This is the second in the series of Marek Janowski's ten-opera Wagner Odyssey to be issued on the PentaTone label. It was recorded live on June 3rd 2011 in the Berlin Philharmonie with a mainly European cast that includes some of the finest Wagner exponents currently on the international opera circuit.

In a recent magazine interview Janowski explained that over many years his interest in ensuring the detail of Wagner's contrapuntal orchestral writing always remains clear has become a matter of great importance to him. There is no doubt that on this recording his concern for orchestral clarity has paid dividends, while the fine balance between orchestra, chorus and soloists has been achieved thanks not only to the conductor's musicianship but also to the the skilful engineering of the PentaTone recording team . This is no mean feat in a one-off concert with little opportunity for patching.

Of all Wagner operas 'Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg' has possibly the most lively and vigorous stage action involving a large cast. To achieve a sense of movement without visual cues is difficult enough in studio conditions, but almost impossible in a concert performance. Here the singers are confined for the most part to the central area of the Philharmonie platform in front of the orchestra and whilst singing they remain firmly in one position. So in spite of the superb singing of the Rundfunk Chor in the mêlée at the end of Act 2 and the changing perspectives Act 3 Festwiese procession, the lack of a sense of a staged performance is both an inevitable and unfortunate drawback.

The allocation of the main roles has obviously been undertaken with much care, yielding overall as fine a cast as one could encounter in most of the major opera houses today.

The psychologically complex role of the cobbler poet Hans Sachs has always been difficult to cast, but Albert Dohmen has risen to the challenges of this part with great success. Sachses on record can be fatherly, benevolent, noble, intellectual, profound - even bitter or some combination of all these qualities. Dohmen is a deeply serious Sachs, often sounding almost angry yet he shows the sensitivity of his character in the delivery of his two famous monologues. His singing never flags throughout his taxing part, and at the opera's conclusion he delivers his paean in praise of 'heil'ge deutsche Kunst' in firm and forthright tones.

The American tenor Robert Dean Smith brings his vast experience of the role of Walther von Stolzing to this recording. It is fourteen years since I heard him at Bayreuth in this part and though, inevitably, his voice has lost some of the youthful freshness it possessed then, his singing – a combination of lyricism and ringing tone – never disappoints.

Edith Haller has a beautiful voice that she uses with intelligence. Her girlish sounding Eva is at its best in the scene with Sachs in Act 2 ( Disc 2 Tr. 4) and the Act 3 Quintet. However, she can at times sound rather tentative and choppy in her phrasing.

The Beckmesser of Dietrich Henschel avoids any of the irritating caricatures that beset some interpretations of this part. His singing is generally firm and accurate though he does lack the individuality and humour of the finest interpreters of the past.

The lively Magdalene of Michelle Breedt and fresh-voiced David of Peter Sonn are well matched, providing the necessary contrast with the voices of Eva and Walther.

Georg Zeppenfeld proves himself a most reliable and noble sounding Veit Pogner. His fellow Mastersingers are generally well characterised, although the unsteady and strained Fritz Kothner of Tuomas Pursio is something of a trial. Matti Salminen's brief appearances as the Nachtwächter in Act 2 are two cameo gems.

This brings us to the question of pacing a work that even without intervals can last almost five hours. For reference, Janowski's timings for each act are:

I 79.54 II 58.34 III 114.47

He begins the opera with a fast (8.33), but flexibly moulded 'Vorspiel' that immediately demonstrates the clarity of sound that he wishes to achieve in Wagner. Here, as throughout this recording, one marvels at the exceptionally fine orchestral playing of all sections of the Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester especially the rounded brass and characterful woodwind. Janowski's penchant for brisk tempi certainly propels the action forward, usually to the work's benefit, and his straight no-nonsense approach to the score will be welcomed by many listeners. Occasionally a sense of the music's warm expansiveness and grandeur is missing – one example being the orchestral passage that links the opera' final scenes where he tends to push ahead too rapidly.

Possibly due to the much larger forces involved, the sound picture appeared to be not quite as spacious or transparent as on Janowski's earlier recording of 'Der Fliegende Holländer' Wagner: Der Fliegende Holländer - Janowski and some hardness and edge on the voices was once again apparent. However, it must be acknowledged that on the whole the 5.0 PCM hi-res recording has a warmth and richness not always apparent in the Philharmonie acoustic.

The 4-disc set is handsomely packaged inside a 350-page book that includes the full German/ English libretto, biographies of the singers and an interesting essay on the characters by Steffen Georgi. Removing the discs from their cardboard sleeves fastened into the front of the book without touching their surfaces presents considerable problems and the discs are best stored separately in plastic sleeves. There are also a couple of proofing errors – the playing times for discs 2 and 3 are reversed (page 13) and Meister Pogner is translated as Master Ponger (page166)!

No one recording of Die Meistersinger will ever suit all listeners and over the last sixty years there have been many cherishable studio versions of this opera to choose from, amongst which those by Knappertsbusch, Kempe, Karajan, Jochum, Kubelik ( my personal favourite) and Solti are some of the finest ever committed to disc. This short-list may be further supplemented by live recordings from Bayreuth that includes versions by Cluytens, Varviso and Barenboim to name just three of the best.

In the final analysis Janowski's Meistersinger for all its estimable qualities is not quite in the exalted company of some of those listed above. Nevertheless it remains fine achievement and a most valuable addition to recordings of this work on disc.

Recommended.

Copyright © 2011 Graham Williams and HRAudio.net

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