Masterly Meistersinger

Took God-daughter to the wonderful production of Meistersinger at Covent Garden, where our friends Simon and Toby were Walter and David. This is the classic production which we saw before the house closed for rebuilding and where the end of the 2nd act was used for the final closing gala concert.

Although it's quite long (5pm-10:40 including intervals) it really doesn't seem long. The melodies and action flow beautifully, thanks to superb singing and acting by all the cast (bar two) and very sensitive conducting. It is, after all, an extended meditation on art, music, love and human nature - subjects very dear to Wagner's heart and about which many people (including me of course!) care passionately.  The staging is also a visual feast, with the substantial forces and scale of the house used to summon up early an renaissance Nuremberg.

Simon and Toby were terrific - Simon somewhat reducing the force of his tremendous Heldentenor  to reflect Walter's character as a somewhat bemused outsider and Toby being a very credible naughty apprentice despite being of course much much older!  Wolfgang Koch as Hans Sachs is definitely one to watch, and of course Sir John Tomlinson adds immense depth and musicianship to any production, here as a very wise Pogner.  Emma Bell was a suitably radiant Eva.

Bar two did I say - well Peter Coleman-Wright was sadly indisposed with a bad cold and at the last moment they found a very good singer (whose name at present I can't find but I'll rectify this ASAP) who sang from the sidelines whilst Peter C-W acted the part. It was a remarkable tribute to the acting (but not singing) of PCW and the singing (but not acting) of Mr X that the audience in a sense barely noticed this, and both PCW and Mr X got enthusiastic applause at the curtain call.

Afterwards we popped backstage to see Simon who very kindly showed us the stage (God-daughter had never been) and then had a bite to eat with Toby joining us at the end for a drink since he had been meeting up with other friends.

I remember the final Gala before the house closing for rebuilding which was also Haitink's last appearance as Music Director. Someone (I think it was Geriant Evans) said that they had had a whip-round with the cast: they wanted to buy him a plane so that he could become the Flying Dutchman but they couldn't afford this so decided to make him the "putt putt Dutchman" and then John Tomlinson (I think) drove on the stage on a motor-scooter!  Haitink was dumbfounded - "I know who will like this ... contraption ... my wife"

It turns out that Toby was singing David on that occasion, and indeed it was Haitink's (4th) wife who had suggested this present. However it wasn't to Haitink's taste at all - quite understandably - and they had to substitute a painting.

What is the role of illusion in art, and human behaviour? How much of our lives are based, to a greater or lesser extent, on illusion?  When is illusion a good thing?  What is the distinction between illusion and metaphor?  What are the functions of rules in art and society and when and how should they be broken and acknowledged? What is our debt to tradition, and our duty to it?  And, unavoidably since the 1940s for this piece, to what extent can a work of art be tainted by its subsequent history and how can the taint be washed away?  All of these profound issues are raised, an illuminated, by this great and joyous production of this great and joyous work.