Ben Heppner is a great musician. He knows how to craft a piece of music, to connect the phrases, to impart meaning to every note, to every phrase, and to the aria as a whole. And he does it with great beauty and dignity.
what an eye opener...and i thought i had taste...all these years, listening to losers like heppner, corelli, giacomini, spiess... pavarotti is the answer! how simple...
seriously, people, try, in all things and not just opera, to see beyond what the mainstream is force feeding you. you might be pleasantly surprised, and find a jewel in opera's crown like giacomini. u want a ravishing duke, put on the pav/sutherland era live recordings. but if you want calaf, u might need to look outside the box
@BassoCantante19 thanks! i thought so. truth in singing, as in all things, is very seldom found on the surface. but anything worth finding is worth looking for! good luck this year to us all, in the search for truth!
Think of a clear fine crystal bell. Luciano's voice has that clarity that I find many come close to but just do not match-Let us be reasonable, it remains a matter of personal taste. I like the clear pitch of Luciano fine! maybe another likes a more lush sound-again it is personal taste. I do however give a resounding Bravo to my Heppner. I shed a tear. I found great passion in his vocice and to me, passion and clarity are the thing. Again bravo Ben
@shriner62 It's too bad the bar was set years before Pavarotti. Jussi Bjorling's 1959 recording of Nessun Dorma is technically and emotionally superior in every way. While Pav's rendition is clear and technically sound, Bjorling had the heart and warmth needed to make the aria resound. You are simply a victim of the mainstream appeal and commercialism of the Pavarotti name.
Ben is a wonderful singer and performer. I saw his Otello and it was riveting. Hey, Shicoff 1 -- I heard Neil's debut -- he became quite a tenor! Would love to chat.
@vpo2g2 He seems very pushy, like he's singing with a lot of pressure rather than relaxed resonance. Is that what you mean by "flawed technique"? I saw a pretty spectacular voice crack of his in this video, where it's particularly obvious: watch?v=js1nT77ylP8
@vpo2g2 -Oh really.It has already been many years.He is in the same league as that other Canadian icon Jon Vickers. Two of the greatest of the 20th.century tenors.
@vpo2g2 nonsense. you sound like an armchair quarterback -all bluster and no substance. his first dvd was released in 1992. he still tours with the new york met and other european opera companies. he is especially regarded for wagnerian operas. he is one of the finest and most prominent tenora of our day. lol.
Bravo! Heard him sing Otello in house and he gave it a fine lyric touch with upper voice power needed as Otello. AN intelligent singer with an excellent voice.
The members that view those damn foolish vomparison videos should stop at this site to hear another and ,in my opinion, better approach to this overly performed aria.Heppner is a great tenor and he could belt the aria out but he chooses to sing it in a nontraditional manner that works extremely well and he does end the piece with an exceptional top b. Bravo Heppner!! Heppner's whole performance on the RCA complete recording is on this level or higher and Heppner had the power the role demands.
It's nice to listen to a lyric tenor who is actually proud of his being a lyric tenor, and makes the most of it, rather than helplessly trying to prove otherwise.
Well done!
I always hated the word "tenorino" that some people use when referring to these artists. Bigger is NOT always better"(or in this case, more beautiful)! and here is a living proof!
This isn't sung in the usual heroic way, but vulnerable, like Kraus or Bjoerling, no even more so. It's f-g beautiful,can't ever again listen to the forte versions after this. This aria has been sung to death, this is the first time in years that it has touched me, gorgeous Heppner! You are fantastic! Marvellous, a genius, and so on...
Une merveilleuse voix. Dire que ce cahnteur a gagné dans un passé lointain le Concoursnational de Radio-Canada avec l'air "Il mio tésoro" de l'opéra Don giovanni de Mozart... Quelle progression! Bravo!
Heppner es inaceptablemente nasal( especialmente a partir de fa, fa sostenido y en los agudos), lo cual le crea problemas en el registro superior. Sólo camuflándose como un tenor wagneriano ha podido discimular esto. Escuchando esta aria, ¿Alguien pod,ría decir que es un heldentenor? Tenores líricos tienen más cuerpo en su voz que él. Me sorprende la gente que lo considera un buen tenor, más aún quienes creen que es tenor wagneriano.
@laampdegroot Es viejo tu comentario pero debes recordarlo... Nadie con cierta formación musical, con gusto por la opera y más aun siendo tenor puede decir eso... Si eres tenor cosa que creo probable, has sabido del nodo que significan las notas fa, fa# y sol la cosa es como lo solucionas y sigues hacia arriba, hasta alcanzar el do o el re porque no y es la libertad la que te lo da no el eire empujado. El hombre, Heppner, es una voz libre y a mi criterio nada nasal. Ademas poderoso y brillante.
I saw Heppner in his premier performance of Turnadot at the Lyric in Chicago. Was quite disappointed after all the hype. His voice cracked while singing as he went to strike the gong, announcing his challenge to the Princess.
Ben is arguably the greatest "Wagnerian" tenor of our time...I'd give his version of this about 4 stars out of 5...the BEST version of this song is Deanna Durbin's version...check that out!!
being a fellow canadian i will stick up for ben, his voice is pure gold, lots of power his top notes are great what a joy to listen to this great tenor. we need more tenors like this today. bravo ben
de tenor dramático nada de nada, tenor lírico con dificultades en el italiano, fuera de estilo pucciniano, el si natural muy bien.....pero nada más...
What is all this talk of Jussi being louder than Heppner? That is just plain false! Heppner is a dramatic tenor whose rep. includes almost every Wagner opera written. The man has a BIG voice. Jussi was nowhere near as loud. Just had lots of ping that recorded well.
let me amend one part of my previous statement. Ben is more of a spinto-type voice but he has some serious weight to it. The perfect Helden-tenor if you will.
Jussi's voice while having a small core had also ping thsat cut like a blade in the opera house, not only on records. Heppner hass the bigger voice but the voice often doesn't sound very full to me..
I read of this version at the page for the Jussi Björling page and I wanted to hear it. Bravo!! Rich in emotional content, nearly a tenderness...a fine, valid interpretation. Comparing is useless, apples and bowling balls..
This is not bed! It´s like a lighter version of Jussi Björlings version. Jussi is of course the registrated owner of Nessun Dorma since 1938 when he made this tune famous around the world.
@sefferpot What is with you Bjorling fans? Bjorling never OWNED this aria he sang it extremely well but he never sang the role on stage nor could he had sung the role on the stage his voice was way too small point or no point. Great versions of this aria by Corelli, Tucker, DelMonaco, Rosvaenge, Lauri-Volpi, etc. are as lease as good as Bjorling's. If we were talking about Romeo, Boheme, or Faust the judgment would, perhaps, be far different.
Very good interpretation. Great voice. And it's all a matter of taste, but imo there simply isn't anyone even close to any of Pavarotti's versions of this piece. His voice was made for that kind of aria. And the seeming effortlessness he sang it with combined with the miracle of his sound made it incomparable. All from my subjective pov, of course :-)
Ben has a wonderful voice! His timbre evokes a pleasantly light wood. I was comparing his rendition to Jussi's and was quite prepared to give the equal and different verdict but felt after 'No!No! Sulla tuabocca..' that lightness lets the aria down. Jussi certainly comes out tops. But then agai, you don't care what anyone says.
I respect you amicable rebuttal. Jussi has a very, very powerful voice and holds the crescendos extremely well. I just like Ben's version a bit better because I enjoy the tone of his voice and it's refreshing to see a lighter side of opera. Especially on love song such as this. When you think of love, you think of soft and delicate. Not powerful and boisterous. JUST my opinion & my preference though. Jussi Björling is a phenomenal singer, not disputing that.
This a mediocre voice?? I hesitate to call the perpetrator of that remark a prat,because I think it is his honest opinion. However, I would contend that he is sadly mistaken. Do not mistake an intelligent interpretation as mediocre,,because it is not "belted" out. I like Corelli very much myself,,and enjoyed his performances, He just sang in a different fashion. There are other styles and interpretations. Opera does not begin and end with Italians! They have their place, as do others.
He has a basic lyric sound with a strong spinto top and that was why he was able to sing Otello very well with a really intelligent reading of the opera when I heard him in Chicago in the role.
Ottimo sotto tutti i punti di vista, invitiamolo in Italia ad insegnarci qualcosa e ad aprirci le orecchie. Però, se non ci sono riusciti Pavarotti e altri come lui....! Dovremo tenerci Bocelli?
This comment has received too many negative votesshow
he is a great man with a mediocre voice. he is agreat actor with a mediocre voice. i have nothing against him, i like his passion, i appreciate his hard work. yet, with the internet, THE best are just a click away: corelli, distefano, monaco, lauri-volpi, venzani, babiy, pico...
Ben Heppner did a great work, he isn't a Franco Corelli - the best ever - but one of the few good Calaf's today. Luciano Pavarotte sang a great Nessun Dorma but not the best. The best sang Corelli.
The Bnatural at the end bar of the aria was not supposed to be "floated" as so many of you think. If people had bothered to listen to the orchestra and not just bad mouth singers they dont like they would realise that the orchestra AND aria build to a climax, thus meaning that if the vocal line should as well..IMHO Heppner handles the aria well even though it is not ideal for his voice he still sings the aria well and i certainly do not believe that Puccini ever intended that B to be floated
What a lot of truly lame blather. You geniuses forget that singing is about the audience, not your pretentious 'refined' ears. Great singers please the house, not the vocal coach. You reduce singing to the pedantic. Heavy B's and this and that and bla bla bla. Nobody goes to see the opera because they read up on what a heldontenor is. This sort of crapola is what people do when they CAN'T sing. Heppner and Pavarotti are simply too good to deserve the insult of your 'critical' attention!
After Pavarotti's version....why bother? it can only be inferior...this is a no win situation.....not bad for a mortal....but compared to God like Pavarotti....it's mediocre....
Strongly disagree. Pavarotti's rendition was by no means the best. He sang it with a microphone in a stand up concert...he would never be able to provide a convincing Calaf in the house. Listen to Franco Corelli in a real opera house...now that's a real Nessun dorma. With regard to Heppner, he does splendid.
Finally something we can agree on. And Tucker's studio and Ed Sullivan renditions needn't be ignored either. Check my response to your comment on my page. Heppner is good, but not loud in the house and no squillo, but a Domingo fan certainly wouldn't notice.
I agree. For many years, opera critics had critisised Pavarotti for not placing enough emotion into Nessun Dorma and also singing it without paying attention to what the music says. He performed it for the masses, without any care into the right technique and composers wishes. Heppner on the other hand, has beautiful line and a sense of emotion that is not even conveyed by Pavarotti.
@GermanOperaSinger What nonsense. Pavarotti sang Calaf live several times, although it was by no means one of his common roles. There's even a clip here on youtube (audio only) of him singing Nessun Dorma live with the San Francisco opera, and he sounds as strong as usual (although they tailor the ending to give him an applause break, to suit his ego, of course!).
You really need to read Opera History, for Pavarotti's rendition has had more criticism then praise by voice teachers, critics and fellow singers. His rendition is designed for the masses, and is performed in the exact way the composer DIDN'T want it performed. For example, the piece is written with the expression piano all over it with legato verisimo lines with bel canto technique. Pavarotti doesn't apply any of the emotion that is supposed to be carried.
You must be joking...this isn't about taste...spectral analysis of Pavarotti's amazing voice has been carried out...he was an absolutely perfect resonator...even in the difficult passagio.....his harmonics were unbelievably brilliant........Heppner is not even in the same league....notice how the final high note has a heaviness to it....Pavarotti the master could float that final B with more brilliant harmonics AND with an incredibly light production......
You also have understand the number one aspect of opera singing, the resonance. The resonance should be placed exactly above the cleft of the upper lip. Why? Well, this allows the tone to be exactly focused perfectly and the vibrations of the resonance to be heard by the audience, giving the singer great flexibility and a sense of ,what the german singers tried to perfect, "steel in the voice". Heppner has perfect steel and thats why he is the best heldentenor right now.
Also, Pavarotti was criticized by opera critics for not having this steel and for being to sharp. His technique was not very well developed, as shown in a performance of the 24 italian arts songs he performed, the most basic repertoire for any singer. His tone was very uneven as is noticed in his rendition of nessun dorma. He has no vibrations in his resonance and was a very light tenor, not a wagnerian singer like Heppner. Heppners high notes are VERY STRONG, not like pavarotti's light notes.
Incredibly light production because he was a leggere tenor who was silly enough to sing 'nessun dorma' in the first place. Turandot's roles don't call for 'incredibly light productions'. The prime roles in Turandot require a heavy voice which is powerful in both the middle and upper registers...Pavarotti fails miserably to provide this. He should have stuck to singing L'elisir or or Favorita, which he was good at (in my opinion) and not butchering Turandot.
One saying Pavarotti sang sharp, other can't see the difference between a light production of the sound, of which PAvarotti was a master, and a light voice...
Try reading up on Helden Tenors sometime. If you learn that The heaviness of the last B is something even Pavarotti was incapable of you learn that they were both completely different voices. yes Pavarotti did not conform to accepted standards of vocal technique and yes it was what ruined him in the end. Ben Heppner has the power to produce the weight in the B because he has the natural instrument AND the technique behind it. Like 3DWalter said you can critique it but can you do it?
Great liric voice, I wished he'd sang Italian rep. like Duke etc, he is not a helden tenor and he is on the wrong path ispite of Wagnerian career he is persuing it's clear that he is not even lirico-spinto and I don't mean to judge from the recording:I've heard him live-beautiful liric voice, great tecknique and musicality: another great misplacement of the great voice, pity
Wagner is for helden tenors, he is Italian full liric, don't you hear that? Iheard him live many times in Met and smaller venues:he never made an impression that he is a dramatic tenor. He is better known as Wagnerian but I think his place ion Italian liric repertoir even like Nemorino, but I guess he is phisicly too big for that
Well, you should know that I've such admiration for Heppner, but for me, his voice sounds not enough "insolent" in the high notes for the Italian reportory. Of course, the voice is "light" for Wagner, than other wagnerians from yesterday (Vinay, Vickers, King,...) or today (Stephen Gould,...), but the volume is impressive, so IMO it's OK ! Precisely, the fact that the voice sounds "light" give to Heppner's wagnerian roles much clarity and such beauty of sound. With he, Wagner sounds like Mozart!
Heppner is such a rare gem. His Wagnerian roles are a source of amazement, his Walther von Stolzing in particular. I was disappointed that he was ill for the Met's live broadcast of Tristan und Isolde some weeks ago (though his replacement was good).
That Heppner can also perform the Italianate roles is testament to his immense talent.
Ben Heppner is a great musician. He knows how to craft a piece of music, to connect the phrases, to impart meaning to every note, to every phrase, and to the aria as a whole. And he does it with great beauty and dignity.
stepaushi 1 month ago
An acceptable version.....
vpo2g2 2 months ago
what an eye opener...and i thought i had taste...all these years, listening to losers like heppner, corelli, giacomini, spiess... pavarotti is the answer! how simple...
seriously, people, try, in all things and not just opera, to see beyond what the mainstream is force feeding you. you might be pleasantly surprised, and find a jewel in opera's crown like giacomini. u want a ravishing duke, put on the pav/sutherland era live recordings. but if you want calaf, u might need to look outside the box
thegnomeidentity 2 months ago
@thegnomeidentity Very well said.
BassoCantante19 2 months ago
@BassoCantante19 thanks! i thought so. truth in singing, as in all things, is very seldom found on the surface. but anything worth finding is worth looking for! good luck this year to us all, in the search for truth!
thegnomeidentity 2 months ago
Big Ben reminds me of Leo Slezak. Another tenor with a voice that was both hugely powerful and lyrical in timbre:). Heppner sings so beautifully --
stevevandien 4 months ago
Sorry, I've heard 'em all and this is as good as it gets. My only minor carp is the vowel pronunciation at certain points (like, "steyley").
emncaity 4 months ago
Great ! a real heroic tenor for this unique aria...
bpicaud1 4 months ago
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TheLastOfTheFinest80 4 months ago
Screw Paul Potts, this is a real golden voice ^^
HeavyShit666 4 months ago
Absolutely sensational. Very few ever sang it any better.
paulostroff99 5 months ago
Think of a clear fine crystal bell. Luciano's voice has that clarity that I find many come close to but just do not match-Let us be reasonable, it remains a matter of personal taste. I like the clear pitch of Luciano fine! maybe another likes a more lush sound-again it is personal taste. I do however give a resounding Bravo to my Heppner. I shed a tear. I found great passion in his vocice and to me, passion and clarity are the thing. Again bravo Ben
Mountchoirboy 5 months ago
Pavarotti set the bar for this aria, and he held it forever. Then along came this barrel-chested Canucklehead from Vancouver. Sorry.
The bar is way up now. Any takers?
shriner62 7 months ago
@shriner62 It's too bad the bar was set years before Pavarotti. Jussi Bjorling's 1959 recording of Nessun Dorma is technically and emotionally superior in every way. While Pav's rendition is clear and technically sound, Bjorling had the heart and warmth needed to make the aria resound. You are simply a victim of the mainstream appeal and commercialism of the Pavarotti name.
Edhyde24601 6 months ago
Ben is a wonderful singer and performer. I saw his Otello and it was riveting. Hey, Shicoff 1 -- I heard Neil's debut -- he became quite a tenor! Would love to chat.
saddleshoe 1 year ago
Ben is a wonderful singer and performer. I saw his Otello and it was riveting.
saddleshoe 1 year ago
A flawed technique. He won't last.
vpo2g2 1 year ago
@vpo2g2 Really? Because he's been singing since 1978.
silververona 1 year ago
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@vpo2g2 He seems very pushy, like he's singing with a lot of pressure rather than relaxed resonance. Is that what you mean by "flawed technique"? I saw a pretty spectacular voice crack of his in this video, where it's particularly obvious: watch?v=js1nT77ylP8
trudbol 5 months ago
@vpo2g2 -Oh really.It has already been many years.He is in the same league as that other Canadian icon Jon Vickers. Two of the greatest of the 20th.century tenors.
paulostroff99 5 months ago
@vpo2g2 nonsense. you sound like an armchair quarterback -all bluster and no substance. his first dvd was released in 1992. he still tours with the new york met and other european opera companies. he is especially regarded for wagnerian operas. he is one of the finest and most prominent tenora of our day. lol.
UpstairsMaid 2 months ago
I agree with pigamouss3, right now is the best o the best in the world. In Wagner is a prodigy !
quetepique48 1 year ago
If Pavarotti in Paris is a 10.0, this is a 9.9. Bravo!!!
MaryAliceMaryAlice 1 year ago
Bravo! Heard him sing Otello in house and he gave it a fine lyric touch with upper voice power needed as Otello. AN intelligent singer with an excellent voice.
SHICOFF1 1 year ago
The members that view those damn foolish vomparison videos should stop at this site to hear another and ,in my opinion, better approach to this overly performed aria.Heppner is a great tenor and he could belt the aria out but he chooses to sing it in a nontraditional manner that works extremely well and he does end the piece with an exceptional top b. Bravo Heppner!! Heppner's whole performance on the RCA complete recording is on this level or higher and Heppner had the power the role demands.
gaytenor 1 year ago
@gaytenor Amen to that... and I'm not even religious! :o)
SDCmorg 1 year ago
It's nice to listen to a lyric tenor who is actually proud of his being a lyric tenor, and makes the most of it, rather than helplessly trying to prove otherwise.
Well done!
I always hated the word "tenorino" that some people use when referring to these artists. Bigger is NOT always better"(or in this case, more beautiful)! and here is a living proof!
RoyKa2010 1 year ago
This isn't sung in the usual heroic way, but vulnerable, like Kraus or Bjoerling, no even more so. It's f-g beautiful,can't ever again listen to the forte versions after this. This aria has been sung to death, this is the first time in years that it has touched me, gorgeous Heppner! You are fantastic! Marvellous, a genius, and so on...
mozzrt 1 year ago
discúlpame mi laampdegroot supongo que tu debes de cantar excelente por que este senhor se defiende muy bien.
hectort75 2 years ago
Une merveilleuse voix. Dire que ce cahnteur a gagné dans un passé lointain le Concoursnational de Radio-Canada avec l'air "Il mio tésoro" de l'opéra Don giovanni de Mozart... Quelle progression! Bravo!
lesbonnesoreilles 2 years ago
Heppner es inaceptablemente nasal( especialmente a partir de fa, fa sostenido y en los agudos), lo cual le crea problemas en el registro superior. Sólo camuflándose como un tenor wagneriano ha podido discimular esto. Escuchando esta aria, ¿Alguien pod,ría decir que es un heldentenor? Tenores líricos tienen más cuerpo en su voz que él. Me sorprende la gente que lo considera un buen tenor, más aún quienes creen que es tenor wagneriano.
laampdegroot 2 years ago
@laampdegroot Es viejo tu comentario pero debes recordarlo... Nadie con cierta formación musical, con gusto por la opera y más aun siendo tenor puede decir eso... Si eres tenor cosa que creo probable, has sabido del nodo que significan las notas fa, fa# y sol la cosa es como lo solucionas y sigues hacia arriba, hasta alcanzar el do o el re porque no y es la libertad la que te lo da no el eire empujado. El hombre, Heppner, es una voz libre y a mi criterio nada nasal. Ademas poderoso y brillante.
THESPINTO 1 year ago
I saw Heppner in his premier performance of Turnadot at the Lyric in Chicago. Was quite disappointed after all the hype. His voice cracked while singing as he went to strike the gong, announcing his challenge to the Princess.
Republicrat74 2 years ago
Ben is arguably the greatest "Wagnerian" tenor of our time...I'd give his version of this about 4 stars out of 5...the BEST version of this song is Deanna Durbin's version...check that out!!
SSGTA440 2 years ago
This is an aria for a tenor and not a soprano.
AnastasioFranco 2 years ago
@SSGTA440 nonsense there are many great heldentenors out there right now. john treleaven for instance.
saraswatikaruna 1 year ago
Fabulous. I bet this was a while ago though...
Englishtenor2 2 years ago
being a fellow canadian i will stick up for ben, his voice is pure gold, lots of power his top notes are great what a joy to listen to this great tenor. we need more tenors like this today. bravo ben
ddzz37 2 years ago 8
Ben Heppner is born for this song
VenenVipera 2 years ago
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OrdosGeneral 2 years ago
de tenor dramático nada de nada, tenor lírico con dificultades en el italiano, fuera de estilo pucciniano, el si natural muy bien.....pero nada más...
liricraker 3 years ago
Nobody does it better!
beulahsue 3 years ago
Excuse me, Heppner is wonderful bus Franco Corelli does it better
Musikkristin 2 years ago
I like Heppner, but this is not his Ace. His not open like some put it. he is too wide/white sounded in this piece. Where is the body!
bloydaage 3 years ago
Very good version - fine voice!
novice1959 3 years ago
Comment removed
btsg 3 years ago
What is all this talk of Jussi being louder than Heppner? That is just plain false! Heppner is a dramatic tenor whose rep. includes almost every Wagner opera written. The man has a BIG voice. Jussi was nowhere near as loud. Just had lots of ping that recorded well.
WGJ06 3 years ago
let me amend one part of my previous statement. Ben is more of a spinto-type voice but he has some serious weight to it. The perfect Helden-tenor if you will.
WGJ06 3 years ago
Jussi's voice while having a small core had also ping thsat cut like a blade in the opera house, not only on records. Heppner hass the bigger voice but the voice often doesn't sound very full to me..
Pawelp 2 years ago
Bravo!
cucuchi1 3 years ago
I read of this version at the page for the Jussi Björling page and I wanted to hear it. Bravo!! Rich in emotional content, nearly a tenderness...a fine, valid interpretation. Comparing is useless, apples and bowling balls..
martianshoes 3 years ago 4
Very very good!
Bambilibamba 3 years ago 2
This is not bed! It´s like a lighter version of Jussi Björlings version. Jussi is of course the registrated owner of Nessun Dorma since 1938 when he made this tune famous around the world.
sefferpot 3 years ago
@sefferpot What is with you Bjorling fans? Bjorling never OWNED this aria he sang it extremely well but he never sang the role on stage nor could he had sung the role on the stage his voice was way too small point or no point. Great versions of this aria by Corelli, Tucker, DelMonaco, Rosvaenge, Lauri-Volpi, etc. are as lease as good as Bjorling's. If we were talking about Romeo, Boheme, or Faust the judgment would, perhaps, be far different.
gaytenor 1 year ago
@gaytenor I agree.
seektheforce 10 months ago
Very good interpretation. Great voice. And it's all a matter of taste, but imo there simply isn't anyone even close to any of Pavarotti's versions of this piece. His voice was made for that kind of aria. And the seeming effortlessness he sang it with combined with the miracle of his sound made it incomparable. All from my subjective pov, of course :-)
bernif 3 years ago
Ben Heppner sings Nessun Dorma better than anyone in the world. I don't care what anyone says. He is the very best.
Gives me the biggest chills every single time.
pigamous3 3 years ago 14
Ben has a wonderful voice! His timbre evokes a pleasantly light wood. I was comparing his rendition to Jussi's and was quite prepared to give the equal and different verdict but felt after 'No!No! Sulla tuabocca..' that lightness lets the aria down. Jussi certainly comes out tops. But then agai, you don't care what anyone says.
2Emile 3 years ago
I respect you amicable rebuttal. Jussi has a very, very powerful voice and holds the crescendos extremely well. I just like Ben's version a bit better because I enjoy the tone of his voice and it's refreshing to see a lighter side of opera. Especially on love song such as this. When you think of love, you think of soft and delicate. Not powerful and boisterous. JUST my opinion & my preference though. Jussi Björling is a phenomenal singer, not disputing that.
pigamous3 3 years ago
@pigamous3
You are hard to argue with, when you're telling the truth.
I'd fix a couple of pronunciations, but the voice knocks me over every time.
emncaity 1 year ago
@pigamous3 @pigamous3 AGREED!!!!!!!!!
Barb Todres/NYC
lovingee1 4 months ago
La versión de Ben Hepner de Nesum Dorma es la mejor que he escuchado entre tantas. Un aria escrita para él
Aliciaeda 3 years ago
So how tall is Heppner anyways?
thugless 3 years ago
This a mediocre voice?? I hesitate to call the perpetrator of that remark a prat,because I think it is his honest opinion. However, I would contend that he is sadly mistaken. Do not mistake an intelligent interpretation as mediocre,,because it is not "belted" out. I like Corelli very much myself,,and enjoyed his performances, He just sang in a different fashion. There are other styles and interpretations. Opera does not begin and end with Italians! They have their place, as do others.
Ivanhoe2 3 years ago
He has a basic lyric sound with a strong spinto top and that was why he was able to sing Otello very well with a really intelligent reading of the opera when I heard him in Chicago in the role.
pearlmuth3 3 years ago
His rendition has so much artistic integrity.
stepaushi 3 years ago
Ottimo sotto tutti i punti di vista, invitiamolo in Italia ad insegnarci qualcosa e ad aprirci le orecchie. Però, se non ci sono riusciti Pavarotti e altri come lui....! Dovremo tenerci Bocelli?
sincrotto 3 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
he is a great man with a mediocre voice. he is agreat actor with a mediocre voice. i have nothing against him, i like his passion, i appreciate his hard work. yet, with the internet, THE best are just a click away: corelli, distefano, monaco, lauri-volpi, venzani, babiy, pico...
fairyofdew 3 years ago
Ben Heppner did a great work, he isn't a Franco Corelli - the best ever - but one of the few good Calaf's today. Luciano Pavarotte sang a great Nessun Dorma but not the best. The best sang Corelli.
Musikkristin 3 years ago
Del Mónaco was the best Calaf
oclhie 3 years ago
Listen to Bjorling sing Nessun D'orma.
Mr Heppner is pleasant to listen to
796824 3 years ago
The Bnatural at the end bar of the aria was not supposed to be "floated" as so many of you think. If people had bothered to listen to the orchestra and not just bad mouth singers they dont like they would realise that the orchestra AND aria build to a climax, thus meaning that if the vocal line should as well..IMHO Heppner handles the aria well even though it is not ideal for his voice he still sings the aria well and i certainly do not believe that Puccini ever intended that B to be floated
primadivo 3 years ago
What a lot of truly lame blather. You geniuses forget that singing is about the audience, not your pretentious 'refined' ears. Great singers please the house, not the vocal coach. You reduce singing to the pedantic. Heavy B's and this and that and bla bla bla. Nobody goes to see the opera because they read up on what a heldontenor is. This sort of crapola is what people do when they CAN'T sing. Heppner and Pavarotti are simply too good to deserve the insult of your 'critical' attention!
JBL3031 3 years ago
There are few people in the world who can sing this kind of music but millions who can tell them what they do wrong...
3DWaiter 3 years ago 5
bloody hell this is amazing..just listen to his line..and that final note!!!!!!
wiseguy847 3 years ago 2
After Pavarotti's version....why bother? it can only be inferior...this is a no win situation.....not bad for a mortal....but compared to God like Pavarotti....it's mediocre....
aa
GEVORK6 3 years ago
Pavarotti is crap and not the "end all" tenor. Let's not forget he choose pop over opera for the money and popularity.
OperaSnob 3 years ago
Strongly disagree. Pavarotti's rendition was by no means the best. He sang it with a microphone in a stand up concert...he would never be able to provide a convincing Calaf in the house. Listen to Franco Corelli in a real opera house...now that's a real Nessun dorma. With regard to Heppner, he does splendid.
GermanOperaSinger 3 years ago 5
Finally something we can agree on. And Tucker's studio and Ed Sullivan renditions needn't be ignored either. Check my response to your comment on my page. Heppner is good, but not loud in the house and no squillo, but a Domingo fan certainly wouldn't notice.
OperaSnob 3 years ago 2
I agree. For many years, opera critics had critisised Pavarotti for not placing enough emotion into Nessun Dorma and also singing it without paying attention to what the music says. He performed it for the masses, without any care into the right technique and composers wishes. Heppner on the other hand, has beautiful line and a sense of emotion that is not even conveyed by Pavarotti.
Samuelc10 3 years ago 4
You know how many singers make the arias for them very easy. and the public easel incompetent believe that this is the form of singing it
joanabanyeres 2 years ago
Thanks, you really know, at last.
joanabanyeres 2 years ago
@GermanOperaSinger What nonsense. Pavarotti sang Calaf live several times, although it was by no means one of his common roles. There's even a clip here on youtube (audio only) of him singing Nessun Dorma live with the San Francisco opera, and he sounds as strong as usual (although they tailor the ending to give him an applause break, to suit his ego, of course!).
BorisGodunov 1 year ago
You really need to read Opera History, for Pavarotti's rendition has had more criticism then praise by voice teachers, critics and fellow singers. His rendition is designed for the masses, and is performed in the exact way the composer DIDN'T want it performed. For example, the piece is written with the expression piano all over it with legato verisimo lines with bel canto technique. Pavarotti doesn't apply any of the emotion that is supposed to be carried.
Samuelc10 3 years ago 5
I totally agree with you. What Pavarotti did his whole career was the exact opposite of refined singing.
OperaSnob 3 years ago
You must be joking...this isn't about taste...spectral analysis of Pavarotti's amazing voice has been carried out...he was an absolutely perfect resonator...even in the difficult passagio.....his harmonics were unbelievably brilliant........Heppner is not even in the same league....notice how the final high note has a heaviness to it....Pavarotti the master could float that final B with more brilliant harmonics AND with an incredibly light production......
GEVORK6 3 years ago
You also have understand the number one aspect of opera singing, the resonance. The resonance should be placed exactly above the cleft of the upper lip. Why? Well, this allows the tone to be exactly focused perfectly and the vibrations of the resonance to be heard by the audience, giving the singer great flexibility and a sense of ,what the german singers tried to perfect, "steel in the voice". Heppner has perfect steel and thats why he is the best heldentenor right now.
Samuelc10 3 years ago
Also, Pavarotti was criticized by opera critics for not having this steel and for being to sharp. His technique was not very well developed, as shown in a performance of the 24 italian arts songs he performed, the most basic repertoire for any singer. His tone was very uneven as is noticed in his rendition of nessun dorma. He has no vibrations in his resonance and was a very light tenor, not a wagnerian singer like Heppner. Heppners high notes are VERY STRONG, not like pavarotti's light notes.
Samuelc10 3 years ago
Incredibly light production because he was a leggere tenor who was silly enough to sing 'nessun dorma' in the first place. Turandot's roles don't call for 'incredibly light productions'. The prime roles in Turandot require a heavy voice which is powerful in both the middle and upper registers...Pavarotti fails miserably to provide this. He should have stuck to singing L'elisir or or Favorita, which he was good at (in my opinion) and not butchering Turandot.
GermanOperaSinger 3 years ago 4
;-)))
GEVORK6 3 years ago
I ENTIRELY AGREE WITH U! So true!
Samuelc10 3 years ago
One saying Pavarotti sang sharp, other can't see the difference between a light production of the sound, of which PAvarotti was a master, and a light voice...
Quite a league of deaf men.
Ginotti 3 years ago 4
Try reading up on Helden Tenors sometime. If you learn that The heaviness of the last B is something even Pavarotti was incapable of you learn that they were both completely different voices. yes Pavarotti did not conform to accepted standards of vocal technique and yes it was what ruined him in the end. Ben Heppner has the power to produce the weight in the B because he has the natural instrument AND the technique behind it. Like 3DWalter said you can critique it but can you do it?
ILIKECHEESEANDSEX 3 years ago
But 2 diferent voices.
joanabanyeres 2 years ago
very good critic Samuel you know quite a bit about Puccini... Good, very good
joanabanyeres 2 years ago
Great liric voice, I wished he'd sang Italian rep. like Duke etc, he is not a helden tenor and he is on the wrong path ispite of Wagnerian career he is persuing it's clear that he is not even lirico-spinto and I don't mean to judge from the recording:I've heard him live-beautiful liric voice, great tecknique and musicality: another great misplacement of the great voice, pity
comescrittomaestro 3 years ago
wow!!!
very nice =D!!!!
filarmonia18 3 years ago
NICE!!
strawmonkey22 3 years ago
Great!
Huljic 3 years ago
wow, I really like his voice.
and better in Wagner you say?
this I have to see.
popertop 3 years ago
Good, but he's better in Wagner
taillia 3 years ago
I think you are wrong, sorry,
Wagner was a great mistake for him to persui:
Wagner is for helden tenors, he is Italian full liric, don't you hear that? Iheard him live many times in Met and smaller venues:he never made an impression that he is a dramatic tenor. He is better known as Wagnerian but I think his place ion Italian liric repertoir even like Nemorino, but I guess he is phisicly too big for that
comescrittomaestro 3 years ago
Well, you should know that I've such admiration for Heppner, but for me, his voice sounds not enough "insolent" in the high notes for the Italian reportory. Of course, the voice is "light" for Wagner, than other wagnerians from yesterday (Vinay, Vickers, King,...) or today (Stephen Gould,...), but the volume is impressive, so IMO it's OK ! Precisely, the fact that the voice sounds "light" give to Heppner's wagnerian roles much clarity and such beauty of sound. With he, Wagner sounds like Mozart!
taillia 3 years ago
Heppner is such a rare gem. His Wagnerian roles are a source of amazement, his Walther von Stolzing in particular. I was disappointed that he was ill for the Met's live broadcast of Tristan und Isolde some weeks ago (though his replacement was good).
That Heppner can also perform the Italianate roles is testament to his immense talent.
SteveNelsonBrigade 3 years ago 2
Very nice performance.
He has great breath control.
GKFC 4 years ago 2