Tom Huizenga | April 26, 2024

I knew we were in for something spectacular when the Norwegian soprano Lise Davidsen came to our Tiny Desk — especially when she could be heard, loud and clear, from far down the hall, warming up in our green room. Once she got to the Desk itself, to rehearse with pianist and Metropolitan Opera assistant conductor Bryan Wagorn, the sublime amplitude of her extraordinary voice rendered the space even tinier.
Davidsen’s voice, which is incongruously gigantic and intimate, has been called “one-in-a-million.” I was completely sold on the hype after only a few seconds of singing. A couple of us reached for tissues to wipe away tears of disbelief. The voice gleams like pure polished silver, powerful enough to surge past massive orchestras and yet capable of paring down to a single silvery strand of tone, perfectly supported to reach the rafters.

It’s all the more remarkable since Davidsen was already in her 20s before she saw an opera for the first time. Her warp-speed rise has taken her from a small town in Norway, where she played handball and strummed her guitar, to starring roles at the world’s finest stages.

She begins her set with Desdemona’s quiet supplication from Verdi’s Otello. It’s a prayer for the troubles of the world today, she explains. A moody song of unrequited love by her compatriot Edvard Grieg follows. And, saving the money notes for last, Davidsen closes with a rambunctious czardas from Die Csárdásfürstin. Notice the subtlety of phrasing when she extends the word “Heimatland” beautifully in the opening verse. She caps the aria with an electrifying high C. The audience, appropriately, goes nuts.

With a little luck and scrupulous care for her voice, Davidsen, only 37, is poised for a career we will be talking about for decades to come.

SET LIST
Giuseppe Verdi: “Ave Maria” from Otello
Edvard Grieg: “Zur Rosenzeit,” Op. 48, No. 5
Emmerich Kálmán: “Heia, in den Bergen” from Die Csárdásfürstin

MUSICIANS
Lise Davidsen: soprano
Bryan Wagorn: piano

TINY DESK TEAM
Producer: Tom Huizenga
Director/Editor: Kara Frame
Audio Technical Director: Hannah Gluvna
Host/Series Producer: Bobby Carter
Videographers: Kara Frame, Pierre Kattar
Audio Engineers: Neil Tevault, Josh Newell
Production Assistant: Elle Mannion
Photographer: Zayrha Rodriguez
Tiny Desk Team: Maia Stern, Joshua Bryant, Ashley Pointer, Hazel Cills
Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson
VP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins

#tinydesk #nprmusic #lisedavidsen