Re: Heppner forced to halt performance in Toronto

Maybe it was Berlioz..?

Taken from our local newspaper here in Toronto:

http://www.thestar.ca/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&call_pageid=971358637177&c=Article&cid=1069974611029

Tenor's comeback hits a sour note


JOHN TERAUDS
TORONTO STAR

What was to be a triumphant return by tenor Ben Heppner to Roy Thomson
Hall last night was instead an eerie repeat of what had been the worst
night of his operatic career.

In January, 2002, the Vancouver-born star of the world's opera stages
cut short a concert of famous opera arias at the venue because of a
strained voice and put his career in jeopardy.

A new album in his hand, a leaner and trimmer 47-year-old Heppner
strode into the spotlight last night to the anticipation of about
1,500 fans.

They were ready to hear from the man who had triumphed in February in
a monumental operatic production in New York — and a man who had
declared his vocal problems to be behind him.

Earlier this year, on Feb. 10, Heppner wowed New Yorkers in the
three-hour marathon Les Troyens opera by Hector Berlioz — a work
that's rarely performed because of the heavy demands it places on the
lead tenor.

But even as he began to sing the first notes of an aria from Georg
Frideric Handel's opera, Samson, last night, it was clear that
something was wrong.

The golden tones that had so charmed the ears in the past now had an
unwanted edge. Heppner wavered.

A more subdued set of songs arranged by Ralph Vaughan Williams, and
gorgeously accompanied by a piano quintet, were further suggestions
that Heppner's best days were at an end.

After a round of polite applause, the performers left the stage for an
unusually short intermission.

When the 6-foot-3 singer returned with an 11-member salon orchestra to
sing a set of Victorian-era drawing room gems by Italian composer
Paolo Tosti, he apologized for his poor performance during the first
half.

Having given a bit of background on Tosti — in a clear voice which
suggested he wasn't suffering from a cold — Heppner smiled and said,
"let's give it a shot and see where we go."

It was a shot in the dark. A few bars into the second song, his voice
dying, Heppner turned to pianist John Hess and waved for him to stop
the music.

There was a collective gasp in the 2,000-seat hall. You literally
could have heard a pin drop.

Ever the gentlemanly performer, Heppner gamely sang three more songs,
each in a weaker voice than the previous. It was sad and terrifying,
like watching an accident happen.


Neither Heppner nor a spokesperson was available for comment last
night, but the standing ovation he received before his exit spoke to
the love his fans still have for this great artist.

According to Heppner, the problem in 2002 was a side-effect from
blood-pressure medication, so it is possible that last night's misstep
might be related.

The official end to his program was a song called "Goodbye," which
contained the lyrics "The cord is fray'd, the cruse is dry,/ The link
must break, and the lamp must die./ Goodbye to Hope! Goodbye!
Goodbye!"

One can only hope — and hope that this little Victorian trifle was not
in some way prophetic.








[EMAIL PROTECTED] (Muriel Cooper) wrote in message news:<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>...
> What was to be a 
> triumphant return
>  turned to disappointment
>  for the audience at Toronto's
>  Roy Thomson Hall last thursday night.
> Heppner struggled through the entire performance 
> and apologised for his poor efforts.
> I knew the 47 year old singer
> had had voice problems last year,
> So did the Wagner destroy his voice?
>  Muriel