Were it not for Elisabeth Grümmer's shining Eva, there would aught to make this "Meistersinger" stick out from other efforts from the Green Hill. Grümmer is so immediate, youthful, personable, vocally radiant and full of "face" in her line readings that one treasures her every utterance. You also will sit up and take note of the Nightwatchman: It is David Ward, in his debut Bayreuth season, giving indications of great things to come. Wolfgang Windgassen, enjoying a busman's holiday from Siegfried, applies his bel canto skills to Walther, although years of heavy repertory have lost the voice some of its resilience. Gerhard Stolze is a David of personality, although his vocal quality hardly ingratiates (this was one of Wieland's more peculiar enthusiasms) and Elisabeth Schaertel makes little impression as Magdalene. In the heavier roles we have a bass as Kothner and a baritone as Pogner. Theo Adam fares well enough in the latter assignment but the less said of elderly Ludwig Weber's Tabulatur the better. Karl Schmitt-Walter continues the Wagner brothers' tradition of casting the role with a Lieder singer, even if the basic tonal quality is not ingratiating. That is nothing compared to the gnarled-sounding Sachs of Josef Greindl. Personality he has aplenty but you have to endure a lot of crusty, unlovely sounds to get at it. Josef Krips, in his only Bayreuth season, maintains a songful line in the pit but one gleans very few insights from his once-over-lightly reading.

Fine conducting from the inclusive Krips in his only visit to Bayreuth. Greindl's avuncular Sachs is always worth hearing in any of his four years of performance on the Green Hill. Krips was reportedly easy to work with, and the singing and playing seems to have an eagerness and enjoyment which is vital to this work-and which is often missing.

I have a recorded performance from Bayreuth 1960, conducted by Knappertsbusch, with (almost) the same cast. Josef Greindl is (IMHO) the best Sachs EVER! With tremendous volume, limitless depth, and a superb, subtle brain. As it turns out, his well-known rough, savage, "cave-man" persona, for which he was typecast, was just an act. He can also be as intimate and tender as anyone. And he is not at all troubled by the high (for him) tessitura.The rest of the cast is fine, especially Wolfgang Windgassen as Walther and Eliz. Grummer as Eva. With low-bass Greindl as Sachs, bass-baritone completes the "invert" motif by playing the low bass part of Veit Pogner the goldsmith, and Ludwig Weber, the leading low bass of the previous generation, takes on the loud, declamatory baritone role of Fritz Kothner the baker. The result is one of the most interesting casts in any MEISTERSINGER.But the best things about this are the conversations. I have to stop myself from interrupting Sachs with my own questions about music, philosophy, history, and mastersinging during the singing lesson Sachs gives Walther at the beginning of Act III.