Madrid, April 28, 2024.
Everything has been said about Wagner's music: deep, beautiful, spectacular, bombastic, dramatic, heavy, and also nationalistic. And of all the operas in the Bayreuth canon, the one considered "the most German" is undoubtedly Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg. Since its premiere in Munich in 1868, this opera has been considered both as a monument of German art as a monument to it.
Along with "Das Liebesverbot", this is Wagner's only comic opera, although comic in its own way, with its four and a half hours of length, its pleasant, cheerful and also psychological music. In Nuremberg in the 16th century, the "meisteringer" (master singers in English) were prominent members of various guilds in the city, who, in keeping with the Renaissance spirit, cultivated poetry in their free time, in an amateur manner. The most famous was Hans Sachs, poet, playwright and shoemaker, who becomes the protagonist of this opera. Through the characters, the happy music that makes one feel the atmosphere of Nuremberg and its "Germanness", Wagner - as he did in a similar way in Tannhäuser - proposes a discussion about the artist, his own creation, the tradition with its rigid rules, in which creation aspires to fit, and the disagreement over those rules, all within the framework of a community where everyone knows each other, in a small but effervescent German city.
The nobleman Walther von Stolzing would come to break that coexistence by entering the singing competition without being a mastersinger, despite having enough talent. Hans Sachs represents wisdom, literary genius and reflection on life, although he also competes for the love of the apparently candid but very intelligent Eva, even knowing that she loves Stolzing. On the other hand, the pedantic and narrow-minded Sixtus Beckmesser, represents the rigidity of erudition, that in the name of tradition suffocates freedom and talent, perhaps to hide the lack of it. Wagner identified himself with Sachs and Stolzing, while Beckmesser is a satire of the inflexible musical critics, who in Wagner's environment were led by the Austrian critic Eduard Hanslick, enemy and main critic of the composer's work. The fact that Hanslick was Jewish led some to think that it was an anti-Semitic satire, and his coloratura was a mockery of synagogue chazzanut singing. And the fact that Sachs, in his final monologue, called to protect German Empire, Art and Spirit from any "foreign, false rule" first encouraged the most nationalist and radical Wagnerians of that time, who saw in Wagnerism a weapon of regeneration of the spirit and "purely German" culture, and then the Nazis, to prostitute this work for abject political and genocidal purposes, with no relation to the music.
Its long duration, the fact that Sachs is the longest role in the entire Wagnerian catalogue, as well as tthe long cast and the demand for numerous choirs and orchestra, are some of the main reasons why this opera is rarely performed outside of Germany, Austria, London and New York. In Spain it was premiered in 1893 at the Teatro Real, sung in Italian, and was staged several times: in 1917 it was conducted by Tullio Serafin, and in 1921 and 1922 it was finally sung in German, under the baton the legendary conductors Karl Muck and Franz von Hoesslin respectively, with the legendary Walther Kirchhoff in the cast. It was staged at the Teatro de la Zarzuela in 1982 by the GDR Leipzig Opera, and its only time at the modern Teatro Real was in 2001 with the touring Berlin Staatsoper under Daniel Barenboim's baton, with three performances. Therefore, it is the first time that the Teatro Real has staged this opera with its own chorus and orchestra, since its reopening in 1997 and producing a new staging. As a result, from the very presentation of this season last year, this is its most awaited opera. What's more, the last time it was performed in any opera house in Spain was in 2009 at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona.
French director Laurent Pelly, famous for his staging of comic operas, directs for the first time a Wagner opera. Pelly turns Wagner's colorful Nuremberg into a ruinous and dark place, with an aesthetic that makes one think of a comedy that sometimes turns dark. The obvious aesthetics of the costumes, between the late 40s and early 50s, including the master singers dressed in dirty coats and looking tired, the fact that all the action takes place in what could seem a ruined factory or a school gymnasium, suggests that the staging sets the action in somewhere in Europe, shortly after the Second World War, perhaps Nuremberg itself. In the handbill, it is mentioned that classical Nuremberg oppresses the freedom, which is found in Sachs' books. The fact that everything takes place in the midst of ruins indicates a new possibility, with a culture and a society rising from them, but also the memory of what is lost for ever.
In the middle of the stage there is a huge rotating platform, made up of three huge walls, which look like pallets. Most the action will take place over them. In the first act, Stolzing sleeps on them and gets up while the chorus sings, as they are leaving the stage after finishing, he meets Eva and approaches her. The apprentices set up the stage where the masters will meet, made up of a huge painting canvas, still golden but in decay. Beckmesser sits in a cardboard house from which he listens to Walther sing. In the second act, the stage platform is full of cardboard houses, forming steep streets at the top of which Pogner's house stands. To the left, secluded, is Sachs's house. During the final riot, in which only David and Beckmesser quarrel while the others animate, all the houses are destroyed and thrown down by the choir, while the watchman walks carefully over the ruins. In the third act, the wooden houses have been stacked in a corner, while now on the platform stands Sachs's workshop, a tiny room, full of books and hanging shoes. During the quintet, the stage is illuminated with a beautiful orange light, by Urs Schönebaum. In the great final scene, a painting of a meadow appears in the background, the choir dances and dances, and the golden frame and the teachers' chairs are set for the occasion. Beckmesser sings his song in the worst conditions, illuminated with a huge spotlight, standing on a box held dangerously at one of its corners by a can. The complete opposite of Walther. In the end, when Sachs warns in his final monologue of the dangers menacing German Empire and German art, a black curtain falls over that meadow, hiding it. From the enthusiasm that takes over the scene, and whose atmosphere is hostile to them as Walther rejects being a master singer, he and Eva try to escape, but it is impossible, so the only way out is to close the curtain themselves, after which they hug each other in relief. Is this the beginning of an opressive new Nuremberg, from which any one who wants to be free, must flee?
After his successful Parsifal in Bayreuth and his recent Ring in Madrid, Pablo Heras-Casado conducts again the Teatro Real Orchestra. The enormous effort made by the orchestra is to praise, although there are pros and cons. The orchestra might be playing at a bit loud volume. In the ground floor boxes closest to the proscenium it surpassed several singers, who were not helped by singing from that elevated platform either. In the overture, the orchestra sounded a little clumsy on percussion and brass very early on, but quickly improved. At the end of the second act, in the brief orchestral conclusion there was some fast tempo that did not fit well with the calm restored to the scene. And the brass' sound drowned out the strings a bit after the chorus "Sankt Krispin, Lobet ihn." On the other hand, there were glorious moments and the show improved as the show went on. The woodwind is as always excellent, and it was noticeable in the prelude, as well as the beautiful flute solo at the end of the second act. The cello also shone in the opening chorus. And that was the beginning of a remarkable night for the strings, which in the prelude to the third act reached its zenith, as well as the rest of the orchestra, with an excellent performance of this piece and of the entire third act. The horns also shined at the end of the second act and in the third one, both in the prelude and Sachs's monologue. In addition, a "Beckmesser harp", to recreate Beckmesser's lute sound was brought from Bayreuth, for these performances.The Teatro Real Choir, reinforced on this occasion until more of than 100 members, has achieved an unforgettable night, from their opening piece, sweet, solemnly sound, still located at the back of the stage. But it was in the third act when they achieved such a rendition, that will resonate in the room and in our memories for a long time. When they sang those two powerful words, "Wach Auf (Awake)," really the audience got goosebumps, as the choir was giving a beautiful rendition of the entire piece. And that feeling was repeated in the concluding chorus , after Sachs's monologue.
The cast was led by the famous Canadian bass-baritone Gerald Finley, famous performer of the role of Hans Sachs. His beautiful voice, with its solemn but not too deep timbre, added to his command of the role, result in a remarkable performance. He sang his three monologues exquisitely and in the third act he displayed both an excellent singing and acting.
Leigh Melrose as Beckmesser was the big surprise of the night, a voice that surpassed the orchestra, and with excellent tone and singing. All this added to a hilarious performance, which was favored by the staging, which portrayed his role as a repulsive character not only morally but physically.
Jongmin Park was an excellent Pogner, and it was a pleasure to hear again (as he usually sings here) his powerful, deep voice again, especially in his Act one aria "Das schöne fest, Johannistag", and also to see him perform as a, old, frail father.
Tomislav Mužek as Stolzing, on the other hand, was the weakest point of the cast. With volume problems in the first act, he improved in the remaining two, although the voice seemed, especially at the beginning, forced. In the third act, however, he improved, with some beautiful and lyrical renditions of the Prize song.
Nicole Chevalier was an Eva with a youthful and delicious tone, and at an acting level, her portrait of the role was candid, intelligent and flirtatious. In the quintet she was splendid, with her voice a little more dramatic and with excellent high notes, although she did not escape at times from being covered by the enormous orchestra.
Sebastian Kohlepp, the only German singer in the cast, was a well-acted and sung David. Anna Lapkovskaja also sang a nice Magdalena, with a dark, almost contralto tone. José Antonio López also stood out as a well sung Kothner, and the other teachers were at a high level. Fantastic the Nightwatchman by Alexander Tsymbalyuk, with his deep, dark bass voice.
There was a desire to see this work among the members of the audience, since at least in the more expensive areas, there were few dropouts and there was a high occupancy in the hall. The audience laughed at Beckmesser's hilarious interventions so much, like I have rarely seen in a Wagner opera, and proof of how much fun they had was their enthusiastic applause for the cast.
The fact that the Teatro Real has staged this difficult opera is in itself a must see event, but the effort of the enormous company, which moves almost 300 people, has achieved a notable and enjoyable performance. The public was delighted. Every chance of going to see it until May 25 must be considered, because who knows if it won't be another two decades until its return to the capital.
My reviews are not professional and express only my opinions. As a non English native speaker I apologise for any mistake.
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