Composers: Wagner, Strauss
Compositions: Arias and songs
Performers: Lise Davidsen s, Philharmonia Orchestra/Esa-Pekka Salonen
Catalogue Number: Decca 4834883

Lise Davidsen might just be this generation’s best dramatic soprano. A big claim, sure, but even a casual listen to her debut album on Decca will have you drawing comparisons to Flagstad and Nilsson, consciously or not. At 32, Davidsen’s instrument still has many more years of growth and refinement ahead of it, but what’s captured here is already remarkable. Her warm, full-bodied soprano projects over an orchestra with ease, her top notes not only secure but gleaming. There’s a patrician quality to Davidsen’s basic...