Met Opera Held Third Revival of Schenk-Staged Meistersinger in 2001

Summary: Met Opera held the third revival of Schenk-staged Meistersinger in 2001 after a skip of three seasons following the 1997-1998 season's second revival.

American bass-baritone James Morris (center) added Richard Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg to his Met Opera portfolio with his appearances as the opera's historical master-singing cobbler, Hans Sachs, in Met Opera's third revival of Otto Schenk's 1992-1993 new production; he reprised the role in the production's fourth, fifth and sixth revivals: The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera, via Facebook Dec. 1, 2014

Met Opera held the third revival of the Schenk-staged Meistersinger in 2001, after skipping the three seasons (1998-1999; 1999-2000; 2000-2001) that followed the production's second revival in the 1997-1998 season.

Otto Schenk (born June 12, 1930) debuted his new Met Opera staging 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 of Wagner's Die Meistersinger marked its first revival with five December 1995 performances in the 1995-1996 season. Three and one-third years later, the 1997-1998 season staged the production's second revival, with four performances in April 1998.

After skipping three seasons (1998-1999 through 2000-2001) following the 1997-1998 season's second revival, Schenk's production of Wagner's Die Meistersinger experienced its third revival in the 2001-2002 season. The third revival offered seven performances, distributed in November and December 2001. The first performance occurred Saturday, Nov. 17. The second through sixth performances took place Tuesday, Nov. 20; Saturday, Nov. 24; Tuesday, Nov. 27; Saturday, Dec. 1; and Wednesday, Dec. 5. The third revival's seventh, closing performance was given Saturday, Dec. 8.

The third revival's first performance marked Met Opera's 396th performance of Wagner's Die Meistersinger. The Metropolitan Opera House's United States premiere of the historical opera had taken place Monday, Jan. 4, 1886.

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

Solveig Kringelborn (born June 4, 1963) appeared in the third revival's first three performances as Eva Pogner, who marries Nurenberg's newest meistersinger. The Norwegian operatic soprano had made her Met Opera debut Monday, Sep. 25, 2000, as Donna Elvira in the opera company's 455th performance of Don Giovanni by Classical Era composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Jan. 27, 1756-Dec. 5, 1791).

Solveig Kringelborn shared the role with Karita Mattila (born Sep. 5, 1960), who sang Eva for the third revival's fourth through seventh, closing performances. She had added the role to her Met Opera portfolio in the Schenk production's debut season and had made her first reprisal of the role in the first revival. The Finnish operatic soprano had made her Met Opera debut Thursday, March 22, 1990, as Donna Elvira in the opera company's 388th performance of Mozart's Don Giovanni.

Johan Botha (Aug. 19, 1965-Sep. 8, 2016) appeared in the third revival's first three performances as Walther von Stolzing, whose quick mastery of master-singing wins Nuremberg's master-singing contest and Eva as his wife. 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).

Johan Botha shared the role with Ben Heppner (born Jan. 14, 1956, as Thomas Bernard Heppner), who sang Walther in the third revival's fourth through seventh, closing performances. Ben Heppner had added the role of knightly Walther to his Met Opera portfolio with appearances in the last two (seventh and eighth, closing) performances of the new production's debut season, in all five of the first revival's performances and in all four of the second revival's performances. The Canadian dramatic tenor had made his Met Opera debut Wednesday, Dec. 11, 1991, in the title role in the opera house's 36th performance of Mozart's Idomeneo.

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

Mathias Zachariassen (born 1968) sang David, apprenticed to Hans Sachs, in the first three of the third revival's seven performances. The Swedish operatic tenor's appearance in the third revival's opening performance (Saturday, Nov. 17) marked his Met Opera debut.

Mathias Zachariassen shared the role with Matthew Polenzani (born 1968), who sang David in the third revival's last four performances. The American lyric tenor had made his Met Opera debut Friday, Dec. 19, 1997, as Khrushchov in the opera company’s 251st performance of Boris Godunov by Russian composer Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky (March 21, 1839-March 28, 1881).

Eike Wilm Schulte (born Oct. 13, 1939) sang master-singing town clerk Berkmesser in the first four of the third revival's seven performances. The German operatic baritone had made his Met Opera debut Friday, Oct. 11, 1991, as the Speaker in the opera company's 274th performance of Mozart's Die Zauberflöte.

Eike Wilm Schulte shared the role with Thomas Allen (born Sep. 10, 1944), known as Sir Thomas Boaz Allen since 1999 knighting. Thomas Allen sang Beckmesser in the third revival's last three performances. The English operatic baritone had made his Met Opera debut Thursday, Nov. 5, 1981, as Papageno in the opera house’s 247th performance of Mozart's Die Zauberflöte.

Alan Held (born 1959) made his second reprisal of master-singing baker Kothner via the third revival's first four performances. 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).

Alan Held shared the role with John Del Carlo (Sep. 21, 1951-Oct. 29, 2016), who marked his third reprisal of Kothner via the third revival's last three performances. The American operatic bass-baritone had made his Met Opera debut in the new production's opening performance, Thursday, Jan. 14, 1993.

René Pape (born Sep. 4, 1964) sang Veit Pogner, Eva's master-singing goldsmith father, in all seven of the third revival's performances. Veit Pogner numbered as his second Meistersinger role. He had sung the Night Watchman in the production's first 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.

John Relyea (born in 1972) sang the Night Watchman in all seven of the third revival's performances. The Canadian operatic bass-baritone had made his Met Opera debut Thursday, Feb. 24, 2000, as Alidoro in the opera company's 13th performance of La Cenerentola by Italian composer Gioachino Rossini (Feb. 29, 1792-Nov. 13, 1868).

James Levine reprised his conductorship for all seven of the third revival's performances. He had conducted the new production's debut season and first and second revivals. Met Opera's second Music Director had made his Met Opera debut Saturday, June 5, 1971, in the opera company's 539th performance of Puccini's Tosca.

Peter McClintock reprised his position as stage director from the new production's first and second 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 company's 387th performance of Wagner's Die Meistersinger.

The fourth revival of Schenk's Meistersinger production succeeded the third revival. The 2002-2003 season's fourth revival marked the only instance of staging revivals of Schenk's production in successive seasons.

The takeaways for Met Opera's holding the third revival of the Schenk-staged Meistersinger in 2001 are that three seasons separated the opera house's stagings of the production's second and third revivals; that Karita Mattila and Ben Heppner reprised their respective roles of lovers Eva and Walther for the third revival's fourth through seventh, closing performances; that James Levine returned as conductor and Peter McClintock as stage director; that the third revival featured seven performances; and that the fourth revival followed the third revival as the only successively staged revival of the production's six revivals.

In the 2001-2002 season's third revival of Otto Schenk's staging of Richard Wagner's Die Meistersinger, German operatic bass René Pape added a second Meistersinger role to his Met Opera portfolio with his impersonations of mastersinging goldsmith Veit Pogner; in the first revival he had sung Die Meistersinger's Night Watchman; in between the first and third revival, he also added three more Wagnerian roles to his Met Opera portfolio, with appearances as Das Rheingold's Fasolt in the 1996-1997 season, as Lohengrin's King Heinrich in the 1998-1999 season; and as Tristan und Isolde's King Marke in the 1999-2000 seasons: René Pape @renepapebass, via Twitter May 13, 2021

Acknowledgment

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

Image credits:

American bass-baritone James Morris (center) added Richard Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg to his Met Opera portfolio with his appearances as the opera's historical master-singing cobbler, Hans Sachs, in Met Opera's third revival of Otto Schenk's 1992-1993 new production; he reprised the role in the production's fourth, fifth and sixth revivals: The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera, via Facebook Dec. 1, 2014, @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/a.10154955018445533/10154955018930533/

In the 2001-2002 season's third revival of Otto Schenk's staging of Richard Wagner's Die Meistersinger, German operatic bass René Pape added a second Meistersinger role to his Met Opera portfolio with his impersonations of mastersinging goldsmith Veit Pogner; in the first revival he had sung Die Meistersinger's Night Watchman; in between the first and third revival, he also added three more Wagnerian roles to his Met Opera portfolio, with appearances as Das Rheingold's Fasolt in the 1996-1997 season, as Lohengrin's King Heinrich in the 1998-1999 season; and as Tristan und Isolde's King Marke in the 1999-2000 seasons: René Pape @renepapebass, via Twitter May 13, 2021, @ https://twitter.com/renepapebass/status/1392888843422994433

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René Pape @renepapebass. "There is still time to stream my performance as King Marke in @metopera 's 1999 production of 'Tristan und Isolde'. The full opera is will be available until 6:30pm ET today -- 13 May. Visit http://metopera.org to watch! Camera Ken Howard." Twitter. May 13, 2021.
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