Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
Sun, 22. Dec 2024, 16:00
Opera in three acts by Richard Wagner
When Richard Wagner developed his initial ideas for "Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg" in the mid-1840s, he had no intention of writing a monumental "festive opera". The work was intended to be a facile comedy, a jovial and humorous satyr play to place alongside his "Tannhäuser", since – like Tannhäuser – reflections on art and artists are its focus. More than two decades later, he had a musical score that was one of the most extensive and multi-layered of his entire repertoire, and that aroused controversy.
The soloists and the choir, and especially the full-scale orchestra, developed an extraordinary tonal splendour. This can be felt immediately in the overture to the first act, with its C major radiance and its large upswings filled with vigour and lightness, as well as notably in the final scene at the fairground, which features virtually everything that could conceivably take place on an opera stage. It is not only the sheer overpowering nature of the tonal presence that is astonishing, but also the tremendously high compositional level that Wagner achieved here, and which proves just as impressive in the lyrical, interiorised passages. Since the opera’s triumphant world premiere in Munich in June 1868, »Die Meistersinger« has been one of the pillars of European musical theatre – as a work that demonstrates what opera (and musical drama) can achieve beyond the ordinary on-stage routine.
Dauer:
approx. 6:00 hrs including two intervals after act one and two