Wagner: Die Meistersinger Von Nürnberg

Roland Hermann (Performer), Richard [Classical] Wagner (Composer), Eugen Jochum (Conductor), Berlin State Opera Chorus (Orchestra), Berlin State Opera Orchestra (Orchestra), Horst R. Laubenthal (Performer), Plácido Domingo (Performer), Catarina Ligendza (Performer), Christa Ludwig (Performer), Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (Performer), Gerd Feldhoff (Performer), Ivan Sardi (Performer), Karl-Ernst Mercker (Performer), Klaus Lang (Performer), Loren Driscoll (Performer), Martin Vantin (Performer), Miomir Nikolic (Performer), Peter Lagger (Performer), Peter Maus (Performer), Roberto Banuelas (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Roland Hermann, Horst R. Laubenthal, Plácido Domingo, Catarina Ligendza, Christa Ludwig, et al.
• Orchestra: Berlin State Opera Chorus, Berlin State Opera Orchestra
• Conductor: Eugen Jochum
• Composer: Richard [Classical] Wagner
• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• SPARS Code: ADD
• Number of Discs: 4
• Label: Deutsche Grammophon
• ASIN: B000001G64
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #252,126 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #46 in Music > Classical > Opera & Vocal > Divas > Ludwig, Christa

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Some singers want to record everything in the repertory, suitable or unsuitable to their voices. Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau was one of those singers, and the breadth of his recordings is astonishing. While his artistry is undoubted, his instrument lacks the depth to successfully essay the wise cobbler-poet Hans Sachs. Like Fischer-Dieskau, Placido Domingo also finds himself in unusual Wagnerian territory in this recording, and on the whole is not so successful as he was later with Tannhäuser and Lohengrin due to his initial difficulties with German diction. However, the biggest flaw in this recording is the substandard chorus work--a disaster for any opera so dependent on large choruses as Die Meistersinger. This recording is ideal for die hard fans of Fischer-Dieskau and Domingo, but far less than perfect if it is the only Meistersinger in one's collection. --Christian C. Rix

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful recording, October 8, 2004

By 

Tasos (Greece) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wagner: Die Meistersinger Von Nürnberg (Audio CD)

There are so many factors involved in a successful production of Die Meistersinger - let alone their subjective projections - that a `definitive' recording is extremely difficult, perhaps even - considering the practical constraints of a recording production - impossible to produce. Foregoing a detailed analysis of this recording's particular strengths and weaknesses, I feel it is fair to state that it certainly does merit a special recommendation on the strength of two very elemental factors; Domingo's presence and Jochum's conducting and overall direction.

Certainly Domingo's command of the German language here is not on the same level as that of a native singer's, or even comparable with someone trained in this particular type of singing from an early stage of his career. But neither does it sound in any way exotic; one merely gets occasionally the impression of a slight hesitance or awkwardness. Overall this is a very minor complaint if one considers what the listener will receive in exchange - one of the most beautiful Walther tones ever recorded, superb musicianship and a vivid portrayal of the character that comes through so very lively and engagingly in every single scene. Going through the list of Walther's performers in past recordings, and listening to their singing, the comparison is unavoidably to be drown that however great singers and dedicated performers they may have been, certainly none of them was anywhere near Domingo's overall class as a tenor. This is I believe something that lies beyond subjective interpretation - given the sheer beauty of his sound and the totally committed and engaging presence that he brings in this characterization, Domingo is beyond the reach of any other Walther interpreter in the stereo recording era ( to say the least ).

Jochum's conducting also greatly contributes to an engrossing listening experience - well paced, finely balanced, an altogether excellent orchestral sound that makes listening this recording a pleasurable experience, even for the completely uninitiated into the Wagner world. Certainly Die Meistersinger is much, much more than Walther and orchestra and many listeners will surely feel the desire to look around for different interpretations and approaches, especially in the characterization of Sachs and perhaps in search of a more girlish sounding Eva. For an introduction to Die Meistersinger though, this recording's wonderful beauty of sound certainly recommends itself - and it is hard to imagine any opera fan who would not find some joy in listening to Domingo's amazing voice.

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Jochum is magnificent, but the cast is flawed, September 4, 2000

By 

[e-mail] (Cambridge, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wagner: Die Meistersinger Von Nürnberg (Audio CD)

Die Meistersinger has been recorded very rarely, which is surprising, considering it's Wagner's most accesible opera. And the reason for the scarcity is not that all the other sets were superb - on the contrary, they were all seriously flawed. Vintage Bayreuth sets from the forties and fifties (Abendroth, Furtwängler, Karajan 1, Cluytens) are obviously sonically limited, as is Kempe's 1957 account, long regarded as the benchmark. Kubelik's recording was recorded in 1968 but not released until 1994. Solti 1 was flawed by four square conducting and poor casting, and Karajan 2 was flawed by poor casting. Sawallisch and Solti 2 came later, and both improved upon the competition.

Between Karajan 2 and Sawallisch came this 1976 recording on Deutsche Grammophon, featuring Fischer-Dieskau, Domingo, Ligendza and Ludwig under Jochum. It is in many ways a success, but is undone, as are most of the other recordings, by flawed casting. Jochum is masterful, and he is the main reason for hearing this set. He builds the long scenes up to emotional climaxes, has total mastery of the structure of the score, and conducts an electric final scene. He gets good orchestral playing, but the chorus is only adequate. Fischer-Dieskau, as Sachs, creates an insightful portrait of the master cobbler, but his voice is too light for this demanding bass-baritone role, making his casting a bad decision. Plácido Domingo, on the other hand, has a gorgeous voice, but his German is third-rate and he is short on subtlety. Catarina Ligendza as Eva is the worst casting choice of all. Her voice is too big and much too wobbly for Eva, and what insight she has is not nearly enough to correct the balance. Roland Hermann is a venemous Beckmesser, Horst Laubenthal is a good David, and Christa Ludwig is, of course, an excellent Magdalene. The mastersingers are good.

So - which recording do you get? The Kubelik recording, on the Calig label, has been widely acclaimed and certainly has a superb cast (Thomas Stewart, Gundula Janowitz, Sandor Konya, Brigitte Fassbänder, etc.). It is getting hard to find, however. My second choice would probably be either Solti 2, Sawallisch, or Karajan 1. Happy listening!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing Fischer-D: exciting Placido D, August 17, 2005

By 

Klingsor Tristan (Suffolk) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wagner: Die Meistersinger Von Nürnberg (Audio CD)

Through the 60's and early 70's the dearth of new recordings of Die Meistersinger was often put down to "waiting for Fischer-Dieskau". Admittedly there had been two great recordings in the early days of LP - Knappertsbusch and especially Kempe. Karajan came along and didn't add a lot except modern stereo sound. There was the odd pirated version of Karajan's Bayreuth performance with Schwarzkopf as Eva - the most insufferably prim and arch Eva ever! But it seemed that the great man was reluctant to take on the part everyone thought he had been borne to play.

Finally, though, it happened. And it seemed he was right. His performance of Sachs was, in the event, something of a disappointment. There's some beautiful singing certainly (the Fliedermonolog for example), but at other times there is a tendency to bark. As one would expect from DFD, the text is pointed, lifted, emphasised, clarified - too much so a lot of the time, for it is at the expense of the lyrical musical line. But the real disappointment is that time after time he misses those emotional KO punches that litter the score. The ironies of his Act 2 scene with Eva and the sudden blossoming when he reminds her just how lovely she is: the moment when he remembers his wife and children (whatever did happen to them?): the slightly grudging respect for the composition of a true meisterlied ("Now that's what I call an abgesang"): the burst of anger he can't control that leads to Eva's overwhelming outburst, "O Sachs, mein Freund": the controlled resignation as he names Walther's preislied: the humbled pride as the Midsummer crowd sings his own glorious hymn to the Reformation back to him ("Euch macht ihr's leicht"). All these seem to slip past without a hint of a tear rising, at least to my eyes.

Domingo, on the other hand, was the great surprise of the set on the positive side. This was his first essay in Wagner singing on disc and it was a revelation. Yes, his German accent was even dodgier in those days than it has subsequently become. But the pouring forth of the sort of bel canto line that Wagner always said he wanted but has so seldom received was and is a revelation. In this of all Wagner's tenor parts, with Trial Song, two versions of the Prize Song and countless other soaring lyrical lines, the benefits of Domingo's Italianate sound are legion. And his voice was absolutely at its prime; ringing at the top, tender and smooth as silk at mf or quieter, and with that baritonal touch that distinguishes the best of heldentenors.

Ligendza was a stalwart at Bayreuth through the early 70's - perhaps a bit overparted as Brunnhilde, but a very fine Isolde with Carlos Kleiber (occasionally available as an alternative to his DGG set with Margaret Price). Eva suits her even better. She is sensitive to all the swift changes of mood, the petulance and the passions of a teenager and rises to true heights in "O Sachs, mein Freund". There have been smoother lead-ins to the Quintet, but that's a small blemish on a substantial reading of the part.

As for Jochum's conducting, perhaps he was brought down a bit by his protagonist, because he can be better than this. He seems a little kapellmeisterish here - sound, worthy, but never rising to the heights of a Kempe or, especially, a Kubelik.

Disappointing on the Fischer-Dieskau front, then, exciting for Domingo's Walther, interesting for Ligendza's Eva, but not a first choice for this most human of Wagner operas.