About the work
The Mastersingers of Nuremberg (German "Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg") is an opera in three acts by Richard Wagner, premiered in Munich in 1868. It is Wagner's only mature comedy and his largest stage work—a festive celebration of German art and of the contest between tradition and renewal.
Plot
In sixteenth-century Nuremberg, the young knight Walther von Stolzing falls in love with Eva, who may marry only the winner of the mastersingers' contest. But Walther's free, novel singing violates the rigid rules of the guild, above all those of the pedantic town clerk Beckmesser. The wise cobbler and poet Hans Sachs recognises Walther's genius and helps him reconcile inspiration and craft. At the great song festival Walther wins Eva and the masters' recognition with his "Prize Song," while Sachs renounces his own happiness and calls for the preservation of true art.
Cultural significance
The Mastersingers is Wagner's homage to the German artistic tradition and at the same time a reflection on the relationship between rule and genius, heritage and innovation. The figure of Hans Sachs is among the greatest baritone roles in the repertoire; the overture and the "Prize Song" are concert classics. At the same time, because of its closing monologue and its reception history, the work is the subject of controversial debate and is among the most discussed operas of all.