We’re off to the Bayreuth Festival on this week’s Sunday Opera (11/16 3:00 p.m.) for the first of three works by Wagner: “Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg.”
“Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg” is about a 16th-century singing contest in Nuremberg where young knight Walther von Stolzing (Michael Spyres) hopes to win the hand of Eva Pogner (Christina Nilsson). Eva is also being pursued by Sixtus Beckmessar (Michael Nagy) who is a rival Meistersinger. After being rejected by the strict Mastersingers for breaking their rules, Walther gets help from the wise cobbler Hans Sachs (Georg Zeppenfeld), who sees his potential.
The opera culminates in the festival, where Walther's passionate song that does not follow traditional constraints is recognized as the winner over Beckmesser, who stole Walther’s song but found it impossible to sing, proving that tradition must make way for genuine talent. Eva and Walther are united, and the opera has a happy ending.
Other cast members include Eva’s father Pogner (Jongmin Park), and Christa Mayer as Magdalena, Matthias Stier as David, Martin Koch as Vogelgesang, and Werner Van Mechelen as Nachtigall. They’re joined by the Bayreuth Festival Orchestra and Chorus conducted by Daniele Gatti.
We’ll have a little time after the opera for the overture to an early opera of Wagner titled “Die Feen” (“The Fairies”) performed by the MDR Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Jun Markl.
