Libretto english of the opera parsifal by richard wagner. Parsifal libretto englishgerman opera by richard wagner. Wagners festspielhaus in bayreuth reopened in 1951 with a performance of beethovens ninth symphony led by wilhelm furtwangler followed the next day by a performance of wagners parsifal led by hans knappertsbusch. Wagner acolyte is prepared to devote to its appreciation. Wilhelm richard wagner may 22, 18 february, 1883 was an influential german composer, music theorist, and essayist, primarily known for his operas. It was his last completed opera, and in composing it he took. Order from your preferred classical music cd store arkivmusic.
If i could magically move around the casts from various recordings of parsifal i would take barenboims parsifal, kundry and titurel, jerusalem, meier and tomlinson, karajans and kubeliks gurnemanz, moll, and karajans amfortas, van dam, the klingsor is fine on barenboim, kubelik or karajan. I love all wagner, one aficionado male and middleaged of course said to me once, but sometimes. No, in parsifal wagner had greater than christian fish to fry. In my continuing quest to be useful, and as a sequel to my ring leitmotiv guide of last year, here is a guide to the motives and other recurring themes of parsifal for your reference and appreciation. Learn more about parsifal, including its summary and characters. Wagners parsifal a partial survey of the discography by ralph moore. A titanic work in every sense of the word, wagners parsifal is the culmination of the composers symphonic conceptions of opera and here it does receive a reading deserving of that grandeur. Parsifal mounts the altar steps, takes the grail from the shrine already opened by the squires, and falls to his knees before it in silent prayer and contemplation. Notes recombined from the parts already available and the concert ending typeset by quentin clare. Parsifal 1951 knappertsbusch london, weber, windgassen. Bayreuth 761998 for the most part, in recent decades the bayreuth festival has been a veritable chamber of horrors when it comes. Unlike most other great opera composers, wagner wrote both the scenario and libretto for his works. Wagner conceived the work in april 1857, but did not finish it until 25 years later. In its first summer there parsifal was performed 16 times july 26 through august 29.
At the time, i had very little money to spare, so the low price was a determining factor in the choice of recording. Suddenly a swan falls to the ground, struck by an arrow. It is a world where everybody is an outsider, where lost souls wander aimlessly through time and space. Tempos are ideal, buildups natural, peaks never overstated. Rituals and sexmagick to the handwritten sample of 1914 to the cover of 1920. The knights drag in a youth, parsifal, whom gurnemanz rebukes for shooting the bird. The hypnotic music and the depth of the plot have attracted many different audiences. The knight describes years of trying to find his way back to amfortas and the grail. This is the translation of the version that reuss published in 1920. Parsifal is an opera in three acts by richard wagner.
Wagners last opera, parsifal deals centrally with the theme of mitleid, or compassion, a redemptive quality that is underlined by wagners gloriously sublime score. Sep 27, 20 p is for parsifal, wagner s final music drama and the one most adored by obsessive wagnerians. This is a partial discography of parsifal, an opera in three acts by richard wagner. Richard wagner 181883 parsifal direttore dorchetra. Scan the qr code or copy the address below into your wallet to send some monero. First act the curtain opens to disclose a woodland glade near the castle of monsalvat, in the northern mountains of gothic spain. Parsifal bayreuth 1954 hans knappertsbusch on allmusic 2002. A titanic work in every sense of the word, wagner s parsifal is the culmination of the composers symphonic conceptions of opera and here it does receive a reading deserving of that grandeur.
Richard wagner parsifal james king tenor kurt moll, matti salminen bass bernd weikl, franz mazura bassbaritone yvonne minton mezzosoprano. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. This was the first recording of parsifal that i bought. Wagners parsifal enthalt religiose elemente wie weihevolle musik, monstranzenthullung gral. Parsifal is an existential drama about the dilemma of our human existence. Parsifal james king, yvonne minton, richard wagner, rafael. Parsifal appears and cures amfortas with a touch of the holy spear. Parsifal buhnenweihfestspiel stage dedication play in three acts. Twentyfive years elapsed between its germination and its realisation as wagners last opera, and for some that inordinate period of gestation and creation is a metaphor for how they feel when sitting through its entirety, which. The reasons were that i was very keen to obtain a recording of the opera, and that it was available for a very low price. Over the next 15 years, knappertsbusch led the same work 55 times at bayreuth, and this fourdisc set from orfeo documents.
Parsifal modl, vinay, fischerdieskau, blankenheim, greindl, hotter. Reiner goldbergs parsifal is almost in the maturer james king mold as heard with kubelik, not especially profound but simpatico and affecting enough and, at this point, still an accomplished vocalist. Richard wagner, rafael kubelik, bavarian radio symphony. Orchestra and chorus of the bayreuth festival, knappertsbusch. Parsifal wwv 111 is an opera in three acts by richard wagner. Over the next 15 years, knappertsbusch led the same work 55 times at bayreuth, and this fourdisc set from orfeo documents the conductors last performance of the work there from. The work was first performed in bayreuth, bavaria, germany, in 1882, not long after wagners death. Free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. If theres a better meistersinger on record, ive yet to hear it. In parsifal wagner built a vast chromatic cathedral of the simplest diatonic stones, but his intention here was to transcend mere art. Walhall wlcd 0192 4 wagner f or many opera lovers who grew up during the lp era listening to the d. Over the next 15 years, knappertsbusch led the same work 55 times at bayreuth, and this fourdisc set from orfeo documents the conductors last performance of the work. Once again, kubelik proves to be the great unsung wagner conductor, outclassing karajan and knappertsbusch and barenboim etc. In addition to the productions of the complete opera listed below, there is a 1998 documentary directed by tony palmer, titled.
Read on wikipedia edit history talk page print download pdf. He started thinking about it in 1857 but did not do much work to it until after he had finished the cycle of four operas known as the ring cycle which was produced complete in 1876 in the special. Wilhelm richard wagner was a german composer, conductor, theatre director and essayist, primarily known for his operas or music dramas, as they were later called. Herbert kegel was not known for wagner interpretations when he performed and recorded this parsifal in the congress hall of leipzig in 1975. This is a partial filmography of parsifal 1882, an opera in three acts by richard wagner. Also highly regarded is a recording of parsifal under the baton of rafael kubelik. Robert levine this splendid set, recorded commercially in 1980 but held up due to contractual problems, here makes to the best of my knowledge its first appearance on cd. Waltraut meier matthias holle, siegfried jerusalem, jose van. Amfortas has agreed to present the grail one last time and prays for death. This is a partial discography of parsifal, an opera in three acts by richard wagner parsifal was expressly composed for the stage at bayreuth and many of the most famous recordings of the opera come from live performances on that stage.
Hans knappertsbusch 18881965 had a special affinity for wagnera connection to the source. To reverse the title of jessie westons classic work about the evolution into art of the grail and fisher king legends on which the opera is based, from ritual to romance, in parsifal wagner. Robert lloyds gurnemanz, i know from experience, was to get better from here. The mets new production of parsifal, premiering on february 15, is one of the mostanticipated events of the season in new york. Gurnemanz, one of the knights of the holy grail, and two of his young squires are stretched in. Gurnemanz, now an old hermit, finds the penitent kundry exhausted in a thicket. Parsifal er en opera i tre akter af richard wagner. Parsifal himself, as sung by james king in act 1 and the start of act 2, is boyish and tentative. Parsifal is a young man who is a pure fool, which means that he is an innocent, good man who slowly starts to understand the world.
Contrabassoon can be played by 3rd bassoon player as only playing 8 bars in octaves to bassoon 3. Richard wagner, rafael kubelik, bavarian radio symphony orchestra, sinfonieorchester des bayersichen rundfunks, bernd weikl, franz mazura, marga schiml, yvonne minton, carmen reppel, marianne seibel wagner. Paying the most scrupulous attention to dynamics ive ever heard, rafael kubelik keeps the mood mysterious and pious. Description new production, coproduction with the saxon state opera dresden, the beijing music festival and the teatro real, madrid. Oct 09, 2017 wagners last opera, parsifal deals centrally with the theme of mitleid, or compassion, a redemptive quality that is underlined by wagners gloriously sublime score. Within the limited confines of the wagnerian universe, knappertsbusch had a subspecialty. Wagner, who always wrote the words of his operas himself, used a mixture of several of these versions of the story to fit his ideas for the opera.
Parsifal is an opera in three acts by german composer richard wagner. Parsifal wwv 111 is an opera in three acts by german composer richard wagner. Under kubeliks magic hands, the bavarian radio symphony reveals wagners orchestration to more vivacious, differentiated, and characterful effect than its hightech, bigname counterparts yes, i mean soltichicago symphony and karajandresden. The kubelik meistersinger exudes wonderfulness on every level. Theodor reuss parsifal and the secret of the graal unveiled. Wagner themes from parsifal sheet music for clarinet. Here it is again, on the italian independent label myto. Premiere 26 july 1882, bayreuth festspielhaus cast amfortas baritone titurel bass gurnemanz bass parsifal tenor klingsor baritone kundry soprano first and second knights of the grail tenorbass first and second squires soprano. In the early years of the last century, he was an assistant to the composers son siegfried and a pupil of hans richter, the conductor in the pit for the first performance of the complete ring cycle in 1876. Parsifal bayreuth 1961 to enjoy in your home or car, or gift it to another music lover.
The singing is splendid, especially james king and kurt moll though id certainly recommend the live 64 bayreuth for vickers superlative parsifal performance. Richard wagner parsifal james king tenor kurt moll, matti salminen bass bernd weikl, franz mazura bassbaritone. The young man flings away his bow and arrows in shame. The wound can be healed only by an innocent youth made wise through compassion. Under the guise of a religious drama, wagners music mercilessly tells of total loneliness, of living in an empty world stripped of all its former meaning. Parsifal, music drama in three acts by german composer richard wagner, with a german libretto by the composer. Richard wagner parsifal act 2 music video 94da10f1c. Parsifal has been praised as the most inspiring music composed by wagner as well as his most controversial composition.
Parsifal osterfestspiele salzburg 20 creation date. Just as the whole plot of parsifal of the festal play of richard wagner is only an allegory, a symbolical depiction with no real occurrence in the material world, so the above explanation of the graalsecret is not to be understood as literal, personal, material, earthly, relative to vulgar events. Edel classics of which berlin classics is a sublabel has just reissued this gdr eterna recording for the second time. Temple of the grail titurels funeral is in progress. Music with ease operas of richard wagner parsifal wagner plot. Twentyfive years elapsed between its germination and its realisation as wagner s last opera, and for some that inordinate period of gestation and creation is a metaphor for how they feel when sitting through its entirety, which. P is for parsifal, wagners final music drama and the one most adored by obsessive wagnerians. Richard wagner parsifal james king tenor kurt moll, matti salminen bass bernd weikl. Lohengrin kubelik, king, janowitz, jones by wagner, richard on cd. It was recorded in various european theaters, including.
65 483 546 994 1412 899 180 727 1351 221 1215 1027 966 40 686 1411 488 1250 1204 289 1172 504 1474 576 294 711 906 68 1084 452 224 1302 430 1313 948 386 766 920 477 1200 1282 1169