# A nice Midsummer with Meistersinger von Nurnberg



## Hesoos (Jun 9, 2012)

Have a nice midsummer!!!

Hi everyone, today I was watching on DVD Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg and I thought, Why don't start a thread about Midsummer?

Purcell, Britten, Mendelsshon and others have composed music about Midsummer (operas or music for stage).
But for me Wagner's Meistersinger von Nurnberg is the best for a such magical night. 
How do you think about that? What's the best Midsummer's composition and what is your favorite version?

My favorite is Meistersinger von Nurnberg and I have only one version, the Opera Australian' version: conductor Mackerras, sing Does, McIntyre, Frey, Pringle, Doig, Shank, Gun, Allman. Anyway, this dvd is nice with a traditional and wonderful settings.

The principal aria from Die Meistersinger von Nurnber: Morgenlicht leuchtet with Rene Kollo.:tiphat:


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## guythegreg (Jun 15, 2012)

Midsummer's compositions I have loved: hmm. Not a one. I don't even like Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream. Midsummer nights, however, I am much in favor of. A bottle of wine, Traviata (or your latest obsession) on the CD player, fireflies rising in the gloaming ... ah.


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## powerbooks (Jun 30, 2012)

You should try the Met DVD of Meistersinger. Very well done.

It was the first opera I went to see at the Met 15 years ago: 6 to 11:50 PM! Same production, almost same principal casts. (Not same Eva).

I am not that into Midsummer though


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## Moira (Apr 1, 2012)

Down in the southern hemisphere where it is winter we had the South African National Youth Orchestra play the overture to Die Meistersinger van Nurnberg this evening. The entire concert was sublime.


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## guythegreg (Jun 15, 2012)

powerbooks said:


> You should try the Met DVD of Meistersinger. Very well done.


I have tried it, several times. I just get bored out of my MIND. I can't get through it. Sorry!


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## powerbooks (Jun 30, 2012)

guythegreg said:


> I have tried it, several times. I just get bored out of my MIND. I can't get through it. Sorry!


It is long and, if impatient to a dry tenor Dave, it is difficult to follow through even the first Act. But once you taste the humors, it is hard not to love it. Maybe you are more into the romantic tragedy in La Traviata, which honest may make you sick after listening. But after Meistersinger, you will feel much lifted to a brighter moonshine state! Try it again. Listen to Sachs meditation in Act 3, one of the most sublime music piece ever written!


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## guythegreg (Jun 15, 2012)

Well, I'm working on Wagner. Recent successes in access - to ballet, to Trovatore - make me hopeful for the future. Who knows, some day I may even enjoy Otello!


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## guythegreg (Jun 15, 2012)

powerbooks said:


> if impatient to a dry tenor Dave


Did you run this through a translation service? Just wondering ...


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## powerbooks (Jun 30, 2012)

guythegreg said:


> Did you run this through a translation service? Just wondering ...


Since then, I have read the libretto; but in the Met opera house, there is individualized subtitle for you to choose. No I was not talking about the dry words, but dry voice instead.......


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## guythegreg (Jun 15, 2012)

powerbooks said:


> It is long and, if impatient to a dry tenor Dave


No, what I mean is: I didn't understand this phrase. What does this mean? Can you give me the original, and let me try to translate it myself?


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## powerbooks (Jun 30, 2012)

guythegreg said:


> No, what I mean is: I didn't understand this phrase. What does this mean? Can you give me the original, and let me try to translate it myself?


Mine is the "original". 

Dave (the character in the opera) as a tenor has some quite challenging phrases in the first Act, and if you happen to hear a dry voice, it might sound hash, imperfect, and make you lose patience for the whole story, which would be unfortunate because it is truly a wonderful story!


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## guythegreg (Jun 15, 2012)

lol Dave is a character in Meistersinger? OMG I've gone completely nuts ... Dave Beckmesser, maybe? or was it Dave Sachs? you must have been talking about a different opera and I missed the segue ...


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## powerbooks (Jun 30, 2012)

David, beg your pardon! The young apprentice of Sachs.


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## guythegreg (Jun 15, 2012)

OH, sorry, I didn't remember that character's name! Yeah, I've watched I think as far as the evening time after the first competition, when Eva and another character are walking down the street ... that's the last scene I remember at all, anyway. Well, I'm hoping for great things from Parsifal, next season. We'll see!


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

guythegreg said:


> OH, sorry, I didn't remember that character's name! Yeah, I've watched I think as far as the evening time after the first competition, when Eva and another character are walking down the street ... that's the last scene I remember at all, anyway. *Well, I'm hoping for great things from Parsifal, next season*. We'll see!


Holy mackerel, Greg, if you got bored with Meistersinger I think you might find Parsifal heavy-going. I'm still struggling with it though I like everything else I've seen/heard by Wagner (including Rienzi)


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## guythegreg (Jun 15, 2012)

lol well you know, too many people love it! It must be something there that I can get into ... I have faith. The idea Emiellucifuge had, that it's essentially spiritual, put me on the right track I think. Well, we'll see.


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## bigshot (Nov 22, 2011)

If Meistersinger is too long, just skip to the third act. It's a bit like the first act of Walkure that is a self contained bit.


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

guythegreg said:


> lol well you know, too many people love it! It must be something there that I can get into ... I have faith. The idea Emiellucifuge had, that it's essentially spiritual, put me on the right track I think. Well, we'll see.


I like your attitude, Greg, I share it. If I don't like Parsifal much now I'll just persevere, I know I'll like it sooner or later. Happened to me with other Wagner operas, with Baroque opera, with Philip Glass and John Adams, with Lulu.


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## guythegreg (Jun 15, 2012)

bigshot said:


> If Meistersinger is too long, just skip to the third act. It's a bit like the first act of Walkure that is a self contained bit.


OMG that's too funny ...


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## guythegreg (Jun 15, 2012)

mamascarlatti said:


> I like your attitude, Greg, I share it. If I don't like Parsifal much now I'll just persevere, I know I'll like it sooner or later. Happened to me with other Wagner operas, with Baroque opera, with Philip Glass and John Adams, with Lulu.


Exactly! EVERYBODY ELSE CANNOT BE WRONG!


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## Couchie (Dec 9, 2010)

I should like to sing the _Preislied_ to potential mates, but the results of wooing thus far have been less than satisfactory...


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