RECORDING OF THE MONTH     CHOPIN Waltzes and Impromptus Vladimir Feltsman £11 post free World-wide VIVALDI The four seasons London Mozart Players/Juritz £12 post free World-wide BEETHOVEN Symphonies 4 and 5 LSO/Yondani Butt £12 post free World-wide

BUY NOW  AmazonUK   AmazonUS

Richard WAGNER (1813-1883) Scenes from The Ring of the Niebelung Die Walkure (1870): Ein Schwert wehieß mir der Vater [6:32]; Winterstürme wichen dem Wonnemond [3:31]; Siegmund heiß ich und Siegmund bin ich [3:27] Siegfried (1876): Notung! Notung! Neidches Schwert! [7:33]; Hoho! Hoho! Hohei! Schmiede mein Hammer, ein hartes Schwert! [6:06]; Das der mein Vater nicht ist [6:13]; Noch einmal, liebes Vöglein [6:34]; Selige Öde auf sonniger Höh! [13:52] Götterdämmerung (1876): Siegfrieds Rheinfahrt [5:17]; Brünnhilde, heilige Braut! [5:13]; Trauermarsch [6:34] Ben Heppner (tenor) Burkhard Ulrich (baritone) Staatskappelle Dresden/Peter Schneider rec. Lucaskirche, Dresden, September, October 2005. DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON 4776003 [71:02]

Purists might frown upon another “bleeding chunk” collection of music from Wagner’s ring cycle, but I would invite them to put away their possible indignation and run, not walk to the nearest record shop and add this splendid disc to their collections. Ben Heppner, who is perhaps the world’s leading heldentenor, has never been in better form than in these magnificent recordings. And, true to form, the Staatskappelle Dresden proves itself to be one of the world’s truly great orchestras. How marvelous it is that this wonderful organization is getting ever more exposure!   I cannot remember when I have heard such clear, focused and truly gorgeous singing from any big name singer than what I heard in this recording. Ben Heppner has ample power, and yet he never sacrifices beauty of tone for the sake of sheer volume. We are captivated by his utter command of the music from the very first note. Amongst the stand-outs is the breathtaking rendition of Winterstürme, as Heppner makes this grand arioso sound as easy as a Schubert song. The sword forging song (Hoho! Hoho! Hohei!)  is a thrill a note as Heppner rips through the music with youthful agility.   The Staatskappelle provide us with two splendid orchestral interludes with Siegfried’s Rhein Journey and the ever powerful Trauermarsch. Peter Schneider paces the works beautifully and the sonorous sound of the orchestra is simply a marvel to hear.   Burkhard Ulrich joins in to sing Mime in two scenes from Siegfried and delivers first rate performances. The program notes are perfect in their brief but clear summary of the convoluted plot line, making the listening experience that much more engaging as it is so easy to follow the story.   This is a coup for Mr. Heppner, a disc deserving of any number of awards. I cannot speak highly enough of this superb accomplishment.   Kevin Sutton   BUY NOW  AmazonUK   AmazonUS   Advertising Rates Visitor stats MusicWeb International has over 40,000 Classical CD reviews on offer Discs received Having a problem Donating? Gerard Hoffnung Concerts & The Bricklayer Story   New Releases New Releases   MusicWeb sells the Polish catalogue CDAccord £10.50 post free W-W MusicWeb sells the Arcodiva catalogue £12.00 post free W-W £11.75 post-free world- wide MusicWeb can now offer you discs from the following catalogues: Prices include postage [Acte Préalable £13.50] [Arcodiva £12.00] [Avie from £6.25] [British Music Society £12.00] [CDACCORD from £13.50 ] [ClassicO £12.50] [Hallé from £11] [Heritage £10] [Hortus £14.99 ] [Lyrita ONLY £11.75 ] [Nimbus Special prices] [Northern Flowers £13.50] [REDCLIFFE £11 ] [Sheva £11] [Tactus £11.50 ] [Talent from £12.00 ] [Toccata Classics £10.50 ] Musicweb Special Offers Monthly Best Buys     Google Ads - for information about privacy matters, click here.  Amazon Musicweb International is a participant in the Amazon EU Associates Programme, an affiliate advertising programme designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com

Return to Index

Reviews from previous months Join the mailing list and receive a hyperlinked weekly update on the discs reviewed. details We welcome feedback on our reviews. Please use the Bulletin Board Please paste in the first line of your comments the URL of the review to which you refer.