Wagner: Die Meistersinger (Zurich, 2004)

Cast: José van Dam (Hans Sachs), Peter Seiffert (Walther von Stolzing), Petra-Maria Schnitzer (Eva), Michael Volle (Beckmesser), Matti Salminen (Veit Pogner), Brigitte Pinter (Magdalene), Christopf Strehl (David); Chor und Orchester der Oper Zürich, Franz Welser-Möst (conductor), Nikolaus Lenhoff (director), Andy Sommer (video director)

Recorded at Opernhaus Zürich

Issued on DVD by EMI in 2004 [DVB 5 99763 9, NTSC/all regions, menus in English, subtitles in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish]

Technical details
Aspect ratio 16:9
Sound PCM Stereo, Dolby 5.1, DTS 5.1

Running Time 267 minutes

Sung in German
This performance has a curious and pervasive monotonic quality. The conducting is notably uniform in dynamics and expression, the staging may be characterized as stand-and-sing, the singers seem careful not to err in notes or text, even the staging is more denuded than modernized. With the exception of Christoph Strehl's David, the soloists fail to represent their characters effectively in sound or action. Even van Dam shines only in the quieter passages, where he offers a great deal. Seiffert labors; Schnitzer lacks both soaring tone and a trill; Volle substitutes recitation for singing; and so through the remarkably uninflected cast.

The orchestra and chorus are excellent, of course, but their sound and that of the soloists seems unnaturally compressed. Video is clear, all the better to expose overly fussy direction. The antics of garish clowns substitute for the entrance of the guilds, but that is characteristic of the mix of overactive cameras and unfathomable simplification throughout.

In all, this recording can be recommended only to diehard fans of van Dam willing to excuse the limitations of his age.
 
Related website:
EMI Classics www.emiclassics.com
 
Michael Richter, 2 July 2005
mrichter@cpl.net
 
See also Michael Richter's Introduction to the DVD, for a list of other reviews see the DVD Project page.