Great success for the premiere of »Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg«
The premiere of Richard Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg ended last Sunday with more than half an hour of jubilation. Audience and press were unanimous - here is an excerpt from the current press review:
»Audiences and press celebrate new »Meistersinger« in Vienna.«
Gerald Heidegger, orf.at
»From the magnificent ensemble, Michael Volle stood out as the grandiose Hans Sachs. [...] No less outstanding was Georg Zeppenfeld, who as Veit Pogner led a superbly cast Meistersinger. Wolfgang Koch proved striking comedianism as Sixtus Beckmesser [...].«
Michael Wruss, Oberösterreichische Nachrichten
»Jordan conducts the huge work fabulously, precisely, with great focus on sound and detail. The cast of singers is also first-rate: Michael Volle is a ravishing Sachs, powerful and beautifully phrasing until the finale. Georg Zeppenfeld as Pogner and Wolfgang Koch as Beckmesser complete the perfect trio of deep voices. David Butt Philip sings Stolzing very nobly, with beautiful timbre, Hanna-Elisabeth Müller Eva enchantingly, Michael Laurenz David with good high notes. The staging by Keith Warner is fabulous [...].«
Gert Korentschnig, Kurier
»The shoemaker, singer and poet Hans Sachs - wonderfully played, but above all fantastically sung by Michael Volle [...].«
Maria Scholl, APA
»Full success for yesterday's State Opera premiere of Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg [...].« »Excellent the top singers with Michael Volle, Georg Zeppenfeld, Wolfgang Koch, David Butt Philip, Hanna-Elisabeth Müller etc. Much acclaimed: Philippe Jordan on the podium of the fabulous State Opera Orchestra.«
Karl-Heinz Roschitz, Kronen Zeitung
Almost 50 years after the last premiere production and ten years after its last performance in the house, the Haus am Ring now has new Meistersinger. Wagner specialist Keith Warner directed, music director Philippe Jordan is at the podium.
About the cast: 3x Hans Sachs in different roles
»It's an incredibly exciting story about relationships, about new, changing things, about failure. Very human. Very timeless. And topical«, says the singer of Hans Sachs Michael Volle, who sang his long-awaited first State Opera premiere with Die Meistersinger, about the opera.
In addition to Michael Volle, two other internationally sought-after interpreters of Hans Sachs can be heard as Pogner and Beckmesser, respectively: Recently seen with great success in the Parsifal premiere at the Haus am Ring, among others, Georg Zeppenfeld (Pogner) and Wolfgang Koch (Beckmesser) return to the Staatsoper stage. David Butt Philip, who made his acclaimed house debut in October as Laca in the Jenůfa revival, sings his first Stolzing. His Eva is Hanna-Elisabeth Müller, who adds her first Wagner role to her State Opera repertoire after Donna Anna (Don Giovanni) and Pamina (Die Zauberflöte). Furthermore, for the first time at the Vienna State Opera, ensemble members Michael Laurenz will sing David and Christina Bock Magdalene.
Experience this true opera festival!
If you do not want to miss this premiere production, you will have four more opportunities to do so in December. There are still remaining tickets for all dates, standing room is of course also available.
Dates Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg: December 8, 11, 15 & 20
If you are unable to attend one of the performances, you still have the following options to enjoy the production:
Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg on radio, television and livestream
The performance on Sunday, December 11, 2022 will be broadcast live or live time-delayed:
- from 17.00 live on Radio Ö1
- from 17.00 live on the streaming platform of the Vienna State Opera (free of charge, registration required)
- from 8.15 p.m. live time-delayed on ORF III as part of »Erlebnis Bühne«.
The introductory matinee for the premiere, moderated by State Opera Director Bogdan Roščić, has already been published on the Vienna State Opera's Youtube channel. Philippe Jordan and his musical assistant and pianist Jendrik Springer, Keith Warner, Michael Volle, Georg Zeppenfeld, Wolfang Koch, David Butt Philip and Hanna-Elisabeth Müller introduce the premiere production and the work in general in conversations and musical contributions.