Wagner - Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg / Heppner, Mattila, Morris, Pape, Allen, Polenzani, Levine, Metropolitan Opera
by Hans-Joachim Ketelsen
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Ben Heppner, James Morris, Karita Mattila, Matthew Polenzani, Rene PapeDirector: Hans-Joachim Ketelsen
Conductor: James Levine
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: German (Original Language); German (Subtitled); English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); Chinese (Subtitled); English (Dubbed); French (Dubbed); German (Dubbed); Spanish (Dubbed)
Format: AC-3, Classical, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 292 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-01-11
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Deutsche Grammophon
Movie Reviews of Wagner - Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg / Heppner, Mattila, Morris, Pape, Allen, Polenzani, Levine, Metropolitan Opera
Movie Review: Is Wagner Truly a Great Composer?
Summary: 3 Stars
Quite a pageant, this Meistersinger! The sets are magnificent. So are the costumes. The comic bits are really funny, and the poignant bits are poignant enough. The recording and cinematography are first rate, good mainstream movie quality. The orchestra plays beautifully. I sat through most of the 292 minutes of the DVD thinking that I would have to award at least four stars. Make no mistake: I was genuinely entertained. However, there were four dreadful weaknesses:
1. The singing of James Morris. As other reviewers assert, his voice sounds old and tired. His tuning is imperfect at critical moments. His lower register is feeble and raspy. I kept finding my ears wishing he'd sit down and let someone else sing. Perhaps he has been a great singer in his days, but he's not adequate to the burden of singing Hans Sachs today. I could go farther; I could say that his voice has all the musical charm of a gas-powered leafblower, but that would be cruel and impolitic.
2. The chorus. Did no one else notice what a growly mess they made of their music? Such an approximation of tuning! Pfui! Teufel!
3. Hans Sachs's final paean to German mastery. Not only was James Morris's voice reduced to a thin snarl by that time but the whole aria is anti-climactic both musically and dramatically. Given the historical resonance of Wagner's role in German culture, it was also painful to the mind.
4. The music. Half of it is glorious, memorable, inspiring. I've carried the Meistersingers' entry march in my mind since I first played it myself in my junior high school orchestra. Unfortunately, the other half of the score is grind-it-by-the-foot sausage music. Did Wagner's ego blind him to the compositional requirement of giving us his best at all times, of polishing and selecting? I loved the high points of this performance, but it required a bovine patience and devotion to fairness to sit through the rest.
Others have commented on the problems specific to the DVD format, that both Karita Mattila and Ben Heppner look too old and stiff. I had the same problem at first. Heppner in particular has the physical presence of a tuba player in a small town oompah band. But I overcame that sensation of incredulity as I listened to their splendid vocal performance. Opera is still a stage art, and such magnificent voices are not so common that a few wrinkles and a little pudge should banish them from the stage.
More Wagner - Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg / Heppner, Mattila, Morris, Pape, Allen, Polenzani, Levine, Metropolitan Opera reviews:
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