About Ben Heppner:
One of today's most sought-after tenors, Canadian Ben Heppner first gained
attention in 1979 as the winner of the Canadian Broadcasting Company Talent
Festival. His career has been unstoppably ascending since then. He came
to international attention in 1988 as a Metropolitan Opera Auditions finalist
and winner of the first Birgit Nilsson Prize. He made his Metropolitan
Opera debut in the title role of Mozart's Idomeneo and his Royal
Opera House (Covent Garden) debut as Britten's Peter Grimes. He
sings a varied repertoire, but it is as a Wagnerian tenor that he is making
his mark. Well known for his performances in Wagner's Lohengrin
and Die Meistersinger on the stage of the world's major opera houses,
he most recently garnered critical acclaim for his performance in the
title role of Seattle Opera's Tristan und Isolde. Mr. Heppner
is also a prolific recording artist. He records exclusively for BMG/RCA
Victor Red Seal and will be adding five solo discs to his catalogue over
the next 3 years.
Ben Heppner's powerful, golden voice has been compared to the young Jussi
Bjorling's. Whether or not you agree with this judgment, there can be
no question that Ben Heppner is well on his way to becoming the
heldentenor of his generation.
The performance on January 17 is the third stop on Mr. Heppner's first
North American recital tour. The programme includes songs by Beethoven,
Lizst and Strauss as well as arias from operas by Mozart, Wagner, Weber,
Giordano and Bizet. The recital is part of Counterpoint, a celebration
of the long-standing relationship between the Orange County Philharmonic
Society and the Irvine Barclay Theater.
| NEXT
RECITAL PERFORMANCES: |
Palm
Desert, California
Friends of the Cultural Center |
Jan
21 |
Morrow,
Georgia
Spivey Hall, Clayton College and State University |
Jan
24 |
| San
Juan, Puerto Rico |
Jan
27 |
| Carnegie
Hall, New York City |
Jan
30 |
|
