Met Opera Held Fourth Revival of Schenk-Staged Meistersinger in 2003

Summary: Met Opera held the fourth revival of the Schenk-staged Meistersinger in 2003 as the only instance of two back-to-back revivals of the production.

Norwegian operatic soprano Solveig Kringelbotn (known as Solveig Kringelborn outside of Norway) reprised the role of Eva Pogner in Met Opera's fourth revival of Otto Schenk's 1992-1993 new production of Richard Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg; she had added the role to her Met Opera portfolio in the 2001-2002 season via the third revival's first three performances: World Music Library @WorldMusicLibrary, via Facebook July 13, 2013: World Music Library @WorldMusicLibrary, via Facebook July 13, 2013

Met Opera held the fourth revival of the Schenk-staged Meistersinger in 2003, in the season following the third revival, as the only successively staged revival of the production's six revivals.

Manhattan's Metropolitan Opera debuted Otto Schenk's new production of Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg ("The Master-Singer of Nuremburg") by German Romantic era composer-librettist Richard Wagner (May 22, 1813-Feb. 13, 1883) 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).

Schenk's staging experienced its first revival with the 1995-1996 season's five December 1995 performances. The second revival's four April 1998 performances took place in the 1997-1998 season. The third revival's seven performances were offered, as November and December 2001 dates, in the 2001-2002 season.

Met Opera's placement of the production's fourth revival on the 2002-2003 season's performance roster marked the only instance of back-to-back revival seasons in the production's revival history at the opera house. One fallow season (1996-1997) had intervened between the 1995-1996 season's first revival and the 1997-1998 season's second revival. Three inactive seasons (1998-1999; 1999-2000; 2000-2001) had separated the 1997-1998 season's second revival from the 2001-2002 season's third revival.

The Schenk-staged Meistersinger production's fourth revival received three performances in the 2002-2003 season. The fourth revival opened Friday, April 25, 2003. The second performance occurred Monday, April 28. The third performance closed the fourth revival Thursday, May 1, 2003.

The fourth revival's first performance marked Met Opera's 403rd performance of Wagner's Die Meistersinger. The opera house had staged the historical opera's United States premiere Monday, Jan. 4, 1886.

The fourth revival's title role of historical cobbler and meistersinger Hans Sachs was sung by James Morris (born Jan. 10, 1947), who reprised Hans from the third revival. The American bass-baritone had made his Met Opera debut Thursday, Jan. 7, 1971, as the King in the opera house's 782nd performance of Aida by Italian opera composer Giuseppe Verdi (Oct. 10, 1813-Jan. 27, 1901).

The fourth revival's role of the meistersinger contest's prize, Eva Pogner, was sung by Solveig Kringelborn (born June 4, 1963), who reprised the role that she had added to her Met Opera portfolio via the third revival's first three performances. The Norwegian operatic soprano had made her Met Opera debut Monday, Sept. 25, 2000, as Donna Elvira in the opera house's 455th performance of Don Giovanni by Classical Era composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Jan. 27, 1756-Dec. 5, 1791).

The fourth revival's role of meistersinger contest winner Walther von Stolzing was sung by Johan Botha (Aug. 19, 1965-Sep. 8, 2016), who reprised the role that he had added to his Met Opera portfolio via the third revival's first three performances. The South African operatic tenor had made his Met Opera debut Monday, Jan. 6, 1997, as Canio in the opera house's 659th performance of Pagliacci by Italian opera composer and librettist Ruggero Leoncavallo (April 23, 1857-Aug. 9, 1919).

Jill Grove made her first reprisal of Magdalene, Eva's companion, in all three of the fourth revival's performances. The American mezzo-soprano had made her Met Opera debut Friday, Nov. 5, 1999, as Pantalis in the opera house's 55th performance of Mefistofele by Italian composer and librettist Arrigo Boito (Feb. 24, 1842-June 10, 1918).

Matthew Polenzani (born 1968) made his first reprisal as David, apprenticed to Hans Sachs, in all three of the fourth revival's performances. The American lyric tenor had made his Met Opera debut Friday, Dec. 19, 1997, as Khrushchov in the opera house’s 251st performance of Boris Godunov by Russian composer Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky (March 21, 1839-March 28, 1881).

Hans-Joachim Ketelsen (born Feb. 17, 1945) made his first reprisal as master-singing town clerk Berkmesser in all three of the fourth revival's performances. The German operatic baritone had made his Met Opera debut Thursday, Oct. 13, 1994, as Mandryka in the opera house's 39th performance of Arabella by German composer Richard Strauss (June 11, 1864-Sep. 8, 1949).

John Del Carlo (Sept. 21, 1951-Oct. 29, 2016) made his fourth reprisal of master-singing baker Kothner via all three of the fourth revival's performances. The American operatic bass-baritone had made his Met Opera debut in the new production's opening performance, Thursday, Jan. 14, 1993.

The fourth revival's role of Eva's master-singing goldsmith father, Veit Pogner, was sung by René Pape (born Sep. 4, 1964), who reprised the role that he had added to his Met Opera portfolio in the third revival. 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.

The fourth revival's role of the Night Watchman was sung by John Relyea (born in 1972), who reprised the role that he had added to his Met Opera portfolio in the third revival. The Canadian operatic bass-baritone had made his Met Opera debut Thursday, Feb. 24, 2000, as Alidoro in the opera house's 13th performance of La Cenerentola by Italian composer Gioachino Rossini (Feb. 29, 1792-Nov. 13, 1868).

James Levine reprised his conductorship for all three of the fourth revival's performances. He had conducted the new production's debut season and first through third revivals. Met Opera's second Music Director had made his Met Opera debut Saturday, June 5, 1971, in the opera house's 539th performance of Tosca by Italian opera composer Giacomo Puccini (Dec. 22, 1858-Nov. 29, 1924).

Peter McClintock reprised his position as stage director from the new production's first through third revivals. The American stage director had made his Met Opera debut Monday, Dec. 4, 1995, in the first revival's first performance, which numbered as the opera house's 387th performance of Wagner's Die Meistersinger.

Met Opera absented the Schenk-staged Meistersinger from the performance roster for the three seasons (2003-2004; 2004-2005; 2005-2006) that followed the fourth revival's third, closing performance. The fifth revival of Schenk's Meistersinger production took place in the 2006-2007 season.

The takeaways for Met Opera's holding the fourth revival of the Schenk-staged Meistersinger in 2003 are that the fourth revival's staging immediately after the 2001-2002 season's third revival constitutes the only instance of back-to-back revivals in the production's revival history; that James Morris, Solveig Kringelborn and Johan Botha reprised their roles from the third revival; that James Levine and Peter McClintock reprised their respective positions as conductor and stage director; and that the production's fifth revival would wait for almost four years.

German operatic bass René Pape's made his first reprisal of Eva Pogner's master-singing goldsmith father, Veit Pogner, in Met Opera's fourth revival of the 1992-1993 season's Otto Schenk staging of Richard Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg; he had added his fourth Wagnerian opera to his Met Opera portfolio with the 1999-2000 season's Tristan und Isolde, and he had made his first reprisal of King Marke in the 2003-2004 season, immediately after his last Meistersinger's Pogner performance in the 2002-2003 season's fourth revival: René Pape @renepapebass, via Twitter March 23, 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:

Norwegian operatic soprano Solveig Kringelbotn (known as Solveig Kringelborn outside of Norway) reprised the role of Eva Pogner in Met Opera's fourth revival of Otto Schenk's 1992-1993 new production of Richard Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg; she had added the role to her Met Opera portfolio in the 2001-2002 season via the third revival's first three performances: World Music Library @WorldMusicLibrary, via Facebook July 13, 2013, @ https://www.facebook.com/WorldMusicLibrary/posts/220901621391551/

German operatic bass René Pape's made his first reprisal of Eva Pogner's master-singing goldsmith father, Veit Pogner, in Met Opera's fourth revival of the 1992-1993 season's Otto Schenk staging of Richard Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg; he had added his fourth Wagnerian opera to his Met Opera portfolio with the 1999-2000 season's Tristan und Isolde, and he had made his first reprisal of King Marke in the 2003-2004 season, immediately after his last Meistersinger's Pogner performance in the 2002-2003 season's fourth revival: René Pape @renepapebass, via Twitter March 23, 2020, @ https://twitter.com/renepapebass/status/1242192004337074176

For further information:

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Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=332117

"Debut: Johan Botha." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 326990 Cavalleria Rusticana {617} Pagliacci {659} Metropolitan Opera House: 01/6/1997.
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"Debut: Otto Schenk." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 216180 New production Tosca {490} Metropolitan Opera House: 10/4/1968.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=216180

"Debut: Peter McClintock." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 322630 Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg {387} Metropolitan Opera House: 12/4/1995.
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“Debuts: Constantin Pluzhnikov . . . Matthew Polenzani.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 330264 Boris Godunov {251} Metropolitan Opera House: 12/19/1997.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=330264

"Debuts: Hans-Joachim Ketelsen, Charles Workman, Natalie Dessay, David Frye." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 318160 Arabella {39} Metropolitan Opera House: 10/13/1994.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=318160

"Debuts: John Del Carlo, Robert Brubaker, LeRoy Lehr." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 311140 New production Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg {379} Metropolitan Opera House: 01/14/1993.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=311140

"Debuts: James Morris, Jacques Cesbron." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 224150 Aida {782} Metropolitan Opera House: 01/7/1971.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=224150

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Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=322610

"Debuts: John Relyea, Bruno Campanella." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 332447 La Cenerentola {13} Metropolitan Opera House: 02/24/2000.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=332447

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Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2022/05/die-meistersinger-is-mets-may-14-2022.html

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Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2022/06/met-opera-debuted-schenks-staging-of.html

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Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2022/06/met-opera-held-die-meistersingers-us.html

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Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2022/06/met-opera-held-first-revival-of-schenk.html

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Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2022/07/met-opera-held-second-revival-of-schenk.html

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Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2022/07/met-opera-held-third-revival-of-schenk.html

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Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=311140

René Pape @renepapebass. "Tonight @MetOpera will show #TristanundIsolde from the 2015/2016 season at 7:30pm ET! The stream is available until tomorrow at 6:30pm ET. I am very happy to have my performance of King Marke as part of #WagnerWeek. You can watch through the link below!" Twitter. March 23, 2020.
Available @ https://twitter.com/renepapebass/status/1242192004337074176

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Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=4530

World Music Library @WorldMusicLibrary. "SOLVEIG KRINGLEBOTN (født 4. juni 1963 i Frogn) er en internasjonalt kjent norsk operasangerinne. Internasjonalt benytter hun ofte kunstnernavnet Solveig Kringelborn. . . ." Facebook. July 13, 2013.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/WorldMusicLibrary/posts/220901621391551/