Ben Heppner - German Romantic Opera

Ludwig van Beethoven (Composer), Erich Wolfgang Korngold (Composer), Richard [Classical] Wagner (Composer), Carl Maria von Weber (Composer), Colin Davis (Conductor), Donald Runnicles (Conductor), Hamburg North German Radio Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra), Winds of the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra), Ben Heppner (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Ben Heppner
• Orchestra: Hamburg North German Radio Symphony Orchestra, Winds of the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra
• Conductor: Colin Davis, Donald Runnicles
• Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven, Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Richard [Classical] Wagner, Carl Maria von Weber
• Audio CD (October 13, 1998)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: RCA
• ASIN: B00000DFKI
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #304,034 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #95 in Music > Classical > Historical Periods > Modern, 20th, & 21st Century > Composers > Korngold, Erich Wolfgang

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars MAGNIFICENT., February 4, 2001

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MOVIE MAVEN (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Ben Heppner - German Romantic Opera (Audio CD)

What a magnificent album: Ben Heppner could easily be called the finest Wagnerian heldentenor singing today. I was fortunate enough to hear him in the title role of Wagner's "Lohengrin" at the Metropolitan Opera House a few seasons ago in a startling production by Robert Wilson. Heppner's voice is strong and clear and beautifully produced. And even when he is singing with that mighty, huge Met orchestra, he never loses the sweetness in his voice which is one of its most precious qualities. This year he took on the role of 'Florestan' in Beethoven's "Fidelio" in New York and that character's major aria is gorgeously done on this album. Besides the six Wagner excerpts, my personal favorite is from Korngold's "Die Tote Stadt." Highly Recommended for anyone who loves Wagner or for anyone who has no real exposure to him and would like to begin with a beautiful album.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A foretaste of greatness to come, August 29, 2006

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Santa Fe Listener (Santa Fe, NM USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Ben Heppner - German Romantic Opera (Audio CD)

RCA made two hits when they signed up two great singers early in their careers--Thomas Quasthoff and Ben Heppner. In both cases the voice sounded great but the interpretations had yet to reach their full depth and feeling. This CD of German opera excerpts, with its large chunk of Wanger, presages the enormous career Heppner would have as the world's leading Heldentenor. The voice is young and fresh--listen to the ravishing legato in the big aria from Die Tote Stadt--but there's a lot of growth to come. The readings tend to be rather literal and stiff, as does the conducting. Fans will love everything here anyway, and so do I, with reservations.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ben Heppner is arguably the top Heldentenor, July 5, 2000

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Ray Barnes (Surrey, British Columbia Canada) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Ben Heppner - German Romantic Opera (Audio CD)

Although I am not a big fan of recordings of this kind, preferring instead either complete scenes or Acts instead of selected arias, it would be hard to seriously fault this record. Heppner's pitch control is excellent and he reallys sings instead of resorting to declamation (once referred to as the Bayreuth Bark). The orchestral playing and conducting is successful too, as is the sound engineering. All the items on this release are interesting, but I wonder why the Preislied from Meistersinger was excluded, which may well be his signature aria. It is a generous program and the notes are well written. Recommended.