Some opera enthusiasts have often criticized the Metropolitan Opera for waiting too long to cast European singers with established star power, similar to a sports team that only recruits veteran players. However, even the most vocal critics would have to acknowledge the Met’s early and significant investment in the remarkable Norwegian soprano, Lise Davidsen, a once-in-a-generation talent.

At 37, Davidsen made her debut at the Met five years ago in Tchaikovsky’s The Queen of Spades. Her performance of Puccini’s Tosca on Tuesday, as part of a gala celebrating the centenary of the composer’s death, marked her seventh role with the company.

With a voice that is both monumental and nuanced, Davidsen has shone most brightly in works by Wagner and Strauss, where expansive vocal lines allow her to soar. She has portrayed the mythical longing of Ariadne in Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos and infused Eva in Wagner’s Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg with radiant purity. Last season, in La Forza del Destino, she explored Verdi, bringing an aching vulnerability to the character of Leonora.

Davidsen’s voice and stage presence are especially suited to saintly or long-suffering roles like Wagner’s Sieglinde and Elisabeth. Tall and statuesque, she possesses an inherent nobility tempered by a quiet humility. Though she’s not a slow-moving performer, there’s an almost frozen quality to her stage presence. She seems most at ease when she can settle into a character’s emotional state and allow herself to simply sing.

Tosca, however, is a different kind of challenge, and Davidsen still appears to be finding her way into the role. Puccini’s operas are filled with quick, shifting emotional currents—secret letters, hidden keys, spying a knife. Every tiny gesture is underscored by music, and moods change rapidly. These operas demand a level of nimble emotional agility that isn’t Davidsen’s strength.

On Tuesday, she seemed somewhat unsettled by the range of emotions Tosca requires. Rather than engaging with the character’s intense shifts in mood, her Tosca seemed to retreat into a cold composure. In the first act, there was little sign of the playfulness, jealousy, or joy that Tosca typically exudes, and in the second act, there was a lack of seduction, scheming, fear, or commanding authority.

She did convey anger and pain at times, particularly with the precision of her high notes, and there were fleeting moments of delicate nuance. However, the emotions didn’t feel fully embodied. In “Vissi d’arte,” Tosca’s heartbreaking aria at her lowest point, Davidsen’s performance, though dignified, didn’t carry the deep, wrenching emotion one expects, with her middle range feeling somewhat thin. Her voice, often brilliant in other roles, seemed unusually stark here.

Davidsen appeared more engaged during the third act, a promising sign for her future performances in the role. (She will return to the Met in March to perform as Leonore in Beethoven’s Fidelio, and in the coming years, she will take on even more demanding, abstract heroines, such as Wagner’s Isolde and Brünnhilde.)

Part of the challenge on Tuesday was the lack of chemistry between Davidsen and tenor Freddie De Tommaso, making his Met debut as Cavaradossi. His robust voice was marked by a tendency to overemphasize emotion, particularly in his rendition of “E lucevan le stelle,” where he indulged in excessive sobs. On the other hand, baritone Quinn Kelsey, fresh from his striking portrayal of Rigoletto, brought a rare charm and seductive energy to the role of Scarpia, his dark, expansive tone making him an imposing presence.

Conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin, while generally attentive to the lushness of Puccini’s score, engaged in some back-and-forth with Davidsen over tempos during their duet, although at times he seemed to luxuriate a little too long in the music.

In contrast, bass-baritone Patrick Carfizzi, in his brief appearance as the Sacristan, was given ample space to shine, proving that even in a performance where Davidsen’s fit isn’t perfect, the Met’s long-standing commitment to its singers remains invaluable.