She Risked Her Voice to Become a Mother
Key Takeaways
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Performing Isolde nine months post-childbirth
“Her first performance as ‘Isolde’ on the Met stage came just nine months after giving birth to twins.”
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Pregnancy poses risks to operatic vocal cords
“She risked her voice to become a mother.”
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Artistic roles reflect personal transformations
“A production centered on birth, death and renewal gave Davidsen a way to work through this seismic shift.”
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Navigating the emotional weight of returning
“The unexpected emotional weight she felt while returning to the stage as a new mother.”
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The Met faces significant financial challenges
“The Met Opera’s Desperate Hunt for Money.”
Episode Description
Lise Davidsen is one of the greatest opera singers of our time — a soprano with a voice so rare, critics reach back a century for comparison. This spring, she has been starring in a sold-out new production of Wagner’s “Tristan und Isolde” at the Metropolitan Opera. But she’s also at a crossroads: Her first performance as “Isolde” on the Met stage came just nine months after giving birth to twins. Today on The Sunday Daily, Natalie Kitroeff talks with the Times writer Zachary Woolfe about his recent conversation with Davidsen, and the unexpected emotional weight she felt while returning to the stage as a new mother. They discuss how a production centered on birth, death and renewal gave Davidsen a way to work through this seismic shift in her life, all while tackling the role of a lifetime. On Today’s Episode: Zachary Woolfe is a writer and editor for The New York Times. Background Reading: With Twin Babies, the Opera Star Lise Davidsen Wonders What Comes Next The Met Opera’s Desperate Hunt for Money Photo credit: Amir Hamja for The New York Times Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.