Die Meistersinger Metropolitan 1945

 This broadcast is the most complete example we have of Herbert Janssen as Hans Sachs. Perhaps best known for the lighter Wagnerian baritone roles (Kurwenal, Telramund etc), Janssen moved into the heavier roles of Sachs and Wotan towards the end of his career. Most of his Sachs is preserved here since the missing parts of the opera - the first 30 minutes of act 1 and the final 8 minutes of act 3 - are  not crucial to his role. The broadcast started at 2pm, half an hour after the performance since it seems that the maximum amount of airtime WJZ was willing to give to opera on a Saturday afternoon was four hours (2-6pm). This policy of course affected Wagnerian operas the most and perhaps it was for this reason that there was no broadcast of Parsifal between 1938 and 1952 and no complete broadcast of Gotterdammerung between 1936 and 1951. Long operas such as Tristan and Walkure, both of which were broadcast regularly during the 1940s, were heavily cut. The original discs are in the New York Public Library and it is not clear if the final eight minutes are preserved or not but sadly they are not included here.

Herbert Janssen

Metropolitan Opera House
February 10, 1945 Matinee Broadcast (Partial)


DIE MEISTERSINGER VON NÜRNBERG

Hans Sachs..............Herbert Janssen
Eva.....................Eleanor Steber
Walther von Stolzing....Charles Kullman
Magdalene...............Kerstin Thorborg
David...................John Garris
Beckmesser..............Gerhard Pechner
Pogner..................Emanuel List
Kothner.................Mack Harrell
Vogelgesang.............Morton Bowe
Nachtigall..............Hugh Thompson
Ortel...................Osie Hawkins
Zorn....................Richard Manning
Moser...................Lodovico Oliviero
Eisslinger..............Karl Laufkötter
Foltz...................Lorenzo Alvary
Schwarz.................John Gurney
Night Watchman..........Louis D'Angelo

Conductor...............George Szell

[Note: The opera began at 1:30 and the broadcast at 2:00.]
https://rapidshare.com/files/891184674/1945MeistersingerAct1.mp3
https://rapidshare.com/files/2114280556/1945MeistersingerAct2.mp3
https://rapidshare.com/files/610072/1945MeistersingerAct3.mp3