The repertoire of "Bayreuth by the Danube” - the Budapest Wagner Days festival held annually at Müpa Budapest - was expanding once again to include a new work in 2013, namely the German composer's comic opera Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg. Ádám Fischer, who is fully conversant in Wagner's music and highly regarded as a conductor of his works having appeared as a guest on several occasions in Bayreuth, brought a cast of world-renowned singers for this production at Müpa Budapest. We have already had the chance to see and hear Eric F. Halfvarson as Gurnemanz in Parsifal and as Hagen in The Ring of the Nibelung cycle, while Klaus Florian Vogt and Annette Dasch were appearing for the first time at the Wagner Days in 2013. Debuting here in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg was Denmark's Bo Skovhus, who originally studied to be both a doctor and a singer. His choice of career was eventually made easy by his hugely successful performance in the role of Don Giovanni. Since then, he has appeared in the world's great opera houses and gained the title of Kammersinger from the Austrian state. We also welcomed in the year of 2013 another new performer in the shape of James Rutherford, one of the outstanding representatives of the young generation of British opera singers. The director, set designer and costume designer for this performance form a familiar team, as Michael Schulz, Dirk Becker and Renée Listerdal have already worked together on a production of the complete Ring tetralogy staged in Weimar. A DVD of this production was received enthusiastically by the public and critics alike.

Artistic director and conductor: Ádám Fischer

Performers:
Hans Sachs - James Rutherford
Veit Pogner - Eric F. Halfvarson
Kunz Vogelgesang - William Saetre
Konrad Nachtigall - Domonkos Blazsó
Sixtus Beckmesser - Bo Skovhus
Fritz Kothner - Miklós Sebestyén
Balthasar Zorn - István Horváth
Ulrich Esslinger - József Csapó
Augustin Moser - Lars-Oliver Rühl
Hermann Ortel - Piotr Prochera
Hans Schwarz - Ferenc Cserhalmi
Hans Foltz - Zoltán Nagy
Walther von Stolzing - Klaus Florian Vogt
David - Uwe Stickert
Eva - Annette Dasch
Magdalena - Gudrun Pelker
A Nightwatchman - Dömötör Pintér

Featuring:
MR Symphonic Orchestra and MR Choir (choirmaster: Csaba Somos)
Hungarian National Choir (choirmaster: Mátyás Antal)

Creators:
Director: Michael Schulz
Set: Dirk Becker
Costumes: Renée Listerdal
Assistant director and revival director: Sylvie Gábor

This recording was made at a concert held at Müpa Budapest on 15 June 2013.

Admission to the programme is free of charge, but subject to prior registration on our website.

Presented by: Müpa Budapest