Contractual problems prevented Rafael Kubelik’s 1967 Bavarian Radio recording of Wagner’s Die Meistersinger from being released until its appearance on the Calig label several years back. Here it is again, on the Italian independent label Myto. If there’s a better Meistersinger on record, I’ve yet to hear it. The Kubelik Meistersinger exudes wonderfulness on every level. Let’s start with the orchestra. Under Kubelik’s magic hands, the Bavarian Radio Symphony reveals Wagner’s orchestration to more vivacious, differentiated, and characterful effect than its high-tech, big-name counterparts (yes, I mean Solti/Chicago Symphony and Karajan/Dresden Staatskapelle). Just listen to the poignant oboe and clarinet commentaries as they sync up in glorious chamber-like accord with the string turns throughout Sachs’ “Fleder” monologue in Act 2, or the perfectly paced transitions that make Act 3 seem much shorter than it is.
The exceptional cast proves every inch worthy of its genius accompaniment. Gundula Janowitz’s Eva, for instance, radiates lightness and joy with a voice as supple as a redbird, and she’s got a great supporting partner in her Magdelene, played by the young Brigitte Fassbaender. Thomas Stewart’s warm, focused sonority and compassionate mind-set, along with his rock-solid, unfussy musicianship add up to one of the most satisfying portrayals of Hans Sachs on disc. Then there’s Sándor Konya’s dryish yet totally committed Walther, who blooms best in Act 3’s “Prize Song”. It’s nice to encounter a lighter-voiced and more earnest Beckmesser than the overtly comedic assumptions we sometimes hear: in other words Thomas Hemsley approaches this role more as Leo Bloom than Max Bialystock. For a tiny bonus, Myto throws in a handful of commercial 78s featuring great past Wagnerians Franz Völker, Lauritz Melchior, and Alexander Kipnis. My only quibble concerns the German-only libretto. If you can transcend the skimpy packaging, you’ll be rewarded a thousand times over with a Meistersinger for the ages.
