Metropolitan Opera Archives

The third performance of "Meistersinger" was distinguished by the return of Joel Berglund as Hans Sachs and the restoration of a few important pages of the score which have not been heard for years. The Swedish baritone may have demanded and got them from the conductor, Wolfgang Martin - in any case, it was satisfying to the ardent Wagnerians who discovered the restoration, which so aptly points up the character of Sachs in his concealment of disappointment at relinquishing Eva to the younger man. This occurs when Eva throws herself into Sachs' arms in a confusion of emotion after hearing Walter sing his preview of the Prize Song. The shorter passage comes when Sachs takes Eva's shoe to the bench and tries to keep her attention - but is unheard. These are bits which call for dramatic impersonation. Mr. Berglund, who until these moments had given us some excellent singing, began to tire and from then on forced his undoubtedly beautiful voice out of its mellowness and timbre into hoarseness and harshness. This was more the pity because of his fine characterization and the vocal felicity displayed throughout the second act, the beginning of the third and the "Wahn, Wahn!" Others suffered, too, from a small blight on vocal resources. Neither Polyna Stoska as Eva nor Martha Lipton, singing her first Magdalene, were in their best estate. Torsten Ralf, John Garris and Gerhard Pechner, however, were entirely up to standard. Mr. Martin's conducting was flaccid and enervated - reason enough for the overall impression of a let-down in what promised to be one of the Metropolitan's best productions this year.

Search by season: 1947-48

Search by title: Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg,

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