The role of Sachs is a complex and demanding one, and bass-baritone James Morris delivers a powerful performance. If his voice has lost some of its luster, he more than compensates with his multifaceted interpretation of the character.
As Walther, tenor Johan Botha impresses with his clarion sound and smooth delivery. His “Prize Song” was certainly among the musical highlights of the evening along with Sachs’s monologues “Was duftet doch der Flieder” and “Wahn! Wahn! Überall Wahn!” Botha is not much in the way of an actor, but his singing is always a pleasure.
The soprano Annette Dasch looks and sounds right as Eva and so does the bass Hans-Peter König as her father, Pogner.
The German baritone Johannes Martin Kränzle is simply wonderful as Beckmesser, the comic heavy, who is humiliated in the end, a sort of Malvolio figure.
Also noteworthy in the large cast is the other set of lovers, mezzo-soprano Karen Cargill as Magdalene and tenor Paul Appleby as David.
The chorus and orchestra maintain their consistently high standards, and the presence of James Levine is always a cherished event.
The outstanding baritone Michael Volle will play Sachs on Dec. 9 and 13, and Morris will return for the performances on Dec. 17, 20, and 23 at the Metropolitan Opera House, Lincoln Center; 212-362-6000, metopera.org
The Live HD broadcast with Volle as Sachs will take place at local theaters in the U.S. on Dec. 13 at 12 p.m. ET, and there will be an encore on Wednesday, Dec. 17, at 6:30 p.m. local time.
Barry Bassis has been a music, theater, and travel writer for over a decade for various publications.
