NPR’s Scott Detrow spoke with Norwegian soprano Lise Davidsen when she visited NPR for her Tiny Desk live performance.
SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
Soprano Lise Davidsen isn’t any stranger to stepping out of her consolation zone. The Norwegian opera singer is finest identified for lending her voice to the works of Wagner and Strauss, however lately she took on Italian opera, starring in a manufacturing of Verdi’s “La Forza Del Destino” on the Met in New York. And he or she took on one other problem just a few weeks in the past, acting at a way more intimate venue than the Met stage, the Tiny Desk right here at NPR.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
LISE DAVIDSEN: (Singing in non-English language).
DETROW: Effectively, Lise Davidsen, thanks for being right here.
DAVIDSEN: Thanks a lot for having me.
DETROW: You have completed solo recitals on the Met now. You have carried out at Carnegie Corridor. How does the Tiny Desk match into all of that?
DAVIDSEN: (Laughter) Effectively, I used to be actually honored to be requested to be right here and to return right here to do that factor that so many individuals have completed, and it is so extremely standard. And there was time in between two exhibits on the Met, so then I got here right here.
DETROW: Are there any variations performing in an workplace in comparison with in an opera corridor?
DAVIDSEN: Effectively, I suppose the private side – it is a way more non-public factor, I believe. It is a – you get to see me and possibly get to know me a bit otherwise or completely different sides. And naturally, the acoustics are very completely different from what I am used to, and the pianist enjoying an upright piano and all these issues. Nevertheless it has a appeal, and I believed the viewers was very like – they have been prepped, they’d completed it earlier than. So it is a very, very good factor to do.
DETROW: Considered one of my favourite issues about Tiny Desk Live shows is, you understand, typically after we’re on deadline and may’t go to the live performance, you may hear bits and items of the live performance, you understand, across the nook or down the corridor and even on a special ground. And I really feel like whenever you have been hitting these excessive notes, your complete constructing in all probability heard them.
(LAUGHTER)
DAVIDSEN: Yeah. I used to be questioning, you understand, the “Ave Maria,” which was, like, the primary one – it is so quiet, so intimate and correct kind of opera aria, after which that’s onerous for us in a manner, to seek out the precise feeling of it with the viewers and kind of collect folks out of their work and say, hey, that is the place we are actually.
DETROW: Yeah.
DAVIDSEN: And naturally, then in direction of the top, with the excessive C’s, like, OK, I do not understand how this might go. I am simply going to offer all of it and hope for the perfect.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
DAVIDSEN: (Singing in non-English language).
DETROW: What does it really feel wish to hit that good excessive word on the peak of a efficiency? I imply, it is one thing that so few folks on the planet can do, and also you simply did it for all of us. And also you do it on the stage night time after night time, and it is simply incomprehensible for therefore many individuals. What does it really feel like?
DAVIDSEN: Yeah. No, there may be some pleasure when it is completed, I have to say, aid. It is like, we did it once more, despite the fact that I completed it again and again, and I do it in my warm-up room every single day, checking that it is there earlier than I am going on stage. However I’d say pleasure, possibly, after you are completed, and also you handle it. There’s simply kind of this aid, like, OK, onto the subsequent.
DETROW: Yeah.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
DAVIDSEN: (Singing in non-English language).
DETROW: The very last thing I need to ask is – I think about there are lots of people watching this Tiny Desk or listening to this phase who possibly haven’t uncovered themselves that a lot to opera, or possibly discover it intimidating. What would you inform any individual who needs to know extra however would not know the place to start out or would not know the best way to even start to…
DAVIDSEN: Yeah, I believe it is unhappy that it is intimidating.
DETROW: Yeah.
DAVIDSEN: However I utterly perceive as a result of it is one thing you do not know. And it is also going right into a live performance corridor or an opera, and also you assume, nicely, I do not know what is going on on.
DETROW: Yeah.
DAVIDSEN: So then it is a large step to truly go and purchase the ticket and go in. I’d say possibly learn up and pay attention a bit, but additionally simply give it an opportunity, give it this one time and never count on your world to be turned the other way up. Go for a shortish one after which give it a attempt as a result of I believe if you happen to’re within the room, that is when, for me, you’re considerably rewarded for going there. And it has to start out, I believe, with listening to it reside within the room as a result of that’s in the way in which the magic of this classical music and this nonamplified music that we do. And if you happen to simply have a few minutes the place you – you understand, you place your cellphone away, there’s 500 to three,000 folks with you all specializing in that and – yeah, then I believe you’ll perceive extra of it. Nevertheless it’s OK to not understand it. It is OK to not know what it is all about and who’s singing. I imply, that is for us to inform you.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
DAVIDSEN: (Singing in non-English language).
(SOUNDBITE OF RHYTHMIC CLAPPING)
DETROW: Lise Davidsen, thanks a lot.
DAVIDSEN: Thanks for having me.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
DAVIDSEN: (Vocalizing).
(APPLAUSE)
DETROW: You’ll be able to watch Lise Davidsen’s Tiny Desk Live performance at npr.org/tinydesk.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
DAVIDSEN: (Singing in non-English language).
Copyright © 2024 NPR. All rights reserved. Go to our web site phrases of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for additional data.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This textual content might not be in its ultimate type and could also be up to date or revised sooner or later. Accuracy and availability could differ. The authoritative report of NPR’s programming is the audio report.