There’s a big voice in a bijou venue – and then there is Lise Davidsen singing at Wigmore Hall. “Raise a hand if you can’t hear me,” she quipped, beginning an impromptu speech between song groups. No chance.
With her devoted pianist collaborator, the silken-toned James Baillieu, the Valkyriesque, six-foot-two Norwegian soprano offered a recital that held kaleidoscopic colours, visceral thrills and some real surprises. Pairing two Nordic composers, Grieg and Sibelius, with Schubert and Berg, the programme allowed Davidsen to show contrasting aspects of her phenomenal voice, whether the stratospheric brilliance at the top, the lively directness in the middle range or the rich, mezzo-like depth at the lowest, where some of the greatest magic is present.