Star soprano Rhys Davidsen says operatic productions cannot “hide behind tradition”, praising productions that keep the genre fresh.
The 35-year-old Norwegian singer, who will perform at this year’s Last Night of the Proms, said opera can “do what theater …[and]cinema can do.”
Davidsen, who told i newspaper that audiences booed an unconventional performance of Wagner’s opera in Bayreuth, Germany, recalled not appreciating the “radical” reinterpretation of Wagner’s work.
“We cannot hide behind tradition,” she said.
“What theater can do, what opera can do, what film can do, what opera can do.
We cannot hide behind tradition. What theater can do, what opera can do. What a film can do, what an opera can do.I hope you keep making these new works, keep failing and succeedingSoprano Lise Davidsen
“We want to keep making these new creations, and we want them to keep failing and succeeding.
“I think that’s the point. By being challenged, you learn something new for next time.”
Davidsen is set to perform with Dame Harriet Walter at The Last Night of the Proms at the Royal Albert Hall on September 10, and has been “crazy prepared” for the event. I was doing it,” he said.
“It’s the closest thing a classical singer can be to a rock star,” she says i.
“I know the concept of a standing audience and how close they are to you, so I’m very happy that I’ve done proms before.
“But this looks like a very different night.”
