Beethoven - Fidelio - Heppner, Mattila, Pape - Levine 2002DVD9 - NTSC - 4:3 - All Regions - PCM, Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS - 123min.
Subtitles: German/English/French/Spanish/Chinese
Deutsche Grammophon 2003 - 073 0529 4
Karita Mattila · Ben Heppner · René Pape · Falk Struckmann · Robert Lloyd · Matthew Polenzani · Jennifer Welch-Babidge
The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus · Levine
His [Heppner's] sonorous voice rises to the part's heroic demands and he also brings welcome lyricism to the prisoner's gentler outpourings. In Florestan's desperate cry 'Gott! Welch' Dunkel hier!', Heppner's piercing high G cuts through the darkness . . . Record Review / Stephen Pettitt, International Record Review (London) / 01. February 2004
. . . a towering performance from Ben Heppner as the imprisoned Florestan . . . Admirers of glorious soprano Karita Mattila will want to see her tackle the role of Leonore, and she throws herself into the performance with all of her trademark conviction -- a startlingly butch yet glowingly sung portrayal. René Pape also distinguishes himself with a warmly sung Rocco, and Jennifer Welch-Babidge and Matthew Polenzani are lively as Marzelline and Jaquino . . . Brian Large's superb filming makes this a watchable home-movie version of the opera. Record Review / John Allison, BBC Music Magazine (London) / 01. April 2004
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