The Mastersingers of Nuremburg, Colliseum *****

There are so many reasons for the ENO not to stage this opera. In the financial hell the company has dug themselves into, why did they think that they could fill a 2,500 seat auditorium for a 5 and a half hour opera known for it's link to Nazism? However, the triumphant overture began to a packed auditorium and, more impressively, ended with a full, enthusiastic audience. The scarily long running time seemed to fly by faster than the 2 hour Happy Days which I saw 2 days earlier. What's more, it is extremely funny in a way that no other opera can possibly dare to be. It is a luxury to be presented with such quality from Richard Jones' production for such a long time. The pitfalls that Jones could fall into are avoided extremely well, especially the final scene which is clearly a piece of nationalism  but is now concentrated of the genius of German art. Also, the anti- semitism often associated with Beckmesser is totally avoided, now just being a comic 'baddie' which suits much better. The lyricism is surprising to me, with rousing melodies and magnificent choral parts in the third act. Before, I thought this opera just was an example of a composer being indulgent but after you appreciate every note this genius has created.