Classical music’s Taylor Swift, Lise Davidsen, soprano singing Salome at Opéra Bastille, wows Paris too
- Soprano Lise Davidsen, fresh from her debut lead performance in Strauss’ Salome at Paris Opéra Bastille, talks about her life on and off stage
- Even though professionals in the industry have nothing but praise for the quality of her voice, Davidsen admits to trepidation about each new role
Taylor Swift isn’t the only singer fans are flocking to Paris to hear.
Lise Davidsen has become classical music’s biggest draw, attracting crowds to the Paris Opéra Bastille for her first performances in the title role of Strauss’ Salome during the same week Swift filled La Défense Arena across town for four nights for the start of her Eras Tour’s European leg.
“It’s a voice of the century,” says American director Lydia Steier, who staged the sex- and alcohol-fuelled Salome. “It’s an insane intensity acoustically. I think it's electric.”
Andreas Homoki, director general of the Zurich Opera, gave Davidsen her first major role in 2016 as Agathe in Weber’s Der Freischütz.
“Somebody said she’s the new Nina Stemme. I disagree. She’s the new Nilsson,” he says in a comparison with Birgit Nilsson, regarded as one of the greatest Wagnerian sopranos of the 20th century.
