Wagner - Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg / Heppner, Mattila, Morris, Pape, Allen, Polenzani, Levine, Metropolitan Opera

I cannot claim the knowledge of opera and the tenors, basses, and sopranos shown by other reviewers. My limited knowledge includes playing Aufzug die Meistersinger in junior high school orchestra in 1959. I suppose I have always like Wagner. I also like happy endings. This show synthesizes the story, the music, the voices, the staging, the costumes, and the video production into an incredible work of art. The Met has so much talent on which to draw in every artistic discipline. It is certain that the stars aligned for this show!Forget that you read that the treatment of Beckmesser is viewed by some as anti-Semetic. Forget that Adolf Hitler allegedly liked it. Forget any nit-picking reviews. In my opinion, this production of Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg is a must-have. Morris' rendition of Hans Sachs is something to behold. I wish my city and state and nation had someone of his stature to respect. Mattila's voice and her interpretation of Eva is magnificent.The perspective of a video is so much different from that of live theater. I cannot sit in the first balcony with 10x50 binoculars to see every whisker and line in the faces and every nuance of expression. The video, with many close-ups, brings that to me. When you can see every movement of the face and eyes, the ability of the principals to act, not just sing, is magnified many times. I have to give Morris and especially Mattila the highest scores for their acting as well as their singing prowess.My two years of German was over 40 years ago, so I had to have subtitles. It was slightly disappointing that there was action on the stage that was not reflected in the English subtitles. Next time, I'll watch it with German subtitles and hopefully see what I missed.Be prepared to devote half a day to watching this performance. The production runs just a few minutes short of five hours with no breaks. I believe that if you enjoy good music, good singing, and happy endings, you will not be disappointed. Feel free applaud with the house audience at the final curtain calls.

My only regret in reviewing this set of DVD's is that I can't give it more than five stars. It seems to me it is just about perfect. Both the video and the sound are sharp, clear and lifelike. Visually, it's like having a choice orchestra seat at the Met, equipped with a pair of good opera glasses. Such a seat for one performance would of course cost many times the price of these of disks. As for the sound, this is a very fine performance and the fidelity is excellent.A couple of other customers have complained that James Levine's conducting is too slow. I don't know what they are talking about. I think his tempi are just right. I've heard this music performed under many conductors over the years and compared to what I remember, there is nothing unusual about this performance.We don't generally expect comedy when thinking about Wagner's work, but this is in fact a funny opera, and the only opera by Wagner that could be called funny. Some of the humor is broad and crude, as when Beckmesser makes a fool of himself trying to sing a song that is too complex for him. And much of it is gentle and even subtle, as when Sachs reacts to Eva's complaints about the shoes he has made for her. Unlike most of his operas, this has a happy ending and nobody dies. If one wants to try a Wagner opera but is concerned that it will be too dark, violent or mysterious, this would be a good place to start.

This performance of Mastersinger is GREAT! When PBS broadcast this in my area they squeezed the picture up to the top and put the subtitles in the black area at the bottom. I'm at war with PBS for this reason. And I didn't buy this for a long time thinking the disc would be treated the same way.This program is full screen, and comes out correctly proportioned on my widescreen TV. The image is sharp and clear and a delight to watch. The Met staging is beautiful. Nothing modern, not brought up to date as some other productions I have seen. They're on YouTube, and so is this, and after seeing that not all recordings of this opera got the PBS treatment, I had to have it. When the MET does a traditional production you can count on them to do a great job.I've read other reviews of this and other operas I own, and I guess that I love Wagner's operas so much that I don't get overly critical about the singers. Face it, if they're singing at the Met, they can sing. Your only going to get perfection with a studio recording, and I still enjoy the Decca Solti Ring cycle, on CD or reel to reel tape. The Bayreuth production of Mastersinger is good, and it is traditional production too, but the Met's larger stage allows this production to shine. The DTS 5.1 audio is to die for.I'm so glad I finally bought it. I'll have to set aside 292 minutes again to sit down and closely watch and enjoy this "great performance" again.

どの歌手も素晴らしい。合唱の動きも演奏も良く、メットの舞台装置もなかなかのもので、映像も見やすく，買ってよかったと思います。青年貴族のヴァルターのヘップナーや美女エヴァのカリタ・マッティラは若い甘さよりも貫禄を感じ、安心して歌が聴けます。録音も良好。

Sonically excellent! Even the least of roles, the Nighwatchman, is sung by John Relyea, outstandingly, for all of less than 30 seconds. Everything else following is nit-picking.This DVD, excellent as it is, is a great illustration of why live opera, in any house, is preferable to watching through a camera that insists on focusing on the centre of the action. Even sitting in the 1st row, one would be spared James Levine's "sing-along" act, interesting as it is - however, it adds nothing to the opera.And then, suspension of disbelief is so much easier from a seat in the orchestra, rather than the "focused on nosehairs"video that is, mostly, on this DVD. Ben Hepner is vocally as good as it is possible to be as Walther, but it is a stretch to see him as an attractive and physically fit young knight. Similarly, Karita Mattilla, as Eva, in close-ups, is difficult to accept as a late-teens woman, despite her undoubted vocal accomplishments. Once in a while watching this DVD, you just have to close your eyes, and let the music and singing carry the action, as the singer/actors can't do in close-up. All of this is an argument for videographing opera from a static camera position from about row 12,including all the stage, with no motion or close-ups, much as someone sitting in that row would see.Unfortunately, I suspect that most of the camera people videoing opera have graduated from cinematography school, which is a very different animal. Repeat after me; it is not necessary to continually follow the action, nor is it necessary to close in on the face of whoever happens to be singing, in opera. Generally, anyone who buys these DVDs already knows what it is all about; it is unlikely that an un-initiate is going to stumble upon one of these without knowing what it is.All that nit having been picked; James Morris as Sachs is superb, as is Rene Pape as Pogner. Even the usually hated Beckmesser, sung/acted by Thomas Allen, is terrific; as are the rest of the cast.As I said; about as good as it gets; minor complainig aside.P.S. Nice to see my native city depicted faithully, without going overboard on mega-castles and overly half-timbered houses.

1ère surprise , le format , je m'attendais à un 4/3 et j'ai eu droit à l'écran large et ensuite , bluffé par la mise en scène , conforme à l'époque donc sans tranfert à un moment ou rien n'aurait eu de sens , et il ya la musique , jamais déçu par l'orchestre du Met et son chef James Levine . Quant aux interprètes , ils jouent et chantent admrablement . Je puis dire que ce dvd est , musicalement ,de la même trempe que le cd des années 90 sous la direction de Sawalisch , d'autant que j'ai retrouvé Ben Heppner et Rene Pape . Que celui qui recherche ne se trompe point , c'est une version de référence .

Die Inszenierung von Otto Schenk ist in ihrer naturalistisch traditionalistischen Art, so etwas wie der optische Wunschtraum der Traditionalisten. Handwerklich ist das hervorragend anschaulich inszeniert, personendramatisch überzeugend umgesetzt, singschauspielerisch auf ganzer Ebene exzellent besetzt. Diese Art der Inszenierung findet bei Verfechtern des "Regietheaters" wenig Beifall. Ich, als relativierender Befürworter dieser Konzeptionen, die aber alle sehr unterschiedlich ausfallen und zu unterschiedlichen Wertungen führen, kann dieser traditionellenInszenierung meinen Respekt nicht versagen.Hervorragend der Sachs gesungen von James Morris, er gestaltet singschauspielerisch überzeugend, insbesondere der Wahnmonolog ist vorzüglich umgesetzt. Ebenso überzeugend Rene Pape als Pogner und Thomas Allen als Beckmesser. Ben Heppner singt einen lyrisch sehr schlanken Stolzing, Matthew Polenzani ist ein wunderbar intonierender David und Karita Mattila gestaltet die Eva lyrisch beseelt. Das gesamte Ensemble singt auf sehr hohem Niveau.Das Dirigat von James Levine ist exzellent, tendenziell poetisch ohne gestelztes Pathos.Insgesamt die Traumaufführung für Traditionalisten.Anmerkungen:Keine meiner Anmerkungen beansprucht widerspruchslose Allgemeingültigkeit, richtet sich in ihren Wertungen gegen Personen, sondern versucht nur geistige Strömungen zu hinterfragen und einzuordnen.Richard Wagner schreibt zu seinem Werk: Zitat in Mitteilung an meine Freunde 1851: Zitat: " Ich faßte Hans Sachs als die letzte Erscheinung des küntlerisch produktiven Volksgeistes auf und stellte ihn mit dieser Geltung der meisterlichen Spießbürgergesellschaft entgegen, deren durchaus drolligen tabulatur-poetischem Pedantismus ich in der Figur des Merker seinen ganz persönlichen Ausdruck gab."Am 16.3.1873 schreibt er zur Figur des Beckmesser:Zitat:" Mit der ehrwürdigen Pedanterie, dacht ich mir den Deutschen in seinem wahren Wesen, in seinem besten Licht. Soweit bringt er es in seinem Leben, alles übrige, zumal die Elegance, ist bei ihm affektiert und sonst hat er noch das höchste Pathos."Ist es deshalb nicht eine Ironie der Geschichte, daß sich ausgerechnet die nationalistischen Kräfte arisch-germanischer Tumbheit zu Sachwaltern dieses Werkes machten. Es zum Popanz deutschtümelnder Seele machten, umfunktionierten.Ist es nicht eine Ironie der Geschichte, daß sich aus dem bürgerlichen Lager kommende Schwarmgeister nationalistisch antisemitischer Prägung dieses Werk als Ausdruck wahrer deutscher Kunst wählten.Wagner hielt den Spiegel vor, und die Wahrnehmungsverweigerung nationalistischer Prägung stilisierte das Werk in einem antihumanen Gestus zur Krone deutscher Dichtung. Faktenverweigerung, Realitätsferne und schwarmgeistig, unreflektierte Wahrnehmung waren immer die Merkmale jener Gruppen, die in einer Art emotionalem Fundamtentalismus, ihre eigenen Wunschvorstellungen in das Werk Wagners projizierten und es damit hinsichtlich Wagners Werkintentionen umfunktionierten.Es wurde mit affektbehaftetem Pathos in echt spießbürgerlicher Wahrnehmungsinfantilität auf die Bühne gestellt, zelebriert und nationalistisch politisch interpetiert. Welch eine Distanz zu Wagners Werkintentionen.Diese stören aber Schwarmgeister nicht, denn sie möchten keinen Einbruch in ihre heile Welt zulassen.Das historische Nürnberg war von Patrizierfamilien beherrscht. Somit ist dieses Nürnberg Wagners, ein imaginärer Ort des geistig produktiven Austausches in demokratisch humaner Interaktion.

This is a glorious and moving version of this great work. I'd previously not been stirred by my CD sets conducted by Jochum and Karajan (1951). Indeed, the latter version, recorded live at Bayreuth, is so highly regarded that I wondered if my lack of appreciation related to "Die Meistersinger von Nürnburg" itself rather than the recorded performances. Levine and his collaborators have now set me right. This DVD set is such a wonderful experience that "Die Meistersinger" has elevated itself to its rightful place as one of my favourite musical works.I use the word 'musical' deliberately because it is the music that makes this special. Throughout Acts 1 and 2, there a flow of luminous melody that I'd not really appreciated before and which underpins the unfolding story. However, it is Act 3 that brings the musical and emotional peaks - the meditative prelude, the scene with Sachs and Eva, the entry of the Meistersingers, the delivery of the Prize Song, and Walther's acceptance by Eva and the townsfolk. The Midsummer's Day motif, first heard in Pogner's address to the Meistersingers in Act 1 and at the beginning of Act 2, resounds in the orchestra at key moments like a hymn to joy.Those used to the familiar grand delivery of the prelude to Act 1 may find it here slightly underplayed. However, this matches Levine's emphasis on warmth and humanity rather than monumentalism. This is matched by the cast - Heppner a hefty but appealing Walther, Mattila a shining Eva and Morris an avuncular Sachs. All of the other characters are memorable in the right way, and the Met provides a traditional and pleasant setting, closely following Wagner's stage directions.I have only one quibble with this set, and that is that the English subtitles are seriously minimalist. This is somewhat disturbing because one often hears the singers without any accompanying text appearing on the screen. An analysis of the libretto shows that nothing significant is lost, but it makes it more difficult to match words to music for those of us that don't understand German. This is the only blot on this otherwise magnificent set, and not enough for me to withhold 5 stars from my rating.