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Music and lyrics: Richard Wagner
Libretto in the german language
First performance at Hofteater on the 21 of June 1868 in Münich.
| Roles | Voices |
|---|---|
| Hans Sachs | bassbaritone |
| Sixtus Beckmesser | bassbaritone |
| Veit Pogner | bass |
| Fritz Kothner | baritone |
| Kunz Vogelsang | tenor |
| Konrad Nachtigall | bass |
| Ulrich Eisslinger | tenor |
| tenor | |
| Hermann Ortel | bass |
| Hans Schwarz | bass |
| Hans Foltz | bass |
| Balthasar Zorn | tenor |
| En nattvakt | bass |
| Walther von Stoltzing | tenor |
| Eva | soprano |
| David | tenor |
| Magdalena | mezzosoprano |
Walther von Stolzing, who is visiting Nurembourg to do business with Pogner, has fallen in love ith Pogner´s daughter Eva. He is anxious to communicate with her to find out whether she is betrothed and to declare his love for her. Magdalene tells him that Pogners is giving Evas hand in marriage, together with his entire fortune, to the winner of a song contest the following day. But only Mastersingers are eligible to enter.
Eva returns Walther´s love and is determined to marry no-one else.When Magdalene learns that there is about to be a song trial ske persuades David to give Walther immediate instruction in the rules of Mastersinging. David, an apprentice to Hans Sachs,Nurembourgs greatest poet, expresses sceptimism of Walter´s chances and proceeds to overwhelm him with just a small section of the catalogue of rules. Walther is undaunted.David´s fellow apprentices set up the song school.When Pogner and the other Masters arrive, Walther begs to be admitted to their guild, much to Pogner´s surprise. He wins the immediate enmity of Beckmesser, who is the Marker ( the assessor) of the school and who intends to compete for Eva´s hand himself. Pogner outlines to the masters his grand design for the contest and explains his motives: He is tired of hearing it said that the businessmen of Nurembourg care only about wealth. He wishes to prove, by this magnanimous gesture, that business and the arts go hand in hand. The only dissenting voice in the chorus of praise is that of Sachs, who raises the possibility that Eva might not like the winner. He urges that the people should also be given a voice in the decision, but his colleagues are not ready for such a democratic step.
Pogner introduces Walther, who explains that he learnt his art from Walther von der Vogelweide´s poetry and from Nature itself.He is eventually allowed to sing a trial song, to be marked by Beckmesser; it breaks so many rules, however, that he is interrupted before the end. Only Sachs admires Walther´s originality but this is not enough to save hiom from failure. By a huge majority the Mastersingers reject his application to the guild.
The apprentices are tormenting David. Maglalene is distressed to learn from David that Walther has failed in his bid to become a Mastersinger, a fact she conveys to Eva once they have persuaded Pogner to go inside. Eva decides to question Sachs about Walther´s song test and fids him musing on the very subject. At first she does not reveal herr interest in Walther; she suggests that Sachs, a widower, should himself enter the contest for her hand. Scarcely aware of the depth of Sachs´s love for her, she eventually reveals that it is Walther she loves. Sachs pledges himself to work secretely for their union. Magdalene enters to say that Eva´s father is calling her and that Beckmesser intends to serenade her that very night. Walther arrives in search of Eva. Now that he has failed at the song school, the only course left open to them is to elope. Eva changes clothes with Magdalene, and they are about to escape when Sachs realiszes what is going on and moves swiftly to prevent it.
As the couple cower in hiding, Beckmesser arrives to serenade Eva with the song he proposes to sing at the next day´s contest. Walther is all for settling his score with Beckmesser but Eva restrains him. Sachs insists that he must work late on Beckmesser´s new shoes - a somewhat noisy operation. Beckmesser begs him to be quiet. The two Masters agree that the only way in which they can both get on with what they want to do id for Sachs to use his hammer instead of chalk to mark any faults in Beckmesser´s song. Magdalene appears at the window disguised as Eva, and the serenade begins.
Sachs as Marker is very bit as severe on Beckmesser as Beckmesser had been on Walther, and the ensuing racket raises the entire neighbourhood.David beats Beckmesser, thinking him to have been courting Magdalene. The Nightwatchman´s horn is heard and the riot subsides.
It is now St John´s Day, the morning after the riot.and Sachs muses on that extraordinary element in human nature which leads so unpredictably to such disorder. He realizes that this madness also has its positive side, and resolves to turn it to good advantage in his plans for Eva and Walther.
Walther appears and tells Sachs of an amazing dream he has had - so wonderful that he is afraid that by describing it he could destroy it. Sachs tells him that the function of art is to define dreams, and he offers to record this one in the form of a song which may, perhaps, prove decisive in winning Eva.
While they are off dressing for the song contest Beckmesser arrives. He finds the newly written song and jumps to the conclusion that it is by Sachs, who will use it to compete for Eva. Sachs denies any such plan - indeed, to prove it, he gives the song to Beckmesser to use for the purpose. Beckmesser´s suspicions are allayed and he goes off to memorize it.
Eva arrives, anxious about the song contest. Walther enters and, seeing Eva, completes his song. Their love for one another is obvious and Sachs does not propose to make the same mistake as King Marke in the story of Tristan and Isolde. Magdalene comes looking for Eva and is united with David, whom Sachs promotes to journeman, in time to witness the baptism of a 'child' - Walthers new song. Everyone goes off to the contest.
The guilds and populace are assembling in noisy anticipation of the song contest. The Mastersingers eventually arrive.Sachs has been selected as speaker,but before he can make his speech the people salute him with true love and homage, singing the hymn he himself had composed in praise of Martin Luther.
Sachs introduces the contest in a paean of praise for the giver and the prize.. Pogner´s thanks are tinged with misgivings at the outcome. Beckmesser takes the stand. He has been quite unable to memorize Walther´s song and makes a complete fool of himself in front of the assembly. He angrily rounds on Sachs, accusing him of the song´s authorship. This is greeted with disbelief and perplexity. Sachs, however, turns the situation to advantage. He stands accused, but insists on summoning a witness who will make sense of the song and prove it is not by Sachs.Walther appears, sings his Prize Song, and is acclaimed by Masters and people alike. Pogner offers him Mastersinger´s chain, which he brusquely refuses. Sachs remonstrates with him: He must acknowledge the great legacy of art cultivated and preserved by the Master artists of the nation and be prepared to participate in its constant renewal.
Walther is proclaimed Mastersinger and takes Eva as his bride.
Wagner: Mästersångarna i Nurnberg
Edelmann,Schwarzkopf,Hopf,Kunz
Bayreuth Festival Chorus und Orchestra/Karajan
Naxos 8.110872-75[4CD].1951