Met Opera Held First Revival of Schenk-Staged Meistersinger December 1995

Summary: Met Opera held first revival of Schenk-staged Meistersinger December 1995, ending two performance-less seasons after its 1992-1993 season debut.

Met Opera's first revival of Otto Schenk's 1992-1993 staging of Richard Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg featured Austrian operatic baritone Bernd Weikl as historical master-singing cobbler, Hans Sachs; Finnish operatic soprano Karita Mattila as Eva Pogner; and Canadian dramatic tenor Ben Heppner and German operatic tenor John Horton Murray's role-shared Walther von Stolzing: Scott C Avery @ScottCAvery, via Twitter March 25, 2021

Met Opera held the first revival of Schenk-staged Meistersinger in December 1995 as an end to the two seasons (1993-1994; 1994-1995) of non-performance that followed the new production's debut in the 1992-1993 season.

The Metropolitan Opera House debuted Richard Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg ("The Master-Singer of Nuremburg") as a newly staged production by Otto Schenk (born June 12, 1930) on Thursday, Jan. 14, 1993. The Austrian opera and theater director had made his Met Opera debut Friday, Oct. 4, 1968, in the opera house's 490th performance of Tosca by Italian opera composer Giacomo Puccini (Dec. 22, 1858-Nov. 29, 1924).

The new production had debuted in the opera house's 379th performance of the historical opera about Nurenberg's guild-regulated master-singers by German Romantic era composer-librettist Richard Wagner (May 22, 1813-Feb. 13, 1883). Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg had received its United States premiere Monday, Jan. 4, 1886, at the Metropolitan Opera House.

Schenk's new production received eight performances, including the debut, in the 1992-1993 season. The second through eighth, closing performances took place Monday, Jan. 18; Saturday, Jan. 23; Tuesday, Jan. 26; Saturday, Jan. 30; Tuesday, Feb. 2; Saturday, Feb. 6; and Wednesday, Feb. 10.

After the debut season's eighth, closing performance, Schenk's production was not listed on Met Opera's performance roster for two seasons (1993-1994; 1994-1995). The production's first revival took place in the 1995-1996 season. Five performances were offered: Monday, Dec. 4, 1995; Friday, Dec. 8; Tuesday, Dec. 12; Saturday, Dec. 16; and Thursday, Dec. 21.

Bernd Weikl (born July 29, 1942) sang the title role of Nuremberg's historical cobbler and meistersinger Hans Sachs in all five of the first revival's performances. The Austrian operatic baritone had made his Met Opera debut Thursday, Dec. 22, 1977, as Wolfram in the opera house's 393rd performance of Wagner's Tannhäuser.

Karita Mattila (born Sep. 5, 1960) reprised the role of Eva Pogner for all five of the first revival's performances. The Finnish operatic soprano had made her Met Opera debut Thursday, March 22, 1990, as Donna Elvira in the opera house's 388th performance of Don Giovanni by Classical Era composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Jan. 27, 1756-Dec. 5, 1791).

Ben Heppner (born Jan. 14, 1956, as Thomas Bernard Heppner) reprised the role of knightly, master-singing neophyte Walther von Stolzing for the first revival's first and fourth through fifth, closing performances. The Canadian dramatic tenor had made his Met Opera debut Wednesday, Dec. 11, 1991, as in the title role in the opera house's 36th performance of Mozart's Idomeneo.

Ben Heppner shared the role with John Horton Murray (born Oct. 10, 1961), who took a break from his role as the production's Moser the master-singing tailor to sing Walther in the first revival's second and third performances. The German operatic tenor had made his Met Opera debut Monday, Oct. 8, 1990, as the Boyar in Attendance in the opera house's 239th performance of Boris Godunov by Russian Romantic era composer Modest Mussorgsky (March 21, 1839-March 28, 1881).

Birgitta Svendén (born March 26, 1952, as Birgitta Lundberg) reprised Eva's companion, Magdalene, in all five of the first revival's performances. The Swedish operatic mezzo-soprano had made her Met Opera debut Wednesday, Sep. 28, 1988, as Erda in the opera house's 123rd performance of Wagner's Das Rheingold.

Lars Magnusson (born March 10, 1955) reprised David, apprenticed to Hans Sachs, in all five of the first revival's performances. The Swedish operatic tenor had made his Met Opera debut Monday, Feb. 26, 1990, as Pedrillo in the opera house's 45th performance of Mozart's Die Entführung aus dem Serail.

Hermann Prey (July 11, 1929-July 23, 1998) reprised master-singing town clerk Beckmesser in all five of the first revival's performances. His appearance in the first revival's fifth, closing performance Thursday, Feb. 21, 1995, marked his last Met Opera appearance. The German lyric baritone had made his Met Opera debut Saturday, Dec. 17, 1960, as Wolfram in the opera house's 379th performance of Wagner's Tannhäuser.

John Del Carlo (Sep. 21, 1951-Oct. 29, 2016) reprised master-singing baker Kothner in the first four of the first revival's five performances. The American operatic bass-baritone had made his Met Opera debut in the new production's opening performance, Thursday, Jan. 14, 1993.

John Del Carlo shared the role with Alan Held (born 1959), who sang Kothner in the first revival's fifth, closing performance (Thursday, Feb. 21). The American bass-baritone had made his Met Opera debut Monday, April 17, 1989, as Mr. Redburn in the opera house's 33rd performance of Billy Budd by Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten (Nov. 22, 1913-Dec. 4, 1976).

Jan-Hendrik Rootering (born March 18, 1950) reprised the role of Eva's master-singing goldsmith father, Veit Pogner, for all five of the first revival's performances. The German operatic bass-baritone had made his Met Opera debut Thursday, Jan. 15, 1987, as Hermann in the opera house's 442nd performance of Wagner's Tannhäuser.

René Pape (born Sep. 4, 1964) appeared in all five of the first revival's performances as the Night Watchman. The German operatic bass had made his Met Opera debut Saturday, Dec. 2, 1995, as the Speaker in the opera house's 311th performance of Mozart's Die Zauberflöte.

James Levine reprised his conductorship of Schenk-staged Die Meistersinger for all five of the first revival's performances. Met Opera's second Music Director had made his Met Opera debut Saturday, June 5, 1971, in the opera house's 539th performance of Puccini's Tosca.

Peter McClintock was positioned in all five of the first revival's performances as the production's stage director. His appearance in the first revival's first performance marked the American stage director's Met Opera debut.

After the first revival's fifth, closing performance, Schenk's Die Meistersinger staging was not revived in the succeeding, 1996-1997 season. After skipping the 1996-1997 season, Schenk's Die Meistersinger staging received its second revival in the 1997-1998 season.

The takeaways for Met Opera's holding the first revival of Schenk-staged Die Meistersinger in December 1995 are that two seasons of absence from Met Opera's performance roster followed the 1992-1993 season's debut of Otto Schenk's new staging of Wagner's Die Meistersinger; that the production's first revival received five performances; that Karita Mattila reprised the role of Eva Pogner for the first revival; that Ben Heppner reprised the role of fast-learner Walther von Stolzing for three of the first revival's five performances; and that, after skipping the 1996-1997 season, Schenk's production received its second revival in the 1997-1998 season.

German operatic bass René Pape added his first Wagnerian opera to his Met Opera portfolio with his appearances as the Night Watchman in the all five performances of the opera house's first revival of the 1992-1993 season's new staging of Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg by Otto Schenk; undated photo of René Pape by Mathias Bothor for Deutsche Grammophon: Music History @today_classical, via Twitter Sept. 4, 2020

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Dedication

This post is dedicated to the memory of our beloved blue-eyed brother, Charles, who guided the creation of the Met Opera and Astronomy posts on Earth and Space News. We memorialized our brother in "Our Beloved Blue-Eyed Brother, Charles, With Whom We Are Well Pleased," published on Earth and Space News on Thursday, Nov. 18, 2021, an anniversary of our beloved father's death.

Image credits:

Met Opera's first revival of Otto Schenk's 1992-1993 staging of Richard Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg featured Austrian operatic baritone Bernd Weikl as historical master-singing cobbler, Hans Sachs; Finnish operatic soprano Karita Mattila as Eva Pogner; and Canadian dramatic tenor Ben Heppner and German operatic tenor John Horton Murray's role-shared Walther von Stolzing: Scott C Avery @ScottCAvery, via Twitter March 25, 2021, @ https://twitter.com/ScottCAvery/status/1375110995333505030

German operatic bass René Pape added his first Wagnerian opera to his Met Opera portfolio with his appearances as the Night Watchman in the all five performances of the opera house's first revival of the 1992-1993 season's new staging of Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg by Otto Schenk; undated photo of René Pape by Mathias Bothor for Deutsche Grammophon: Music History @today_classical, via Twitter Sept. 4, 2020, @ https://twitter.com/today_classical/status/1301841237717274625

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Scott C Avery @ScottCAvery. "How could anyone not fall in love with @MattilaKarita in this gorgeous production? must've seen it half dozen times once drove down from Boston* magnificent voices #BerndWeikl @benheppner thrilling Walter @MetOperaChorus breathtakingly beautiful #Wagner #DieMeistersinger." Twitter. March 25, 2021.
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