Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg

How does one recognize a good song? Who decides on what basis it is to be judged?  Do you go by the opinion of the old masters, who insist that their own rules be followed to the letter, or by what you feel deep down in your heart, maybe a feeling of passionate love that you believe to contain some immediate truth? Is there perhaps a golden mean?

Three men from different generations attempt in a singing contest to win over Eva’s heart: but she has made up her mind from the start which one of the three she prefers. By way of a series of lucky and unlucky turns of event, by way of some deception and cunning and finally at the end of the opera by way of a fair competition the fitting lovers find each other. Only their future is open: how to deal with the past and who will define the new rules of the game?

Despite the Nazi regime‘s improper ideological appropriation of the title, this opera remains one of the most successful and beloved Wagner works in opera houses today, because it enables, beyond the obvious, various levels of interpretation. The 1868 original premiere idealizes the bourgeoisie as a class with their own democratic values and principles of achievement and makes fun of conformists and opportunists. It also concerns itself with the question of readiness to compromise and how to integrate the best innovation in the existing system. In Aron Stiehl’s staging the work will be a gigantic festive spectacle in which comical scenes counterbalance on a par the more serious scenes.