Der Meistersinger
Wed Dec 17, 2014 Encore performance.
We thought we were going to a 6 PM performance and after we bought the tickets we found it didn't start till 6:30. At 6:30 it still had not started so I went to the box office to complain. They started it 7 minutes later during the Overture. We missed the intro and the beginning of the overture. There was only one other couple in the theater.
The production was stunning from the voices, the chorus and the orchestra. the sets were also huge. Two 25 minute intermissions were required to move and assemble the sets. It was fun to watch the backstage crew as usual.
I really had an appreciation of this opera as the plot unfolded since I never saw it before.
The voices of Hans Sachs and the Duke played by Johan Botha were the best of the bunch. The Wagner brass was stirring. for us the opera was over at 12:35 midnight but we enjoyed every minute of it, purchasing popcorn during the second intermission to give us sustenance to keep us awake, not that the music didn't achieve this goal. .
