Wagner’s worth the trip: ‘Meistersinger’ in Madrid

When it comes to Wagner, people will go far and wide to see a good performance, and several English Wagnerians made a special trip to Madrid to see one. This was Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg in a staging by French director Laurent Pelly. It was simple but highly effective, and with powerful choral singing — vital for this opera. In Act III, after the Apprentices have called for silence, and the townsfolk have recognised their hero Hans Sachs, the chorus’s Wach Auf (“Wake Up”) was almost deafening. After Beckmesser has made a hash of Walther’s beautiful poem, which he wrongly attributes to Sachs, the Masters listen with rapt attention as Walther himself sings it correctly. You could feel their appreciation of new ideas well presented, and a willingness to accept Walther into their group as a Mastersinger himself.

Their horror as he declines their well-meaning offer yields a small coup de théâtre. The Masters knock over their chairs and retreat from front of stage before Sachs comes forward to bid Walther not to scorn them (Verachtet mir die Meister nicht), but to honour an art that they have cared for in their own way, cherished even, despite the stress of evil years.

But his paean to German art comes with a warning (Habt Acht!) that evil tricks threaten us, and at this point that some commentators have expressed difficulty, embarrassment even, with Wagner’s warning that foreign delusions might one day take hold in Germany. The embarrassment is about German nationalism resulting in two world wars, and its appalling consequences during the second one, but Pelly sees it differently. The houses of Nuremberg are made of cardboard, the stage set is frayed at the edges, and when the Mastersingers appear together on stage they sit within a huge picture frame, partly broken, and with repairs that fail to match up correctly.

Perhaps it takes a non-German director to recognise the pertinence of Wagner’s warning today, when Germany is only now preparing to defend itself against potential aggression from without, and threats of foreign ideas from an immigrant community from within. Great art, and there is no question that Meistersinger is a great opera, has its own logic that we would be wise to heed. During the final part of Act III we see, projected on the backdrop, a view of a meadow in an alpine landscape, but as the final seconds approach a black curtain falls across it. For me at least, Pelly has made his point very effectively. But it is, after all, only theatre, and Walther and Eva both come forward at the end, one on each side, to close the curtains.

As Hans Sachs himself, Gerald Finley is at the top of his game, showing the humanity, wisdom and even slight bemusement in the Act II Flieder monologue, that his character exhibits. Wonderful. As his self-appointed rival, Leigh Melrose made an outstanding contribution as the whingeingly jealous rule-stickler Beckmesser. In the bass role of the goldsmith Pogner, who is giving away his daughter Eva to the winner of the song contest, Jongmin Park looked the part as an elderly man, and sang with huge authority. As Sachs’ apprentice, the likeable but anxious David, Sebastian Kohlhepp was perfect, and Russian mezzo Anna Lapovskaja excellent as his beloved Magdalene. As the young lovers Walther and Eva, Tomislav Mužek and Nicole Chevalier looked the part, singing with vocal enthusiasm, and I have never seen such luxury casting of the Nightwatchman as the Ukrainian bass Alexander Tsymbalyuk, whose credits include the title role in Boris Godunov.

The orchestra under the baton of Pablo Heras-Casado played their hearts out, and the huge chorus sang splendidly, though I sometimes wished the heavier brass would not treat it as a day out to celebrate as loudly as possible. But as a day out, Meistersinger in Madrid is well worth the trip.

A Message from TheArticle

We are the only publication that’s committed to covering every angle. We have an important contribution to make, one that’s needed now more than ever, and we need your help to continue publishing throughout these hard economic times. So please, make a donation.