Wagner - Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg / Heppner, Mattila, Morris, Pape, Allen, Polenzani, Levine, Metropolitan Opera
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Actor: Ben Heppner, James Levine, James Morris, Karita Mattila, Rene PapeBrand: Universal Studios
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); German (Subtitled); English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); Chinese (Subtitled); German (Original Language); English (Dubbed); French (Dubbed); German (Dubbed); Spanish (Dubbed)
Format: AC-3, Classical, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 292 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-01-11
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Deutsche Grammophon
DVD Reviews of Wagner - Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg / Heppner, Mattila, Morris, Pape, Allen, Polenzani, Levine, Metropolitan Opera
DVD Review: a few felicities don't a great performance make....
Summary: 3 Stars
There are 2 main problems with this big-time Met release of Wagner's only mature comic opera: James Levine and James Morris. The first Jim has never been able to "feel" the structure of a Wagner opera like he "feels" the structures in Verdi. The second Jim has let his minor bad habits from his Wotan days take over, so that his voice has become thin and unattractive, and his technique makes unfortunate use of the barnyard gamut from croaking to barking.
From the first limp bars of the intro negating any sense of occasion, it is evident that this performance is going to need qualifying. A flaccid overture leads to the ugliest first-act set I have ever seen (and I've seen quite a few). Luckily the first voices to be heard (Eva, Magdalene, Walther) are all good, so that interest and enjoyment are revived. David's long monologue is not as tiresome as it sometimes can be, and the extended passages for Kothner and Pogner are also engaging, although, as mentioned by another reviewer, Rene Pape looks too young to be Eva's father. (He could have at least grown a beard for the role.) Morris' initial vocal exchanges with his learned colleagues emphasize the coarseness of his timbre, but as Hans Sachs he is extremely handsome and sensitive, so despite the ugly sound he gains our sympathy. Thomas Allen begins his delivery of a flawless Beckmesser, and Heppner wins our sympathy in the opposite manner of Morris, i.e. by using the sweetness and strength of his voice to overcome the awkwardness of his physical girth.
The second act allows Karita Mattila to show her considerable acting gifts, and the set is beautiful and naturalistic. Sachs' Fliedermonolog is dull, although Levine does manage to keep things moving along. The Night Watchman actually steals this act with his full, piercing sound. When this happens, something is DEFINITELY amiss.
The opening of the third act, which is the longest of all, is so slow it almost comes to a standstill. Poor Morris can barely sustain a phrase within the tempo he is given, and battles to stay in synch with the cruel Levine. This Wahnmonolog, Sachs' deepest dramatic outpouring, utterly fails because of this struggle. And it doesen't help that Morris has absolutely NO low notes anymore. Hence the growling. Then Levine decides to speed up the final section of the monologue to such an extent that any sense of proportion or arc is obliterated. Luckily, once Heppner appears again, Levine regains his sensibility.
Mattila's vocalism is seriously tested in this act, and she succeeds only with obvious effort. Her high note on "Oh Sachs, mein Freund" is there, but somewhat screechy, and, whereas she sustains the opening phrases of the quintet quite elegantly, she is somewhat flat at its climax, which, thanks to Levine, is hardly a climax at all. The prize song is the jewel of this performance, both for Heppner and Levine. I have never heard a better one, and I found myself rewinding to hear it time after time. Too bad there are still 10 more minutes of Morris to listen to, although he looks resplendent in his robe and triumphs dramatically with his gentle fatherly demeanor. The Met Chorus is fantastic, as is the recreation of the Nürnberg environs.
This performance, with all of its flaws, does evoke the spirit of Wagner's creation, if not as effectively as the Bayreuth staging with Bernd Weikl. Weikl owned the role of Sachs for over a decade, with good reason. But until Philips releases this version on DVD, the Met performance serves as a satisfactory, even sometimes illuminating, document. Thank Heppner for that.
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Description of Wagner - Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg / Heppner, Mattila, Morris, Pape, Allen, Polenzani, Levine, Metropolitan Opera
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