A wonderful section from an opera, Wagner’s “Die Meistersinger.” Even absent a general tolerance for opera, the viewer will find this scene highly entertaining. Some context is necessary: Friendly rivals Hans Sachs, the village cobbler and poet, and town clerk Beckmesser both have an interest in Eva, the gold merchant’s daughter. While Sachs thinks of her like a daughter, Beckmesser is determined to win her hand by performing the winning song at the next day’s festival. While Sachs works on a pair of shoes outside his shop, Beckmesser arrives to serenade Eva and try out his new song.
Beckmesser chides Sachs for not being the Marker (judge) in the upcoming contest, and prepares to start his serenade; Sachs announces that he will be the judge for this performance and tells Beckmesser that he will mark each error with a strike of his cobbler’s hammer. And so the serenade begins.
(James Morris is Sachs/ Thomas Allen is Beckmesser)
