Metropolitan Opera Archives

"Die Meistersinger" received its fifth performance of the season at the Metropolitan Opera House yesterday afternoon as the sixth offering of the special Wagner subscription series, with Mr. Bodanzky conducting and Clarence Whitehill as Hans Sachs, while Maria Müller represented Eva and Walter Kirchhoff , his successfully singing namesake Walther von Stolzing.

"Die Meistersinger" is, or has been, one of the best productions in the Metropolitan's repertoire, but the Metropolitan production earned its laurels by better performances than yesterday's. There was, indeed, Mr. Whitehill's impersonation, there was Mr. Schützendorf's, but Mr. Kirchhoff was an illusive Walther, and Mme. Müller, while very attractive in appearance, had an off day vocally, with an unwonted sense of effort in her top notes.

Mr. Kirchhoff performed his part spiritedly, but the hardness which often marked his tone was far from caressing to the ear. Kathleen Howard, George Meader and Leon Rothier had familiar roles as Magdalene, David and Pogner. Messrs. Gabor, Bloch, Bada, Altglass, Paltrinieri, D'Angelo, Ananian, Wolfe and Gustafson represented the other Meistersingers, and Mr. Cehanovsky was a commendable watchman.

A point where the present production is not particularly effective is the street fight near the close of the second act. While, in theory, most of the dwellers in that part of Nuremberg take a hand in the row following Beckmesser's serenade, yesterday's performance again found a limited number of gladiators in combat in the middle, while the others formed orderly rows of spectators. It was a combat hardly general enough to justify Sachs's remarks on the morning after on the prevalence of madness.

Search by season: 1927-28

Search by title: Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg,

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