David McVicar
“I wanted to get away from all that turgid German high solemnity. It has to be so much more alive…”
– Director David McVicar, The Guardian 2011
Perhaps if I said, “Die Meistersinger is a ten hour opera,” it would be easier to deal with the actual running time, which is 5 1/2 hours.
5 1/2 hours of Wagner gives one pause. On the other hand, the score is a delight. The story is a delight. Adding singers like James Morris and Johan Botha doesn’t hurt; and add to that a director like David McVicar, this might be the one you don’t want to miss.
Amanda Majeski (Eva) and Sam Handley (Falz) spoke about it earlier this week.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Download MP3 (right-click and choose save as to download)
Die Meistersinger is on stage at Lyric Opera of Chicago through March 3.
