Search - Simon O'Neil :: Wagner Scenes: Father & Son

Simon O'Neill, "one of the most exciting tenor voices of his generation," is partnered by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra under conductor Pietari Inkinen. Also featured are Susan Bullock as Sieglinde and Kundry, and Sir John Tomlinson as Hagen. "To make this CD," O'Neill said recently, "has been a dream of mine since my first Wagner role, Siegmund in Die Walküre at the Metropolitan Opera, in which I was the cover for the great Placido Domingo. This album surveys Wagner's mature career from Lohengrin in 1850 through to Parsifal in 1882." O'Neill continues, "Lohengrin the son of Parsifal and Siegfried the son of Siegmund, along with their magnificent fathers, represent a huge vocal development for the tenor voice...These roles areessential to the path of a young heldentenor: from lyric moments to dramatic outbursts, Wagner offers the singer massive dramatic and vocal scope in developing the character and burnishing the instrument. The heart of this CD is devoted to the two great tenors of the Ring, Siegmund and Siegfried. Being given the chance to sing this music has been the highlight of my career... It is a tremendous honor to sing these wonderful characters both on the opera and concert stage and now on this recording." Simon O'Neill has been hailed as one of today's finest heldentenors. In a matter of only a few years, he has become a principal artist with the Metropolitan Opera, the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden and the Salzburg Festival, appearing internationally with conductors including James Levine, Riccardo Muti, Valery Gergiev, Antonio Pappano, Daniel Barenboim and Pierre Boulez.