This Day in Classical Music History: Jun 21 - Premier of Wagner’s 'Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg’
1868 - 150 years ago today Wagner’s opera “Meistersinger von Nuernberg” premiered in Munich, Germany to immediate acclaim and success. It is among his longest operas, with a running time of 4-1/2 hours. The opera is unique in several ways: it is the only comedic opera among Wagner’s mature operas; it does not take place in a mythical setting, but instead has a historical context; it does not contain any supernatural elements; the original story was written by Wagner himself.