Met Opera Held Sixth Revival of Schenk-Staged Meistersinger in 2014

Summary: Met Opera held sixth revival of the Schenk-staged Meistersinger in 2014, after skipping seven seasons following the 2006-2007 season's fifth revival.

Met Opera's sixth revival of Otto Schenk's 1992-1993 season staging of Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg featured James Morris in his fourth season in the title role of historical master-singing cobbler Hans Sachs and Annette Dasch as Eva Pogner, prized as wife of Nuremberg's meistersinger contest winner: The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera, via Facebook Dec. 1, 2014

Met Opera held the sixth revival of the Schenk-staged Meistersinger in 2014, after skipping the seven seasons (2007-2008 through 2013-2014) that followed the production's fifth revival in the 2006-2007 season.

On Thursday, Jan. 14, 1993, New York City's Metropolitan Opera debuted Otto Schenk's new Met Opera 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). The Austrian opera and theater director had made his Met Opera debut Friday, Oct. 4, 1968, in the opera company's 490th performance of Tosca by Italian opera composer Giacomo Puccini (Dec. 22, 1858-Nov. 29, 1924).

The production had received its first revival in the 1995-1996 season. The second through fifth revivals were distributed over 10 seasons, with the second revival's staging in the 1997-1998 season and the fifth revival's appearance in the 2006-2007 season.

The longest gap in the production's revival history occurred between the 2006-2007 season's fifth revival and the 2014-2015 season's sixth revival. Seven seasons (2007-2008; 2008-2009; 2009-2010; 2010-2011; 2011-2012; 2012-2013; 2013-2014) of absence from the opera house's performance roster separated the fifth and sixth revivals.

The Schenk-staged Meistersinger production marked its sixth revival with seven December 2014 performances in the 2014-2015 season. The sixth revival opened Tuesday, Dec. 2. The second through sixth performances took place Saturday, Dec. 6; Tuesday, Dec. 9; Saturday, Dec. 13; Wednesday, Dec. 17; and Saturday, Dec. 20. The sixth revival closed with the seventh performance, Tuesday, Dec. 23.

James Morris (born Jan. 10, 1947) reprised the title role of historical cobbler and meistersinger Hans Sachs for the first two and the last three of the sixth revival's seven performances. His first Hans dated to the production's third revival. He had made his first and second reprisals in the fourth and fifth revivals, respectively. 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).

James Morris shared the role with Michael Volle (born 1960), who sang Hans in the sixth revival's third (Tuesday, Dec. 9) and fourth (Saturday, Dec. 13) performances. The German operatic baritone made his Met Opera debut Thursday, April 3, 2014, as Mandryka in the opera company’s 53rd performance of Arabella by German late Romantic and early modern composer Richard Strauss (June 11, 1864-Sept. 8, 1949).

Annette Dasch (born March 24, 1976) sang Eva Pogner, the Nuremberg meistersinger contest's prize, in all seven of the sixth revival's performances. The German lyric coloratura soprano had made her Met Opera debut Monday, Nov. 23, 2009, as Countess Almaviva in the opera company's 447th performance of Le Nozze di Figaro by Classical Era composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Jan. 27, 1756-Dec. 5, 1791).

Johan Botha (Aug. 19, 1965-Sept. 8, 2016) reprised the role of Walther von Stolzing, winner of the contest and of Eva, for all seven of the sixth revival's performances. His first Walther dated to the third revival. The production's fourth and fifth revivals had added the role's first and second reprisals to his portfolio. The South African operatic tenor had made his Met Opera debut Monday, Jan. 6, 1997, as Canio in the opera company's 659th performance of Pagliacci by Italian opera composer and librettist Ruggero Leoncavallo (April 23, 1857-Aug. 9, 1919).

Karen Cargill (born 1975) sang Magdalene, Eva's companion, in all seven of the sixth revival's performances. The Scottish operatic mezzo-soprano had made her Met Opera debut Tuesday, April 24, 2012, as Waltraute in the opera company’s 231st performance of Wagner’s Götterdämmerung.

Paul Appleby (born June 29, 1983) sang David, apprenticed to Hans Sachs, in all seven of the sixth revival's performances. The American operatic tenor had made his Met Opera debut Saturday, May 7, 2011, as Brighella in the opera company’s 89th performance of Ariadne auf Naxos by German late Romantic and early modern composer Richard Strauss (June 11, 1864-Sept. 8, 1949).

Johannes Martin Kränzle (born 1962) sang master-singing town clerk Berkmesser in the sixth revival's first four and last two performances. The German operatic baritone's appearance in the sixth revival's opening performance (Tuesday, Dec. 2) marked his Met Opera debut.

Johannes Martin Kränzle shared the role with Martin Gantner (born May 15, 1965), who sang Berkmesser in the sixth revival's fifth performance (Wednesday, Dec. 17). The German operatic baritone sang dual roles in the sixth revival, as Berkmesser and as Kothner. His appearance as Kothner in the sixth revival's opening performance (Tuesday, Dec. 2) had marked his Met Opera debut.

Martin Gantner sang his main sixth revival role as master-singing baker Kothner in the sixth revival's first four and last two performances. He shared the role with Ryan McKinny, who sang Kothner in the sixth revival's fifth performance (Wednesday, Dec. 17). The American lyric bass-baritone had made his Met Opera debut Friday, May 4, 2012, as Mr. Ratcliffe in the opera company's 45th performance of Billy Budd by Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten (Nov. 22, 1913-Dec. 4, 1976).

Hans-Peter König sang Eva's master-singing goldsmith father, Veit Pogner, in all seven of the sixth revival's performances. The German operatic bass had made his Met Opera debut April Fool's Day, Thursday, April 1, 2010, as Sarastro in the opera company's 396th performance of Mozart's Die Zauberflöte.

Matthew Rose (born May 4, 1978) sang the Night Watchman in all seven of the sixth revival's performances. The English operatic bass made his Metropolitan Opera debut Friday, Nov. 18, 2011, as Colline in the opera company’s 1,240th performance of Puccini’s La Bohème.

James Levine reprised his conductorship for all seven of the sixth revival's performances. He had conducted the new production's debut season; the first through fourth revivals; and the first three of the fifth revival's four performances. 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.

James Levine shared the fifth revival's conductorship with John Keenan, who conducted the fifth revival's fourth, closing performance. The American conductor had made his Met Opera debut Thursday, Nov. 1, 1990, in the opera company's 405th performance of Mozart's Don Giovanni.

Paula Suozzi was positioned in all seven of the sixth revival's performances as the revival's stage director. The Metropolitan Opera Archives Database (MetOpera Database) does not specify a Met Opera debut for the American stage director's appearance in the sixth revival's first performance, even though the entry numbers as the database's first for her.

After the sixth revival's seventh, closing performance, the Schenk-staged Meistersinger production experienced its second longest period of inactivity. Six seasons (2015-2016; 2016-2017; 2017-2018; 2018-2019; 2019-2020; 2020-2021) elapsed between the 2014-2015 season's sixth revival and the 2021-2022 season's seventh revival.

In the 2021-2022 season, the seventh revival receives six performances, distributed in October and November 2021. The seventh revival opened Tuesday, Oct. 26. The second through fifth performances were offered Saturday, Oct. 30; Thursday, Nov. 4; Sunday, Nov. 7; and Thursday, Nov. 11. The seventh revival's sixth performance took place Sunday, Nov. 14. The Saturday, Oct. 30, matinee broadcasts as Met Opera's Saturday matinee radio broadcast for May 14.

The takeaways for Met Opera's holding the sixth revival of the Schenk-staged Meistersinger in 2014 are that the production's longest dry spell, a drought of seven seasons, had separated the 2006-2007 season's fifth revival from the 2014-2015 season's sixth revival; that James Morris and Johan Bothan reprised their respective roles as Hans Sachs, historical cobbler and meistersinger, and Walther von Stolzing, winner of the meistersinger contest and of Eva as wife; that James Levine reprised his conductorship of the Schenk-staged Meistersinger production; and that the second longest dry spell, a drought of six seasons, distanced the sixth revival from the 2021-2022 season's seventh revival.

Met Opera's sixth revival of Otto Schenk's 1992-1993 season staging of Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg featured Johan Botha (left) in his fourth season as Walther von Stolzing, who quickly learns master-singing for love of Eva Pogner, and Hans-Peter König (right) as Veit Pogner, master-singing goldsmith and Eva's father: The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera, via Facebook Dec. 1, 2014

Acknowledgment

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

Image credits:

Met Opera's sixth revival of Otto Schenk's 1992-1993 season staging of Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg featured James Morris in his fourth season in the title role of historical master-singing cobbler Hans Sachs and Annette Dasch as Eva Pogner, prized as wife of Nuremberg's meistersinger contest winner: The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera, via Facebook Dec. 1, 2014, @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/a.10154955018445533/10154955019110533/

Met Opera's sixth revival of Otto Schenk's 1992-1993 season staging of Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg featured Johan Botha (left) in his fourth season as Walther von Stolzing, who quickly learns master-singing for love of Eva Pogner, and Hans-Peter König (right) as Veit Pogner, master-singing goldsmith and Eva's father: The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera, via Facebook Dec. 1, 2014, @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/a.10154955018445533/10154955018925533

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The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera. "Wagner Week continues with the composer’s only comedy, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, tonight’s free Nightly Met Opera Stream. Otto Schenk’s picturesque staging stars Michael Volle as Hans Sachs, alongside Johannes Martin Kränzle as Beckmesser and Johan Botha and Annette Dasch as the lovers Walther and Eva. The stream will be available tonight, March 28, at 7:30PM EDT until tomorrow, March 29, at 6:30PM EDT. . . ." Facebook. March 28, 2020.
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