| Richard Wagner operas |
|
• Die Feen (1833) • Das Liebesverbot (1836) • Rienzi (1842) • Der fliegende Holländer (1843) • Tannhäuser (1845) • Lohengrin (1847) • Tristan und Isolde (1859) • Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (1867) • Das Rheingold (1869) • Die Walküre (1870) • Siegfried (1871) • Götterdämmerung (1874) • Parsifal (1882) |
“Parsifal” by Richard Wagner
Premiere / date of written: 26 July 1882
“I believe my compassion to be the strongest feature of my moral being — and probably the source of my strength.” Richard Wagner
Parsifal opera in three acts is loosely based on Parzival by Wolfram von Eschenbach, a 13th-century epic poem of the Arthurian knight Parzival (Percival) and his quest for the Holy Grail (12th century).
Wagner first conceived the work in April 1857 but did not finish it until twenty-five years later. It was Wagner's last completed opera and in composing it he took advantage of the particular acoustics of his Bayreuth Festspielhaus. Parsifal was first produced at the second Bayreuth Festival in the Festspielhaus on 26 July 1882 under the baton of the German-born Jewish conductor Hermann Levi. The Bayreuth Festival maintained a monopoly on Parsifal productions until 1903, when the opera was performed at the Metropolitan Opera in New York.
Wagner described Parsifal not as an opera, but as "Ein Bühnenweihfestspiel" ("A Festival Play for the Consecration of the Stage"). At Bayreuth a tradition has arisen that there be no applause after the first act of the opera.
Wagner's spelling of Parsifal instead of the Parzival he had used up to 1877 is informed by an erroneous etymology of the name Percival deriving it from a supposedly Persian origin, Fal Parsi meaning "pure fool".
Libretti
| # | Language | Authors |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
German
  |
Richard Wagner |
| 2 |
English
|
original libretto
line-by-line of the original libretto
Images
Audio recordings
| Year | Cast | Conductor, Opera chorus and orchestra |
Label, Comment |
Buy |
| 1951 | Parsifal — Wolfgang Windgassen, Kundry — Martha Mödl, Gurnemanz — Ludwig Weber, Amfortas — George London, Klingsor — Hermann Uhde |
Hans Knappertsbusch Bayreuth Festival Orchestra and Chorus |
Naxos Historical (Mono), Cat. 8.110221-24 These live performances in 1951 marked the re-opening of the Bayreuth Festival after the Second World War. Were recorded in mono sound. |
|
| 1958 | Parsifal — Eberhard Wächter, Kundry — Régine Crespin, Gurnemanz — Josef Greindl, Amfortas — Hans Beirer, Klingsor — Jerome Hines |
Hans Knappertsbusch Bayreuth Festival Orchestra and Chorus |
Golden Melodram, Cat. GM 1.0058 |
|
| 1962
|
Parsifal — Jess Thomas, Kundry — Irene Dalis, Gurnemanz — Hans Hotter, Amfortas — George London, Klingsor — Gustav Neidlinger |
Hans Knappertsbusch Bayreuth Festival Orchestra and Chorus |
Philips Classics, Cat. 475 7785 This first stereo release is often considered to be the classic Parsifal recording. |
|
| 1964 | Parsifal — Jon Vickers, Kundry — Barbro Ericson, Gurnemanz — Hans Hotter, Amfortas — Thomas Stewart, Klingsor — Gustav Neidlinger |
Hans Knappertsbusch Bayreuth Festival Orchestra and Chorus |
Arcadia, Cat. KLMP 451.4 Recorded live 13 August 1964 |
|
| 1970 | Parsifal — James King, Kundry — Gwyneth Jones, Gurnemanz — Franz Crass, Amfortas — Thomas Stewart, Klingsor — Donald McIntyre |
Pierre Boulez Bayreuth Festival Orchestra and Chorus |
Deutsche Grammophon, Cat. 435718 The Boulez recording is one of the fastest on record |
|
| 1972 | Parsifal — René Kollo, Kundry — Christa Ludwig, Gurnemanz — Gottlob Frick, Amfortas — Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Klingsor — Zoltan Kelemen |
Sir Georg Solti Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Vienna State Opera Chorus Konzertvereinigung, Vienna Boys' Choir |
Decca, Cat. 470805 |
|
| 1980
|
Parsifal — James King, Kundry — Yvonne Minton, Gurnemanz — Kurt Moll, Amfortas — Bernd Weikl, Klingsor — Franz Mazura |
Rafael Kubelík Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra |
Arts Archives, Cat. 430272 On the Saturday 14 December 2013 broadcast of BBC Radio 3's CD Review – Building a Library, music critic David Nice surveyed recordings of Parsifal and recommended the recording by the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Rafael Kubelik (conductor), as the best available choice. |
|
| 1980
|
Parsifal — Peter Hofmann, Kundry — Dunja Vejzović, Gurnemanz — Kurt Moll, Amfortas — José van Dam, Klingsor — Siegmund Nimsgern |
Herbert von Karajan Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Berlin Deutsche Oper Chorus |
Deutsche Grammophon, Cat. 413347 The recording was voted `Record of the Year' in the 1981 Gramophone Awards. |
|
External links
- Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Sheet Music — www.sheetmusicplus.com