For someone allergic to Adam, Windgassen and DFD, finding a decent Meistersinger is not easy. So far, my top choice has been Kubelik with Konya. This one here is very good, excellent conducting, Gruemmer, a surprisingly good Stolzing. There is Sawallisch, capturing the BSO as I know and love it, but Sachs is bit too large for Weikl. The older BSO recording with Keilberth is frustrating -- the sound is harsh and lacks depth and, while the smaller parts are an encyclopedia of German singing, Eva and Stolzing are not in the same class. I still need to hear the live BSO with Kna.

I can't think of anything about this Meistersinger that's worth recommending. The cast is subpar and Cluytens' conducting is uninspired, languorous, and flaccid. Just listen to Bohm, Karajan, Jochum, Sawallisch et al to hear how this music should be conducted. The only mildly interesting thing about this performance is the novelty of having two famous Bayreuth baddies playing good guys for a change: Gustav Neidlinger as Hans Sachs and Joseph Greindl as Pogner. Both are credible in their respective roles but nothing more. There are many far better Meistersingers available at Opera Depot and elsewhere.

Gustav Neidlinger was typecast for the "howling-and-spitting" villain-roles very early in his career. Everyone thinks of Alberich and Klingsor when his name is mentioned. But he was in fact a versatile, smart singing actor equally capable of singing buffo parts and playing benevolent nice-guys. His Hans Sachs retains his characteristic massive vocal power, dark tone, and, his spontaneity, his uninhibited singing straight from the gut. His nasty side works well when he's "marking" Beckmesser, but he's also astonishingly tender when he talks with Eva in Act 2, and his monologues and avuncular interactions with David. The only flaws in this performance are his occasional tendency to rush a phrase, reaching the end of the line a little sooner than the orchestra; also, he runs out of gas a little bit during the singing lesson with Walther in Act 3.Tenor Walter Geisler is a big surprise, sweet, smart, and powerful. Everything else Andy said is right, about Eliz Grummer and Gerhard Stolze, but Andy neglected to mention that Josef Greindl has one of his best nights as Pogner, a role he first sang at Bayreuth in 1943 and apparently never got tired of. Andre Cluytens' conducting is very smart and sensitive.