Lise Davidsen Returns to Santa Monica in a Powerful, Wide-Ranging Concert
/By Truman C. Wang
2/11/2025
On Tuesday, February 11 evening, the acclaimed Norwegian soprano Lise Davidsen returned to Santa Monica to once again shake up the Broadstage with her powerful dramatic soprano that is also capable of surprising intimacy. Her voice, with its gleaming top notes and rich middle register, proved equally compelling in operatic arias and lieder. At her last recital in 2023, I sat close to the stage and the acoustics was too bright and unforgiving. This time, I sat 14 rows back and the sound was perfect – still ear-poppingly loud but no longer harsh – a voice type like Davidsen’s needs plenty of room in a large hall to unleash and soar.
Opening with Grieg's Op. 48 bittersweet love songs, Davidsen demonstrated her innate affinity for Nordic repertoire. "Ein Traum" particularly soared, with the soprano's crystalline high notes floating effortlessly above pianist Bryan Wagorn’s rippling accompaniment.
Her "Dido's Lament" captured the essence of the Carthagian queen’s tragic fate, and a haunting pianissimo on the final "Remember me." Verdi’s aria "Tu che le vanità" from Don Carlo showed marked improvement in her command and delivery of the Italian style. However, she was thoroughly in her element, instinctively and idiomatically, in the German works that followed.
The "Es gibt ein Reich" from Ariadne auf Naxos showed why Davidsen is today's reigning Strauss soprano. Her imperious, regal voice cut through the hall with laser-like focus while maintaining a silvery sheen. "Befreit" showed her capacity for intimate expression, with beautifully controlled soft tone.
In the Schubert songs, "Der Zwerg" was a masterclass in storytelling, and "Ave Maria", "Du bist die Ruh" a masterclass in legato singing, proving that a fearless falcon can scale back to become a sweet lark.
The Wagner selections crowned the evening. The "Allmächt'ge Jungfrau" prayer from Tannhäuser was deep in devotional fervor. "Träume" (Wesendonck Lieder) floated with dream-like delicacy and ended darkly and fatefully. The concert culminated in a transcendent Liebestod, revealing Davidsen's voice in all its radiant, soaring, unforced grandeur. Matching her tidal waves of sound was Wagorn’s brilliant piano playing.
Another Wesendonck song and Strauss’ “Morgan” were offered as encores – a welcome crème brûlée after a rich feast of mains. A few weeks ago, Davidsen announced baby news on her social media and cancellation of all engagements from mid-March (after the Met Fidelio) through December, which effectively made this her final concert of 2025. A truly memorable concert for the ages.
Truman C. Wang is Editor-in-Chief of Classical Voice, whose articles have appeared in the Pasadena Star-News, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, other Southern California publications, as well as the Hawaiian Chinese Daily. He studied Integrative Biology and Music at U.C. Berkeley.