Listening to Kubelík’s urgent conducting and Fischer-Dieskau’s towering assumption of the title role, it’s easy to see why many people consider this to be Hindemith’s masterpiece. Against a background of the Peasants’ Revolt and Church-State conflicts in early 16th-century Germany, Hindemith weaves a complex parable of the role of the artist in society. The libretto may be wordy and the score overburdened with notes, but the opera’s dramatic and musical sweep is immensely impressive.

-- Stephen Maddock, BBC Music Magazine