Wagner’s Meistersinger: Performance, History, Representation. Ed. Nicholas Vazsonyi. Rochester, NY: University of Rochester Press, 2003. Paperback edition 2004.
Richard Wagner’s Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg has been one of the most performed operas ever since its premiere in 1868. It was adopted as Germany’s national opera (“Nationaloper”), not least because of its historical coincidence with the unification of Germany under Bismarck in 1871. The first section of this volume, “Performing Meistersinger,” contains three commissioned articles from internationally respected artists – a conductor (Peter Schneider), a stage director (Harry Kupfer) and a singer (Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau), all experienced in the performance of this unusually demanding 5-hour work.
