(guest blogged by Howie Klein)

Richard Wagner isn't thought of as someone who wrote comedic operas, but Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg is a long (five hour) 3-act opera that is generally considered comedic... if not exactly the rotflmao type.

First performed in 1868, it is still one of his most popular operas and is based on historical characters, particularly Hans Sachs, the most acclaimed master singer of the sixteenth century. My partner at DWT, Ken, a former New York Times opera critic, went to see a decidely mediocre version at the Met in NYC last week and wrote his impressions at DownWithTyranny this morning.

Tonight the Late Night Music Club is offering you a few minutes of a performance that was far better than what Ken saw at the Met. This was conducted by Horst Stein in Bayreuth in 1984. Enjoy and then read about tonight's contest:

The prize tonight is a 3-CD boxset put together by Martha Stewart called THE HOLIDAY COLLECTION. Never too early to get ready for the holidays and this one is amazing with CDs dedicated to traditional favorites, jazz and classical compositions. To win send an e-mail to downwithtyranny@aol.com telling us what the TSA confiscated from Ken on his flight from Florida to New York, what he thinks is wrong with conductor James Levine and what Ken says the opera's "make-or-break" moment is-- in your own words.