Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
Ten years ago Saffron Opera group made its debut at Saffron Hall with Wagner’s comedy of aesthetics which was given again for this anniversary, almost to the day. Wagner has been the company’s core repertoire, including the Ring Cycle with imaginative, well-cultivated casts and with the conductor Michael Thorne delivering some memorable performances, increasingly over the years more semi-stagings than concert performances
The company did, however, has its work cut out for this performance when Paul Carey Jones, the Hans Sachs, had to stand down and was replaced by William Stevens in Acts 1 and 2 and in Act 3 by Andrew Greenan who also sang Pogner for the first two acts. As a result, both singers kept close to their scores. Even so, Stevens, the younger of the two, conveyed Sach’s unexpected reaction to Walther’s song in Act 1 with quizzical openness and the way his attractive bass thickened lower down expressing his growing authority was fine for the unfolding riot in Act 2 egged on by some enthusiastic cobblering. After his wise Pogner, Greenan was the more traditional, older Sachs in Act 3, gently insinuating the gravitas and veiled lyricism of the ‘Wahn’ monologue, underpinning a beautifully layered quintet, then rising to the occasion in his Deutsche Kunst peroration. The Meistersinger ethos emerged in all his glory.
Charne Rochford’s Walther had Heldentenor staying power and an ardent, free-spirit stage presence, initially with a rather monochrome, forced tone that sweetened and loosened by the time he got to the Prize Song; his scenes with Sachs and Eva were fluently acted. He was well matched by Alex Aldren as David. He used his sweet, compact tenor intelligently and turned on the charm for his Act 1 solo, which he sang, very well, from memory. Georgia Mae Bishop made more of Magdalene than I have experienced in most full stagings, acting with her voice, as it were, and making one wish she had more to do. Eleanor Dennis was in equally radiant voice as Eva, engaging and very affecting in the Act 3 quintet.
William Dazeley’s Beckmesser was the most completely acted performance, an extraordinary, Basil Fawltyesque portrait of frustrated certainties, very will sung and blissfully funny in his song prize attempt. Simon Grange, a sonorous Nightwatchman sung from the gallery in Act 2, assumed the role of Pogner in Act 3. The Mastersingers paraded their group self-importance to great effect, handsomely sung and acted by Simon Thorpe, Paul Sheehan, Joshua Baxter, Pauls Putnins, Andrew Mayor, Charles Johnston, Jonathan Finney, Philip Clieve and Lawrence Thackeray. The 50-strong chorus wore a vibrant selection of nightwear for the riot and put on their glad rags for the last act. They were completely on top of the riot scene detail and they delivered an impressive fortissimo on ‘Wach auf!’.
Under the circumstances things could easily have become a bit safe, but this was very ,much not the case under Michael Thorne’s conducting. The orchestra delivered a big, solid sound for the Prelude, which came across strongly in Saffron Hall’s excellent acoustic and if, in general, colours were on the primary side and the sound sometimes too loud for balance, the rapport between orchestra and singers was flexible and full of character. Elaine McKrill’s staging, with a few props and costume changes was neat and discreet. The performance was dedicated to the memory of the singer Nicholas Folwell, a Saffron Opera regular, who died earlier this year.