Though perhaps not the most distinguished recording of Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg ever released, this live version from the 1968 Bayreuth Festival led by Karl Böhm certainly has its strong points, chief among them Böhm himself. The great Austrian conductor was justly famous in his time for his radiant Mozart and luminous Strauss and particularly for his incandescent Tristan und Isolde. In this Meistersinger, Böhm catches both the humor and the humanity of the work in a performance of considerable charm and ...
Read More
Though perhaps not the most distinguished recording of Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg ever released, this live version from the 1968 Bayreuth Festival led by Karl Böhm certainly has its strong points, chief among them Böhm himself. The great Austrian conductor was justly famous in his time for his radiant Mozart and luminous Strauss and particularly for his incandescent Tristan und Isolde. In this Meistersinger, Böhm catches both the humor and the humanity of the work in a performance of considerable charm and attractiveness. Böhm skillfully balances the work's many ensembles, and deftly channels the drama's ebb and flow. Hardly less appealing is Theo Adam as a wise and lyrical Sachs, Gwyneth Jones as a soft and sexy Eva, and a large number of the best character-actor singers in Germany as the many merry Meistersingers. Much less appealing, and the principal drawback of this performance, is Waldemar Kmentt as a blustery and sometimes hoarse Walther who only grows more hoarse and less appealing...
Read Less