Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg

Rating:
Summary: For the sake of arguing
Review: I feel like raising a point. The previous reviewer called this "Wagner's only comedy." I am going to have to disagree, and not because of his obscure second opera, but because of one of my favorite of his works, the mature Siegfried! What? Crazy! Well, maybe, but hear me out.

One cannot help but laugh at that first act with all that witty diologue between the young and ignorant Siegfriend and his evil foster-father Mime. That entire scene cracks me up. The fight with the dragon, in my opinion, is quite humorous when you consider the way irony in it (almost in a David vs. Goliath way). There is yet more comedy in the third act, my favorite line of the entire piece being when Siegfried pulls off Brunhilde's breastplate and declares "Das ist kien Mann!" or "That's no man!" Duh. Siegfried has never seen a woman in his life, and his reaction to Brunhilde's is so naive, and so funny. Then of course, like in all good comedies, they declare love and appear to live happily ever after (at least until Gotterdammerung).

Siegfried being a comedy also fits form well. Think about Beethoven's ninth symphony (I'm not saying it fits this symphony exactly, but work with me here) first and second movements are heavily dramatic, where as the third is a bit of a breather, a relief before the great conclusion of the fourth movement (though, of course a triumphant ending rather than tragic in the case of Gotterdammerung).

So next time you watch Siegfried, think comedy. Crazy it maybe, but i don't think it is that far-fetched.

Rating:
Summary: For the sake of arguing
Review: I feel like raising a point. The previous reviewer called this "Wagner's only comedy." I am going to have to disagree, and not because of his obscure second opera, but because of one of my favorite of his works, the mature Siegfried! What? Crazy! Well, maybe, but hear me out.

One cannot help but laugh at that first act with all that witty diologue between the young and ignorant Siegfriend and his evil foster-father Mime. That entire scene cracks me up. The fight with the dragon, in my opinion, is quite humorous when you consider the way irony in it (almost in a David vs. Goliath way). There is yet more comedy in the third act, my favorite line of the entire piece being when Siegfried pulls off Brunhilde's breastplate and declares "Das ist kien Mann!" or "That's no man!" Duh. Siegfried has never seen a woman in his life, and his reaction to Brunhilde's is so naive, and so funny. Then of course, like in all good comedies, they declare love and appear to live happily ever after (at least until Gotterdammerung).

Siegfried being a comedy also fits form well. Think about Beethoven's ninth symphony (I'm not saying it fits this symphony exactly, but work with me here) first and second movements are heavily dramatic, where as the third is a bit of a breather, a relief before the great conclusion of the fourth movement (though, of course a triumphant ending rather than tragic in the case of Gotterdammerung).

So next time you watch Siegfried, think comedy. Crazy it maybe, but i don't think it is that far-fetched.

Rating:
Summary: Wagner's only Comedy
Review: Wagner's only comedy (if you don't count Das Liebesverbot, based on Shakespeare's rather difficult Measure for Measure), is basically an initiation ritual. Walther von Stoltzing is in love with a young woman named Eva. He must prove his love by composing a song for the Mastersinger festival; if he wins the competition, he wins Eva. Meistersinger is also a treatise on why Wagnerism is better than the old (read Brahmsian) style of composition. Hans Sach, Walther's sponsor, insists that Walther's first improvised song, Am Stillen Herd, even with its weaknesses, shows much promise. Sixtus Beckmesser, on the other hand, insists that it does not adhere to the classical virtues, and, therefore is unworthy of any attention. The contest enjoins all its competitors to set the poem Morgenlich luectend im Rosigemshind to music. Beckmesser's version is sludge, and he makes a fool of himself singing it. Walther's song, on the other hand, wins both the contest, and Eva. As an argument, Meistersinger is pretty flimsy stuff; Brahms is no Beckmesser. Yet as music drama, Meistersinger is remarkable. Dover reprinted the early Peters edition. There is an English translation of all German frontismatter; unfortunately, however, there is no English glossary of German musical terms. There is a reprint of the original title page, which is kind of fun. The score is too big, and the book too small for podium use, but the book is well made, easy to read, quite reasonably priced, and ideal for the average opera lover.