Directed live at the 2009 Bayreuth Festival, this version of the Meistersinger marked the arrival of the Katherina Wagner-Eva Wagner-Pasquier duet: half-sisters, taking over from their father Wolfgang at the head of this daunting institution. With deliberately modernised sets and by putting characters into perspective, moving away from the heavy-handed habits of the 1950s (Chéreau had already done much of the spadework, but there was still a lot left to do), we are seeing a genuine mini revolution. The work brings together Franz Hawlata as Hans Sachs, Michael Volle as Beckmesser, Michaela Kaune singing Eva, all conducted by Sebastian Weigle. Katharina Wagner herself is credited as the stage director, and she didn't hesitate to make some fairly major changes to the balances between the characters: Sachs and Walther, who start off as marginal figures, end as conformists – Sachs's closing words being rather similar to the speeches of a certain Adolf, with his tics and gestures – while on the other hand Beckmesser (normally the butt of the jokes) becomes, bit by bit, the creative, marginal person who finds their own artistic identity – even if he is not supposed to sing very well. Listening to this work without the visual assistance of the stage production leaves one in need of a few explanations as to the audience's reactions! © SM/Qobuz