Ben Heppner "O paradis" L'Africaine

San Juan de Puerto Rico, 2003

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Opera
• Meyerbeer
• L'africaine
• Vasco
• de
• Gama
• Ben
• Heppner

[ShawDAMAN]

@Lovelytenor1 cool! Best wishes on the performance... could you remind me where I can find your recordings on youtube?

[SHICOFF1]

@gaytenor Yes ---with Stella I think it was and he was in his late 50's.

[gaytenor]

@SHICOFF1 The Italian version of this aria and its cabaletta was done in a thrilling way by Richard Tucker in a live performance in 1972 in Carnegie Hall he even interpolated a high b natural at the end of the cabaletta.

[SHICOFF1]

@gaytenor I heard Heppner some years ago as Otello in house, also heard him in concert and what impressed me about his Otello was that the color of his voice was lyric spinto yet when he opened up on the top he has spinto power in greater supply then Domingo had who I also heard as Otello in the same house, Chicago, and of course his top was better . Domingo had the dark color yes but Heppner in the lyric moments was very good and as I say his top was easy with volume so an interesting Otello.

[Lovelytenor1]

@gaytenor None taken & I never said I was in in his league. BH is a great tenor & the recordings of me on YT are as much as 8 years old (& all but one were w/out a mic) when I started singing again after a 25 year hiatus. I am singing much better today than I was just 2 years ago(been off work & finally able to train). Just got invited to do the Verdi Requiem w/a professional chorus beating out the tenors from a major opera company & several smaller ones....not bad for an old guy.

[gaytenor]

@Lovelytenor1 No disrespect intended but I've heard your singing and your not in Heppner's league. The b-flats he sings were probably the best in the world at the time and his singing technique which includes--accurate florid passages, trills, etc., places him firmly as the closes thing to a golden age tenor we have had access to. Like Milanov said of Norma anyone can sing it, the trick is singing it well. To sing O Paradis as well as Heppner does requires a really great voice.

[karifrid]

I see that my comment is lost.I am Kári Friðriksson and put the videoresponse. I must tell you about two great videos with Heppner where he is singing two wery high and difficult arias: Morgenlich leuchtend and Di rigori armato (on the same consert.) I hope i am growing strong enough to sing some "light" Wagner and operas like Il trovatore and Un ballo....Kári Friðriksson,tenor from Iceland. karifrid@hotmail.com Tel: 00354 6910665 / 5640665 .I know 8 tenorparts "by heart" ,hoping to find job

[richbari]

He is somewhat inconsistent here but still pretty DARN GOOD!!!!!!! Opened up more as he got going. Rough start-Great finish

[richbari]

Heard him on better days. He is someone inconsistent here but still pretty darn impressive. 

[aidavdbrake]

Ben Heppner, like Bryn Terfel, living proof that for a true hero there is no need to display his ego (...which would make most of us, myself included, non-heros, I guess.)