Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg (The Mastersingers of Nuremberg)

Composer: Wagner, Richard

Librettist/Text Author: Wagner, Richard

Conductor: Thielemann, Christian

Orchestra: Vienna State Opera Orchestra

Chorus: Vienna State Opera Chorus

Chorus Master: Lang, Thomas

David: Schade, Michael

Ein Nachtwachter: Bankl, Wolfgang

Eva: Merbeth, Ricarda

Fritz Kothner: Koch, Wolfgang

Hans Sachs: Struckmann, Falk

Magdalene: Selinger, Michaela

Sixtus Beckmesser: Erod, Adrian

Veit Pogner: Anger, Ain

Walther von Stolzing: Botha, Johan

Set Designer: Rose, Jurgen

Costume Designer: Rose, Jurgen

Stage Director: Schenk, Otto

Television Director: Mancini, Tiziano

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Date of Production: 2008

Venue: Vienna State Opera

Playing Time: 04:52:11

Catalogue Number: A04001509

Libretto

Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg (The Mastersingers of Nuremberg)

Synopsis

Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg (The Mastersingers of Nuremberg)

Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg (The Mastersingers of Nuremberg)

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Wagner's Meistersinger is a festive opera in its own right, but at the reprise of the work at the Vienna State Opera in January 2008, the festive spirit literally leapt out into the audience as well. Vienna's dailies exploded with praise such as "A feast of singers" (Der Standard), "A feast ... grandiose" (Die Presse) and "Nearly six hours of pure enjoyment" (Kurier). The plaudits applied to all the singers, from Hans Sachs to the night watchman, as well as to the chorus and orchestra.

Conductor Christian Thielemann deserves a great deal of the credit for fashioning a multi-faceted drama that is anything but black-and-white in its musical depiction of the characters. Innate in Thielemann is both the grand gesture, the broad arch and sweep of a scene, as well as a meticulous attention to subtle details. Since his Bayreuth Festival debut in 2000 with this very work, Thielemann has established himself as one of the world's leading Wagner conductors. Among the vocal surprises of this live recording is Adrian Erod as Beckmesser, a fully fleshed-out character whose every gesture and every note reflects a well-rounded concept of the usually unsympathetic role of the critic. Erod is on a par with the great Wagner baritone Falk Struckmann as Hans Sachs, who injects earthy humor into his role while building a tender rapport with Ricarda Merbeth's Eva. As Walther von Stolzing, Johan Botha (who sang this role alongside Falk Struckmann at Vienna's "second" house, the Volksoper, two years earlier) is pure tenor gold, whose impressive reserves of strength allow him to sing brilliantly and effortlessly throughout the work.