of three women from Richard Strauss’s operas.
Lise is indeed about three women in different phases of their lives, reflecting on who they are, where they are going, and what they have become. What became of the young girl I was, asks the mature Marschallin. We see Lise Davidsen as the heroine of Der Rosenkavalier and as two other strong women from the composer who was a master in writing for the soprano voice: Arabella and Ariadne. While the former wonders what or who she really longs for, the latter longs to lose herself to find again what was lost.
Sung in German, subtitles in English. Lise Davidsen appears by courtesy of Decca Classics.
Streamed on Friday 8th March 2024 at 1900 CET / 1800 London / 1300 NY
Sexist. I mean, can you imagine Caruso singing for men?
She should work on her technique. Very powerful voice but all over the place. Horrible
a total miscast as Marschallin and Arabella – she should concentrate on her repertoire
Just think of the Italian she sang at Last Night of the Proms – very bad also
I heard Lise Davidsen in Santa Monica, California last year. A huge exciting voice but had trouble singing mezza forte or piano, let along pianissimo (same for her “Forza” tenor Jagde). She sang several Italian arias in the recital but they were not the best or ideal versions I’d heard. A lirico-spinto soprano she’s not. The voice just lacks the quintessential morbidezza.
In Germany repertoire she’s nonpareil.
Just my $0.02
I don’t think you understand what “sexist” means. It is a kind of prejudice. Where is there prejudice in offering this as part of the celebration of International Women’s Day? It is in fact a statement about the complexity of women. As a psychologist, I find this entirely appropriate, interesting, and accurate.
Read the title, that’s what he’s referring to. Maybe you don’t understand what ‘prejudice’ is. Do you think men should be excluded from celebrating Women’s Day?
What about Madeleine? The power of being weak. Of not being able to choose. The ecstatic happiness of ambiguity. (R.Strauss knew everything about a woman’s soul.)
please not with Lise Davidsen
The soprano is very fine. Strauss is difficult, especially without a live audience. It is not sexost to explore the female characters he has explored. Their femininity is integral to the characters and is thus interesting to understand how the music expresses this. A very lovely set of pieces for us to enjoy and think about. Thank you.
Re: Arabella, yes her music is pretty, but IMO she is a horrible role model for young women if you know the words she’s singing. She says a woman’s life is incomplete without a man and then she picks a rich guy to save her family from financial ruins. I think if Hoffmannsthal hadn’t died suddenly he would have made Arabella a much more sympathetic character, but we shall never know.
Couldn’t Lise have picked a better Strauss heroine….like Barak’s wife.
Oh goodie. (Tiny hand claps)