Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
Two Sacheses in Saffron
Saffron Opera Group celebrated its tenth anniversary with the opera that got them started, Die Meistersinger, in a thrilling concert performance which could easily have been derailed when Paul Carey Jones was obliged to withdraw at the last minute from his eagerly awaited debut as Hans Sachs. SOG’s solution to the crisis was as complex as any Wagnerian opera plot, but proved to be highly effective. In a game of operatic General Post, William Stevens, the announced Schwarz, moved up to Sachs for Acts 1 and 2 and Andrew Greenan, the scheduled Pogner, took over as Sachs for Act 3. Paul Sheehan stepped in as Schwarz and Simon Grange paired the Nightwatchman with Pogner’s few utterances in Act 3.
The result could have been highly confusing, but it worked very well. In the first two acts, Stevens’s gravely elegant, youthful bass revealed Sachs as a poet, prepared to be equally captivated by Stolzing’s song, Eva’s proximity, and the beauty of an elder-scented summer evening. His dealings with Beckmesser, especially in Act II, revealed a sly, understated humour. His reliance on his score was, in the circumstances, understandable. Greenan, already familiar with the role (he sang it with SO at their inaugural performance in 2014), took a freer approach, delving deeper into the character’s personality to give us Sachs the man, rough edges and all. His voice was luxurious and lyrical. Earlier, his Pogner had been equally assured and confident in Act I, with a beautiful Johannistag monologue, but shaken in Act II by the realisation that his well-intentioned grand plan might prevent Eva from marrying the man she loved.
The rest of the cast was of similarly high quality. It seems only yesterday that William Dazeley was singing Mozart’s younger heroes, but here he emerged as a Beckmesser to be reckoned with, an utter joy of a performance with comic timing to die for, while salvaging enough sympathy for the character to make me feel sorry for him in his humiliation in Act III. There were huge gains in having the role sung by such a beautiful, fluent high baritone: his mangling of the Prize Song was presented with such lovely assurance that it could almost (almost!) have passed for a Wolf lieder before its time, if only he had not made the words so clear, and the top A on Wachs! sounded almost insolently easy.
Eleanor Dennis’s Eva was a class act, with a voice that could more than encompass the role – surely Sieglinde, Elisabeth and Elsa must be on the horizon – and abundant technical ability to back it up. She conveyed Eva’s conflict between the two men in her life very movingly. Charne Rochford’s Stolzing had a fine heroic ring, with a full, confident sound which matched the character’s initial brashness and turned richer, more inward as the poet-knight matured in artistry and understanding. Alex Aldren was an exuberant, likeable, true-toned David, and Georgia Mae Bishop’s singing of Magdalene was pure class. I would love to hear her as Waltraute and Fricka. Simon Grange, singing the Nightwatchman from a side balcony, blessed the night with his golden tones, and the little we heard of his Pogner in Act III suggested that he should follow it up with a complete performance of the role before too long.
The Meisters, headed by Simon Thorpe’s gorgeously florid-voiced Kothner, were a classy team which included such notable names as Jonathan Finney (no mean Beckmesser himself) as Zorn, Charles Johnston as Ortel, Andrew Mayor as Nachtigall, and Pauls Putnins as Foltz. SOG had kings and princes for ambassadors.
What always comes across in SOG performances, is the sheer love of the music. Here, the orchestra may have benefited from additional rehearsal – there was the occasional off note from the exuberant brass section, and given that the orchestra was so exposed, it was not surprising that there were occasional problems with balance between players and singers – but the warmth, the deep affection, the sheer enjoyment that everyone radiated, was what made this visit to Nuremberg such a joy. Here’s to the next ten years!