1.   Heppner has the heft and clarion dramatic tenor tone for the dungeon scene.

2.   Not surprisingly, he has been receiving offers to sing the weighty dramatic tenor roles of Wagner and Verdi.

3.   The opera has nearly four hours of music, and Siegfried, the toughest dramatic tenor role in the entire repertory, sings during most of it.

4.   While Heppner may not yet be a household name, he is known in the international opera world as the new dramatic tenor of the day.

5.   Yet he has an opulent sound that many dramatic tenors would covet.