Met Opera: A Masterful "Die Meistersinger" With Levine As Masterconductor

The world of grand opera is generally not known for its comedies, and few are quite as grand, funny or poignant as the Metropolitan Opera's magnificent production of Die Meistersinger von Nurnburg, which returned to the house last night with James Levine in the pit to draw out every nuance of Wagner's radiant and rousing score. A cast full of mastersingers, led by a brilliant James Morris as the cobbler-poet Hans Sachs, a strong Johan Botha as the lovesick knight Walther von Stolzing, and the lo...