On the heels of Wagner’s bicentennial year it is fascinating to hear this very early broadcast from 1938, mounted in celebration of Wagner’s 125th birthday. The performance is only about 50 minutes of Act II, fading out just before Beckmesser’s serenade, but it still presents a tantalizing glimpse of Wagner in the early part of the 20th century. The Hans Sachs is Josef von Manowarda and he is quite good. The voice is an impressive size and he manages to sing with admirable legato even during the more bombastic moments. Max Lorenz is captured in his prime and delivers a lyric tenor with a dramatic punch to it. Margarethe Teschemacher offers a pretty, if somewhat bland Eva. Ferdinand Frantz brings poise and beauty to Pogner’s solo.