Lise Davidsen, soprano
James Baillieu, piano

Hailed by the Telegraph as “the greatest soprano in the world,” Lise Davidsen has listeners flocking to hear her wherever she sings—a following that has only grown since her memorable Cal Performances debut during the 2024–25 season. Her return to Berkeley arrives amid a remarkable year for this singular artist, including her long-awaited role debut as Isolde in Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde at the Metropolitan Opera and Barcelona’s Gran Teatre del Liceu in two stunning productions created expressly for her, each rapturously received.

Here, she and recital partner James Baillieu—one of the leading song pianists of his generation—bring a program featuring works by Bach, Reger, and Richard Strauss alongside Wagner’s Tristan-imbued Wesendonck Lieder, all capped off with a glorious selection of traditional Christmas favorites sung in English, German, Italian, and, of course, Davidsen’s native Norwegian.

“The radiating, shimmering … overtones that halo her voice make [Davidsen] sound arrestingly powerful and visceral. You feel it as almost physical presence—pressing against your chest, raising the hairs on the back of your neck.”—The New York Times