Search - Emanuel List, Leo Schutzendorf, Robert Hutt :: Wagner: Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg

"Die Meistersinger" in Berlin, 1928.

John Austin | Kangaroo Ground, Australia | 07/18/2000

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Parts of a performance of "Die Meistersinger", given at the
Staatsoper Berlin in May 1928, were recorded live on 78s. The
conductor was Leo Blech and the Sachs was Friedrich Schorr. The 14
surviving sides form the nucleus of this excellent compilation
produced in 1998 by Symposium Records. The "live"
recordings have been joined to contemporary "studio"
recordings, providing altogether more than half of the complete opera.
The joins have been seamlessly made, although it is sometimes obvious
that the "live" recordings lack the balance and richness of
sound provided under the studio conditions for the time. Friedrich
Schorr, surely the greatest Hans Sachs one could ever hear, is
included in all the extracts he recorded commercially during the
period, as well as in additional snatches and stretches from the live
performance. The Walther is Robert Hutt. None of Walther's solos
were included in the "live" recording. For the sake of
consistency, it was decided to include the solos Robert Hutt recorded
in 1919 in this compilation. The recording period moves forward as
far as 1931 when the most famous recording of the Quintet was made.
Elisabeth Schumann, sounding as fresh and effortless as a bird,
provides enough magic as she leads the Quintet to make this 2 CD set
worth buying at any price. In his biography of his mother, her son
mentions that endless takes were required for this famous recording.
Either the tenor, Lauritz Melchior "got it wrong", or the
balance was deemed to be incorrect. Elisabeth Schumann finally told
the producer that only one more take was possible - and it proved to
be perfect. Altogether there is much of enormous interest here for
those who love the opera and want to hear some of the greatest
exponents of its music.
"