Wagner: Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (Deutsche Oper Berlin, 1995)
 

Cast: Wolfgang Brendel (Hans Sachs), Eva Johansson (Eva), Gösta Winbergh (Walther von Stolzing), Victor von Hallem (Veit Pogner), Uwe Peper (David), Ute Walther (Magdalene), Eike Wilm Schulte (Beckmesser), Chorus and Orchestra of the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos (conductor), Götz Friedrich (director)

Originally recorded at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, February 1995

Issued on DVD in 2002 by Arthaus Musik (100512, Region 0, PAL with menus in German, English, French and Spanish and subtitles in German, English, and French)

Technical Details:
Picture Format: 16:9, Sound Format: PCM Stereo

Running time: 266 minutes (2 DVDs)

Sung in German
 
Picture yourself in a medieval German town with quite ordinary people around you. A young nobleman appears to disrupt the plans for a tranquil festival. Open your eyes and ears - and you are inside this delightful Götz Friedrich production. Those battered in the Act II mêlée are bandaged in Act III. Sweet Evchen is . . . well, saftig and quite pleased to be so. Walther von Stolzing is out of place here, but the kindness of Sachs and Pogner and the affection of Eva help him find his way. Above all, there is a rather young widower who despite his intelligence is a bit at a loss to deal with his loneliness. In short, you are among friends and people who will be friends as soon as they get to know you.
 
Needless to say, this is a lyrical, joyful Meistersinger, one you are happy to share with friends and family. De Burgos inspires the superb orchestra to 'sing' the score. Brendel delivers a Lied of four and a half hours. He is young enough and Johansson mature enough for a union to seem quite reasonable. Of course, physically and vocally with her lovely, lyric instrument, she matches up with Winbergh and the inevitable pairing is apparent. Winbergh's singing is not as light or as lyric as one might expect; it separates him from the townspeople as effectively as does his costume. Schulte's Beckmesser is at least on a par with Hermann Prey's, he sings the rôle with a fine baritone while his appearance and his acting suffice to provide the comic elements. One gets the feeling that the fellow is far from a fool, but has been made foolish by the hope of Eva's hand - and Pogner's wealth, no doubt. Peper is too old for David physically, but excellent vocally. Our Lene, Ute Walther, is witty without a trace of the scold.
 
This is not the Bayreuth Meistersinger - a grand celebration of 'High Art'. Neither does it offer the sort of comedy which will induce you to laugh in relief after noble orations which here are noble in their text, but not in aristocratic delivery. And as you become comfortable with these new friends, you will rejoice in their company and in the comfortable musical experience which they have shared with you.
 
Related website:
Arthaus Musik www.arthaus-musik.de
 
Michael Richter, 28 March 2003
mrichter@cpl.net
 
See also Michael Richter's Introduction to the DVD, for a list of other reviews see the DVD Project page.