An admitted newcomer to voice performance, I wasn't sure what to expect from the Secrest Series' Ben Heppner concert -- I was pleasantly surprised.

Ben Heppner is a British Columbia native and former student at the University of British Columbia School of Music.

A tenor, his voice is at once strong and powerful with a dramatic sense that is hard to escape. He has performed in such masterpieces as Les Troyens and Die Meistersinger, and he received a Grammy in 1998 for his recording of the latter on London/Decca records.

It is with these credentials that he came to Brendle Recital Hall Oct. 5 and put on one of the most amazing musical shows I have seen in quite a while.

There were three main parts to his performance, each in a different language and each with a distinct quality that he executed magnificently.

The first part was in German, a piece by Robert Schumann called Leiderkreis that was comprised of rustic scenes and images in the form of short songs. German's guttural and heavy intonations are perfect for Schumann's romantic images of castles, moonlight and foreign lands. Schumann appears to purposely create a dualism in this piece, vacillating between description of the world and of the heart.

Heppner handled the piece with grace and fortitude. In sections such as "Conversation in the Wood" and "In a Castle," his voice boomed so proudly and majestically that one's heart could not help but be uplifted.

In parts such as "Sadness" or "Silence," Heppner sang in such a soft yet clear whisper that it just seemed right to close one's eyes and drift off with him into his world of memories and reminiscence.

In a piece with so many varying emotions, Heppner managed to convincingly convey each of them in turn to the spellbound audience.

The second part of Heppner's performance was a series of French songs by Henri Duparc. This was probably my favorite part of the concert, but I am admittedly partial to the French language.

Most impressive to me was the fact that Heppner was fully capable of moving from the German to the French while retaining the character of the respective languages. Whereas the German was formidable and strong, the French pieces were lighter.

Some of Duparc's songs, such as "Chanson Triste," kept a certain sense of sadness, but even these did not have the brooding quality of some of Schumann's work.

A favorite of mine was "The Manor of Rosamonde," in which Heppner, with a convincing yet playful insanity, compared love to a dog that had bitten him with "its sudden and voracious fang." Here he showed a great stage presence and flair for the dramatic despite really only standing before the audience with his arm on the piano.

Heppner finished his performance with classic Italian, making a perfect transition from the more aloof romance of Duparc's French to the intimate work of Sir Francesco Paolo Tosti. The music, and Heppner's interpretation, warmed as a result.

He joked around a bit before this section, and seemed to really put his entire spirit into the final pieces. His encore performance followed in this strain, as he treated the audience to an excerpt of the Meistersinger. It was probably at that moment that the tenor seemed most triumphant.

To be fair, Heppner did have some aid, in the form of a truly talented pianist, Craig Rutenberg. A widely acclaimed artist best known for his vocal accompaniment, he was able to lend his amazing skills to this concert, and his presence boosted a wonderful performance into an incredible one.