Siemens FestivalNights

The genesis of Wagner’s Meistersinger took place in the context of the rediscovery of the middle ages during the 19th century, when the great works of medieval literature were remembered and the Germans sought a glorious past there. The romantics had already discovered Nuremberg as a place of longing. Wagner meant to continue this tradition, but the opera morphed into something quite different as he worked on it: it became an object lesson on the role of art in society. All the strains of the action are held together by art. It is the vital centrepiece of the work: its rules are the rules of life, and whoever succeeds in the arts ensures social success. Social rank follows artistic achievement. In 1880, Wagner wrote that he hoped for an "aesthetic world order". In the Nuremberg of the Meistersinger, it is anticipated.