This four-CD set from andante presents the highly sought-after version of Wagner's "Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg" recorded live at the 1937 Salzburg Festival, with Arturo Toscanini conducting and a cast including Hans Hermann Nissen as Hans Sachs and Maria Reining as Eva. With the Nazi annexation of Austria to follow the next year, Toscanini — a dedicated anti-fascist — would never return to Salzburg. This recording captures both the Maestro and the Salzburg Festival at a fraught moment in history, and the electricity in the air and in the music-making was captured by Austrian Radio's experimental Selenophone audio film system.

Although the 1937 "Die Meistersinger" has seen circulation off and on in pirated form (with vastly inferior sound quality), this is the famous performance's first official release — and, importantly, it remains the only extant document of Toscanini conducting a full Wagner opera. The recording has been painstakingly restored and digitally remastered by Ward Marston, working from transfers of the best possible sources by Seth Winner.

Packaged in an attractive, eye-diverting slipcase, the 260-page companion book features very rarely seen photos of the performers and sets from the 1937 Salzburg production, as well as an array of evocative images of Wagner and Toscanini. The extensive texts—in English, French and German— include an introduction by Pulitzer Prize–winner Tim Page, a detailed producer's note by Ward Marston, and an essay by Toscanini biographer Harvey Sachs ("Toscanini and Wagner, Salzburg 1937"). Also included are the full opera synopsis and libretto, along with detailed artist biographies from The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians.