Frequently Bought Together
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
Track Listings
| 1. BERLIOZ: "Inutiles regrets" |
| 2. Nature immense |
| 3. Merci, doux crepuscule! |
| 4. Seul pour lutter |
| 5. Ah! je vais l'aimer |
| 6. HALEVY: "Rachel, quand du Seigneur" |
| 7. MASSENET: "Ah, qu'il est loin, mon pays" |
| 8. O Souverain, o juge, o pere |
| 9. O noble lame etincelante |
| 10. MEYERBEER: "O paradis" |
| 11. Plus blanche que la blanche hermine |
| 12. Roi du ciel |
| 13. ROUGET DE LISLE: "La Marseillaise" (arr. Berlioz) |
Product Description
Amazon.ca
Ben Heppner is our leading dramatic tenor, but he's also a skilled recitalist; he triumphed in Colin Davis's concert recording of Berlioz's Les Troyens. His first solo recording for Deutsche Grammophon demonstrates his skill in the French repertory. Almost half the disc is given to Berlioz arias, done with power and stylistic comfort. His artistry differs from the traditional French tenor; the voice is beefier, some of the delicacy is lost. But the tradition ceased to exist by the 1970s, and Heppner compares favorably with anyone on the scene today. His voice is darker than those most often heard in these arias, so while it may surprise at first in "Nature immense," here, as elsewhere, there's a rightness about his singing that's compelling. His "O Souverain" is sensitively done, and the wonderful Halévy aria (the entire scene is given) is done without the verismo disfigurements of Alagna's on his French aria disc for EMI. Myung-Whun Chung's sympathetic conducting makes for a classy partnership. --Dan Davis
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Audio CD
Ben Heppner is a great tenor. Contrary to some reports, he is not a heldentenor. He is an unusually large-voiced lyric. His voice is very fine indeed. This recital contains some nice renditions of French arias. A few arias were not that great. He has the pronunciation down pat. I loved the aria from "La Juive". Heppner is perfect for the role of Eléazar. The aria benefits greatly from having the chorus present and the inclusion of the rousing and tuneful cabaletta. The "Le Cid" arias also benefitted from the chorus being present. Some high notes of his are quite unpleasant. One such high note was the high D in the "Benvenuto Cellini" aria. His voice is really not light and high-placed enough for some of the arias he sings. One example is the "Les Huguenots" aria. Nicolai Gedda is perfect for that aria. Anyway, this recital is, on the most part, enjoyable.
PS. There is a serious problem in the booklet. Most of the arias have misaligned texts and translations. This makes following the singing very difficult.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Audio CD
Ben Heppner is an immensely talented singer with a great voice and excellent musicianship. This recital disc of French arias and the French national anthem is a great introduction to his art. Already a great Wagnerian singer, he is branching out into new territory. I think the French repertory fits him very well. I did not care much for some of the arias. This was true for the "Sapho" aria and the two arias from "Le Cid". My favorite aria is "Rachel, quand du Seigneur la grâce tutélaire" from "La Juive". It is dark, brooding, and very beautiful. Heppner sings it amazingly well. He avoids unnecessary sentiment in this aria that is so often subjected to Italian verismo style. I also like the aria from "Benvenuto Cellini". It is very nice and contains wonderful music. Heppner performs Vasco de Gama's aria from "L'Africaine" very well. You can sense his wonder and marvel of the new land on which he has just been stranded. The French national anthem is given a rousing rendition. He is given excellent support from conductor Myung-Whun Chung and the London Symphony Orchestra. I wish he had included more popular arias from more well-known French operas. Two nice suggestions are "Asile héréditaire" from "Guillaume Tell" and "Vois ma misère, hélas!" from "Samson et Dalila". Despite my objections to some of the material chosen for this disc, it is still a great recording.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By "drvox"
Format:Audio CD
Canadian tenor Ben Heppner is certainly one of the finest singers on the current operatic scene. Despite his tendency to slightly squeeze the voice on top rather than allow it to bloom, he truly has a lovely vocal quality, full of warmth and color, along with a superior musical intelligence with which he has begun to bring a deepening sense of dramatic conviction to his interpretions over the last few years. On this disc, he succeeds greatly in the arias from operas which are within his vocal fach: Les Troyens, La Juive, El Cid, L'Africaine, and Le prophète. In particular, it is joy to hear the ardor and longing in his Enée (his complete traversal of the role with the LSO recently won a Grammy), the world-weariness of his Eléazar without the Italianate sobbing which has become de rigueur, and the victorious triumph of Jean de Leyde. Though Mr. Heppner's sense of lyricism serves him well, the other selections really require a different type of tenor, one whose vocal quality is lighter and more flexible in terms of dynamics and shading. Nonetheless, this is a fine recording, with exciting contributions from both the London Symphony Orchestra and conductor Myung-Whun Chun.
Want to see more reviews on this item?
›
Go to Amazon.com to see all 5 reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
