Klaus Florian Vogt is a singer oft discussed at parterre box, but few have had the opportunity to hear him, especially those in the USA. It is unique voice, definitely best experienced live. I have been lucky enough to have heard him annually since 2007 in Bayreuth performances of Die Meistersinger and Lohengrin, as well as in Die tote Stadt, Katá Kabanová, and Lohengrin in Wien.

This 2010 Bayreuth performance of Katharina Wagner’s controversial production of Die Meistersinger (which I loved, and saw five times between 2007 and 2011) represents the best of the run. Katharina suddenly found herself with a 38-year-old Sachs, the superb British baritone James Rutherford, currently an ensemble member in Graz. Having a Sachs and Walther so close in age considerably altered the dynamics of the men’s relationships with Eva, and with each other.

Four years into the run, Katharina basically redirected the entire production to reflect that Sachs and Eva were lovers at the end of an affair, and the relationship between Sachs and Walther now more adversarial than avuncular. Direction was changed, too, for newcomer Adrian Eröd’s smarmy Beckmesser. While early performances were vociferously booed, the production, like so many others at Bayreuth, went on to be a cult favorite and became the most-request ticket at Bayreuth for its final years.

Richard Wagner: Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg

Bayreuther Festspiele
Sebastian Weigle, conductor
02 August 2010

Hans Sachs, Schuster – James Rutherford
Veit Pogner, Goldschmied – Artur Korn
Kunz Vogelgesang, Kürschner – Charles Reid
Konrad Nachtigal, Spengler – Rainer Zaun
Sixtus Beckmesser, Stadtschreiber – Adrian Eröd
Fritz Kothner, Bäcker – Markus Eiche
Balthasar Zorn, Zinngießer – Edward Randall
Ulrich Eisslinger, Würzkrämer – Forian Hoffmann
Augustin Moser, Schneider – Stefan Heibach
Hermann Ortel, Seifensieder – Martin Snell
Hans Schwarz, Strumpfwirker – Mario Klein
Hans Foltz, Kupferschmied – Diógenes Randes
Walther von Stolzing – Klaus Florian Vogt
David, Sachsens Lehrbube – Norbert Ersnt
Eva, Pogners Tochter – Michaela Kaune
Magdalene, Evas Amme – Carola Gruber
Ein Nachtwächter – Friedemann Röhling