Recordings Review: The Land of Might-Have-Been

The 1998 Lohengrin from the Metropolitan Opera.
by Paul J. Pelkonen

On the wing: Ben Heppner' makes his entrance in Act I of Lohengrin.
Photo by Marty Sohl © 1998 The Metropolitan Opera.

I don't always have time on this blog to write about opera recordings, and the huge back-log I've developed (from not having time to write recording reviews!) makes it all the more difficult. However, I wanted to take a few minutes to write up the recording I've been spending the last two days listening to: a 1998 live performance of Lohengrin from the Metropolitan Opera. The set is of interest not only for its high quality as a Wagner performance, but for its pairing of Deborah Voigt and Ben Heppner, who were the intended stars of the company's new Robert Lepage production of the Ring. (In the end, Ms. Voigt sang the performances, but Mr. Heppner withdrew the role of Siegfried from his repertory.)