Ben Heppner

For the politician of the same name, see Ben Heppner (politician).

Ben Heppner, CC (born January 14, 1956) is a Canadian tenor, specializing in opera and other classical works for voice.

Heppner was born in Murrayville, British Columbia, and lived in Dawson Creek. He began his musical studies at the University of British Columbia and first attracted national attention when he won the CBC Talent Festival in 1979.

Since then, he has gone on to become one of the most prominent dramatic tenors active today. He is associated particularly with the Wagnerian repertoire, but he performs a wide range of operas from the German, French and Italian canons.

Heppner performs frequently with major opera companies in the United States (including the New York Metropolitan Opera) and Europe, as well as concert appearances with major symphony orchestras. He has appeared in the DVD recordings of the Met's productions of Beethoven's Fidelio, Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, and Wagner's Tristan und Isolde, two of his signature roles. (He first performed Tristan with the Seattle Opera in 1998.) He specialises in some of the most challenging of operatic roles, including, in addition to Tristan, the title part in Lohengrin, the title part in Otello, and Berlioz's Aeneas.

Heppner has recorded widely on many labels, participating in both complete operas and solo albums of arias and songs. He is currently signed to an exclusive contract with Deutsche Grammophon (DG). His first solo recording for DG, made in 2001, was Airs Français. It won a Juno Award.

Heppner has received Honorary Doctorates from Queen's University (2006), McMaster Divinity College (2005), York University (2003), Memorial University of Newfoundland (2003), University of Toronto (2002), McGill University (2002), and University of British Columbia (1997).

In 1988, he won the Birgit Nilsson Prize. He was made a Member of the Order of Canada in 1999, was promoted to Officer in 2002 and Companion in 2008. He performed at closing ceremonies of two Winter Olympic Games. In Torino in 2006, he sang the Canadian national anthem. Four years later, in Vancouver, he sang the Olympic Hymn. Both times, he mixed English and French.

Discography

Opera

1992 Weber: Oberon (Hüon von Bordeaux). Cologne Philharmonic Orchestra - Gürzenich Orchestra, James Conlon. EMI.

1993 Puccini: Turandot (Calaf). Münchner Rundfunkorchester, Roberto Abbado. RCA.

1994 Wagner: Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (Walther von Stolzing). Bavarian State Orchestra, Wolfgang Sawallisch. EMI.

1995 Massenet: Hérodiade (Jean). Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse, Michel Plasson. EMI.

1995 Wagner: Lohengrin (Lohengrin). Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Sir Colin Davis. RCA.

1996 Beethoven: Fidelio (Florestan). Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Sir Colin Davis. RCA.

1997 Wagner: Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (Walther von Stolzing). Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Sir Georg Solti. Decca.

1997 Wagner: The Flying Dutchman (Erik). Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, James Levine. Sony.

1997 Strauss: Die Frau ohne Schatten (the Emperor). Staatskapelle Dresden, Giuseppe Sinopoli. Teldec.

1998 Dvořák: Rusalka (Prince). Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Charles Mackerras. Decca.

2001 Berlioz: Les Troyens (Énée). London Symphony Orchestra, Sir Colin Davis. LSO Live.

2001 Strauss: Ariadne auf Naxos (Tenor/Bacchus). Staatskapelle Dresden, Giuseppe Sinopoli. Deutsche Grammophon.

Recital

1995 Ben Heppner Sings Richard Strauss. Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Andrew Davis (conductor). CBC.

1995 Great Tenor Arias. Münchner Rundfunkorchester, Roberto Abbado. RCA.

1998 German Romantic Opera. North German Radio Symphony Orchestra, Donald Runnicles. RCA.

1998 Dedication. Craig Rutenberg. RCA.

1999 My Secret Heart. London Philharmonic Orchestra, Jonathan Tunick. RCA.

2001 Airs Français. London Symphony Orchestra, Myung-Whun Chung. Deutsche Grammophon

2003 Ideale: Songs of Paolo Tosti. Members of the London Symphony Orchestra. Deutsche Grammophon.

2006 Heppner/Wagner: Excerpts from "The Ring of the Nibelung". Staatskapelle Dresden, Peter Schneider. Deutsche Grammophon.

Others

1984 Bach: Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme, BWV 140. CBC Vancouver Orchestra, Wayne Riddell. CBC.

1994 Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde. Cologne Radio Symphony Orchestra, Gary Bertini. EMI

1995 Various: Along the Road to Bethlehem. Members of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Jean Ashworth Bartle.

1996 Beethoven: Symphony No. 9. Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Claudio Abbado. Sony.

1997 Mahler: Symphony No. 8. Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Sir Colin Davis. RCA.

2000 Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde. Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Lorin Maazel. RCA.

2001 Mahler: Symphony No. 8. Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Riccardo Chailly. Decca.

2001 Somers: Songs from the Heart of Somers. John Hess. Centrediscs.

2004 Arnold Schönberg: Gurre-Lieder. Munich Philharmonic Orchestra, James Levine. Oehms Classics.

2004 Wagner: Siegfried, 3rd Act. Munich Philharmonic Orchestra, James Levine. Oehms Classics.

External links

• Official site
• Order of Canada Citation
• Reaney, James (15 September 2007). "Opera star Heppner has huge fan in pianist Hess". London Free Press. http://lfpress.ca/newsstand/Today/Columnists/Reaney_James/2007/09/15/4498310-sun.html. Retrieved 2007-09-15.