Word: lauritz
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Many vocal connoisseurs regard Ben Heppner, 42, as the real tenor of his generation. A beefy, shambling Canadian whom conductor James Levine rightly calls a "phenomenon," Heppner is the first singer in years who has the vocal heft needed for the massive Wagnerian roles that were once owned by Lauritz Melchior. No operatic appearances in 1998 were as eagerly awaited as Heppner's Lohengrin at the Met and Tristan und Isolde at the Seattle Opera, and the critical verdict was passionately positive. Small wonder: the Wagner excerpts included on his latest CD, Ben Heppner Sings German Romantic Opera (RCA Victor...
KIRSTEN FLAGSTAD. LAURITZ MELCHIOR. (RCA Victor Vocal Series). These companion albums feature two legendary singers with the temperaments and voices to sing Wagner as he might have imagined it in his inner ear. The love duet from Tristan und Isolde (from the Melchior recording) is pure rapture...
...passionate and passionately debated musical form, the myth of the golden age remains potent. If opera is primarily about singing-sheer, glorious vocalism over all other elements-then these may be parlous times. Where today is a real Aida on the order of Emmy Destinn, an echt Siegfried like Lauritz Melchior or a true Norma such as Rosa Ponselle? In the Arcadian past, there were giants on the earth. How can contemporary opera possibly compete with its starry past...
...perfection of modern studio recording is one thing. The excitement of live performance is another. Who, for example, would not want to hear two of the century's greatest Wagnerians, Soprano Kirsten Flagstad and Tenor Lauritz Melchior, sing Tristan und Isolde together as they did at the Metropolitan Opera before World War II? Trouble is, Flagstad and Melchior never commercially recorded a complete opera together. For that matter, Melchior never recorded any complete opera...
...some, the name of Melchior will always have a Wagnerian ring. Others will remember him singing The Star-Spangled Banner on opening day of baseball season-another of his passions-at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. But for most of the world, Lauritz Melchior will simply remain the grandest heldentenor in memory-a magnificent giant with a golden voice...