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When it comes to Wagner, people will go far and wide to see a good performance, and several English Wagnerians made a special trip to Madrid to see one. This was _Die Meistersinger von

Nürnberg_ in a staging by French director Laurent Pelly. It was simple but highly effective, and with powerful choral singing — vital for this opera. In Act III, after the Apprentices have

called for silence, and the townsfolk have recognised their hero Hans Sachs, the chorus’s _Wach Auf_ (“Wake Up”) was almost deafening. After Beckmesser has made a hash of Walther’s beautiful

poem, which he wrongly attributes to Sachs, the Masters listen with rapt attention as Walther himself sings it correctly. You could feel their appreciation of new ideas well presented, and

a willingness to accept Walther into their group as a Mastersinger himself. Their horror as he declines their well-meaning offer yields a small _coup de théâtre_. The Masters knock over

their chairs and retreat from front of stage before Sachs comes forward to bid Walther not to scorn them (_Verachtet mir die Meister nicht_), but to honour an art that they have cared for in

their own way, cherished even, despite the stress of evil years. But his paean to German art comes with a warning (_Habt Acht!_) that evil tricks threaten us, and at this point that some

commentators have expressed difficulty, embarrassment even, with Wagner’s warning that foreign delusions might one day take hold in Germany. The embarrassment is about German nationalism

resulting in two world wars, and its appalling consequences during the second one, but Pelly sees it differently. The houses of Nuremberg are made of cardboard, the stage set is frayed at

the edges, and when the Mastersingers appear together on stage they sit within a huge picture frame, partly broken, and with repairs that fail to match up correctly. Perhaps it takes a

non-German director to recognise the pertinence of Wagner’s warning today, when Germany is only now preparing to defend itself against potential aggression from without, and threats of

foreign ideas from an immigrant community from within. Great art, and there is no question that _Meistersinger_ is a great opera, has its own logic that we would be wise to heed. During the

final part of Act III we see, projected on the backdrop, a view of a meadow in an alpine landscape, but as the final seconds approach a black curtain falls across it. For me at least, Pelly

has made his point very effectively. But it is, after all, only theatre, and Walther and Eva both come forward at the end, one on each side, to close the curtains. As Hans Sachs himself,

Gerald Finley is at the top of his game, showing the humanity, wisdom and even slight bemusement in the Act II _Flieder_ monologue, that his character exhibits. Wonderful. As his

self-appointed rival, Leigh Melrose made an outstanding contribution as the whingeingly jealous rule-stickler Beckmesser. In the bass role of the goldsmith Pogner, who is giving away his

daughter Eva to the winner of the song contest, Jongmin Park looked the part as an elderly man, and sang with huge authority. As Sachs’ apprentice, the likeable but anxious David, Sebastian

Kohlhepp was perfect, and Russian mezzo Anna Lapovskaja excellent as his beloved Magdalene. As the young lovers Walther and Eva, Tomislav Mužek and Nicole Chevalier looked the part, singing

with vocal enthusiasm, and I have never seen such luxury casting of the Nightwatchman as the Ukrainian bass Alexander Tsymbalyuk, whose credits include the title role in _Boris Godunov_. The

orchestra under the baton of Pablo Heras-Casado played their hearts out, and the huge chorus sang splendidly, though I sometimes wished the heavier brass would not treat it as a day out to

celebrate as loudly as possible. But as a day out, _Meistersinger_ in Madrid is well worth the trip. A MESSAGE FROM THEARTICLE _We are the only publication that’s committed to covering every

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