The new 2013 Met Parsifal

A co-production between The Met, Opera Lyon and Canadian Opera Company, this Parsifal, directed by Francois Girard opened in Lyon in 2012 where the originally scheduled premiere was postponed due to technical concerns regarding the management of the large amounts of "blood", which floods the entire stage in Act 2.
At the Metropolitan Opera the production of Parsifal (which has replaced Otto Schenk´s 1991 staging), starring Jonas Kaufmann, René Pape, Katarina Dalayman, Peter Mattei) opened on February 15th 2013, transmitted in HD on March 2nd.
Discussion of the production in the New York Times. It seems to be something of an event. In any case, I don´t remember ever having seen so rave reviews of any production at the Metropolitan Opera.

Reviews:
New York Times
New York Post
Bloomberg
Associated Press
The Classical Review
Huffington Post
Musical America - a very thorough explanation/discussion of Girard´s production

A note regarding the live HD transmission on March 2nd:

• I attended the live HD transmission, but I´ll refrain from a description of the staging as this has already been done in details by others.
• Suffice to say that I have seen about 25 productions of Parsifal and this (together with Kupfer´s in Berlin) is probably the finest as Girard manages to strike the exact balance between presenting his clear and interesting ideas as well as providing a back-drop on which the music may shine. It is, however, relatively static and it may not work with a lesser dramatically involved cast.
• Daniele Gatti has received heaps of praise. I am less convinced. Clearly he has myriads of ideas, however he largely ignores the contrapunctual elements of the score and it does feel unstructured. Furthermore his coordination with the singers is not razor-sharp. Furthermore, at times he is simplly too slow and thereby looses momentum. Those who admire Barenboim and Thielemann will probably not be overwhelmed.
• As for the singers, René Pape and Peter Mattei truly shine. Katarina Dalayman is a rather womanly, passive Kundry, perhaps not inappropriate for this production, with a beautiful tone.
• Yes, Jonas Kaufmann is overall fine and best in Act 3. Parsifal, however is not an optimal role for him and Wagner, as of now, is not what he does best. He seems to have adopted a Lauritz Melchior attack style on his high notes which I am not sure really suits him.
• Eric Owen (Alberich in the LePage Ring and the highlight of the Cycle) was the live in HD host, with a booming bass voice. I watched the transmission in Sweden, where people were disappointed that neither Mattei nor Dalayman said anything in Swedish to the cinema audiences following the examples of both Jonas Kaufmann and René Pape.

René Pape in Gurnemanz´ narration (Act 1) from the Met:

Jonas Kaufmann: Amfortas Die Wunde! (Act 2) from the Met:

 Photos:

Photos: Ken Howard, Metropolitan Opera

parsifal sinopoli

Parsifal. DVD. Bayreuth 1998. Production: Wolfgang Wagner. Conductor: Giuseppe Sinopoli. Cast: Poul Elming (Parsifal), Hans Sotin (Gurnemanz), Linda Watson (Kundry), Ekkehard Wlaschiha (Klingsor), Falk Struckmann (Amfortas), Matthias Hölle (Titurel).

It seems that with this release the Bayreuth Festival has concluded the release on DVD of previously recorded Bayreuth Festival productions. This present Parsifal release of Wolfgang Wagner´s production was filmed in 1998. The production itself premiered in 1989 and ran from 1989-2001. The preceding centenary Parsifal production by Götz Friedrich (1982) was not filmed, however the production preceding that production (1975) was also staged by Wolfgang Wagner and released on DVD (filmed in 1981). From a purely directorial point of view, the differences between these two productions are not staggering. 

Of Richard Wagner´s two grandsons, Wieland and Wolfgang, it was Wieland, who innovated post-war operatic productions with his “New Bayreuth” style of abstract, geometric stagings often involving “triangles of tension” between the characters. Wolfgang adhered more or less to the same principles, which have not been significantly renewed since Wielands death in 1966. Fully aware of his own limitations, Wolfgang however, facilitated the transformation of opera from static stagings into the present days dynamic theatre, by inviting several of his times most innovative/controversial stage directors to Bayreuth, such as Patrice Chéreau, Götz Friedrich and Harry Kupfer. One of his most controversial invitations was sent to Christof Schlingensief, who was responsible for the Parsifal production following the present one in Bayreuth 2004, which I had the luck tosee in 2007. Considering what came before, no wonder the audiences were outraged with by Schlingensief´s eclectical view of the work. 

Back to the present DVD, which is a re-re-re-staging of outdated “New Bayreuth” geometry and has not aged well with time. Danish tenor Poul Elming (Parsifal) once said in an interview, that when Wolfgang Wagner directed an opera he was not at all interested in practical issues, such as how the singers should move etc., but worked at "another level altogether" and more or less expected the singers to figure these things out themselves. Needless to say, this is not a good recipe for engaging theatre.

Linda Watson´s Kundry is caught in her prime, with a beautiful middle voice and nice projection, though not a natural actress, she probably was not helped by Wolfgang Wagner´s lack of directives. Poul Elming, whose Parsifal is already available with Barenboim and who is very much a physical singer does not fully come to his right here, whereas Falk Struckmann and Ekkehard Wlaschiha both are in super shape. Hans Sotin compares well with his previous Gurnemanz, with a sonorous bass, capable of infusing life into his longue monologues, in the operas biggest part.

Best is Giuseppe Sinopoli, with a relatively straightforward, though still expansive and beautiful reading. 

And trust me, as I have been there: To hear/see Parsifal in Bayreuth is an experience entirely unmatched. Written for the Bayreuth stage, the covered orchestra pit creates an entirely unique sound pattern, downplaying orchestral explosions for a more expansive crystalline sound. Hard to describe, but quite easy to identify, from DVD productions as well.

This release may primarily be of interest for those specifically interested in Bayreuth history and/or Richard Wagner´s work and/or Giuseppe Sinopoli and who plan on owning several versions of Parsifal. Barenboim´s version with HarryKupfer´s abstract sets still tops the list. For those wanting something more traditional, James Levine´s Met Opera version is not at all bad either.

From Act 3:

The bottom line (scale of 1-5, 3=average):

Poul Elming: 4
Hans Sotin: 3-4
Linda Watson: 3-4
Ekkehard Wlaschiha: 4
Falk Struckmann: 4

Wolfgang Wagner: 2
Giuseppe Sinopoli: 4

Overall impression: 2

DVD: Zurich Parsifal

Parsifal. Zürich Opera 2007. Production: Hans Hollmann. Conductor: Bernhard Haitink. Cast: Christopher Ventris (Parsifal), Yvonne Naef (Kundry), Matti Salminen (Gurnemanz), Michael Volle (Amfortas), Rolf Haunstein (Klingsor), Andreas Hörl (Titurel).

This Parsifal was recorded live at the Zurich Opera House in April 2007 during the run of performances, of which I attended one.


Hans Hollmann´s production is from 1996 and has now been replaced. Hollmann presents what I consider an essentially religious view of the work: Mist and light. Water, purification? Abstract, quadratic and aesthetic designs. Hollmann says: "Wagner presents only possibilities - Parsifal can never be wholly fathomed by interpretation."

Well said. However, Hollmann seems to have restricted, rather expanded on Wagner´s work, though the simplicity of the sets rather act as a backdrop for Wagner´s glorious music. Not the worst interpretation at all, but also not ideal: In both Act 1 and 3 we are in a 19th century class-room. Mist, water. On the wall : Wasser. Later: Blut. The knights are blind. In Act 2 a mirror flips in Klingsors imaginary castle surrounded by candelabres. We could be in Musée des Art et Métier in the middle of an Umberto Eco novel.

Bernhard Haitink was never a favourite of mine, though he probably is the raison d´etre for this DVD. Some find him close to ideal in this repertoire. To me, he lacks a certain ggrandiosity and above all the sense of dynamics. Both Barenboim and Thielemann, among the presently active conductors have this. Haitink lingers too long in the middle ground without approaching the extremes. Valery Gergiev, coincidentally, presents with much the same type of reading on his newly released Parsifal CD.

Yvonne Naef is a wonderfully darkvoiced and secure as Kundry, but rather restrained on stage and nowhere close to Waltraud Meier´s definitive Kundry. Christopher Ventris is a fine Parsifal, but the best performances come from Matti Salminen and Michael Volle.
Salminen has one of those voices which just ages wonderfully well: No wobbles a la John Thomlinson, but instead he has kept his firm steady tone, His stage presence, of course, is intact.
And Michael Volle, just about ideal for Amfortas and probably the best Amfortas I have heard live.
Adequate justification for a DVD? Probably not. Why would one return to this version, now that we have Barenboim/Kupfer? Not for Salminen, who can be seen on the Baden-Baden DVD with Waltraud Meier, though I do find Haitink superior to Kent Nagano. And next month we will see the new Met Parsifal with JonasKaufmann and René Pape, probably to be released on DVD as well, which will be a strong competitor unless the staging turns out to be completely hopeless..

The flowermaidens:

The bottom line (scale of 1-5, 3=average):

Christopher Ventris: 4
Yvonne Naef: 4
Matti Salminen: 4-5
Michael Volle: 5

Hans Hollmann´s production: 3

Bernhard Haitink: 4

Overall impression: 3

Best Parsifal on DVD - 1992 Barenboim Kupfer Berlin production

Parsifal. DVD. Berlin State Opera 1992. Prod: Harry Kupfer. Conductor: Daniel Barenboim. Cast: Poul Elming (Parsifal), Waltraud Meier (Kundry), John Tomlinson (Gurnemanz), Günter von Kannen (Klingsor), Falk Struckmann (Amfortas), Fritz Hübner (Titurel).

With 20 years delay, finally we now have the 1992 Berlin State Opera production of Parsifal, quite simply the best presentation to date of Parsifal on DVD.

Harry Kupfer, at this time artistic director of Komische Oper, the smallest of the three opera houses in Berlin had no real possibility of staging Wagner in his own house, thus the collaboration with Daniel Barenboim, the newly appointed musical director at the Berliner Staatsoper, 200 meter further down the Unter den Linden.
This was Harry Kupfer´s second attempt at Parsifal, the first dating from the 1970´s also at the Berlin State Opera, which could be seen at the Copenhagen Royal Opera House as well until a few years ago (I saw it at least twice). In that first production, Parsifal renounces the brotherhood chooses to leave the community with Gurnemanz and Kundry taking the spear and the grail with him, which was at the time seen as a politically charged criticism.
However, for this, his second Parsifal, after the fall of the Berlin Wall, things looked different,  for Parsifal as well. In a semi-mythical, futuristic setting, circular door reminiscent of spaceships separate the inside and the outside - both pitch dark, with metallic and electronic cold surfaces. The grail community is a sick community: Characterized by a strong bond, the knights seem fixated on the Grail, oblivious to anything else.
involved stage direction. The flower maidens show their various body parts on TV screens, only Kundry, is a real, three-dimensional woman. In the end, the knights are oblivious to Parsifal, focusing only on the Grail. Kundry takes his hand as if urging him to leave, but after a moment of reflection Parsifal choses to stay with her and Gurnemanz.
And why exactly does this work? Because of the combination of Harry Kupfer´s excellent direction of the singers (his trademark), the aesthetic stage designs (by Hans Schavernoch), Barenboim´s superb reading of the score and some of the best singers of the generation.

The singers are what Kupfer wants: Young, agile singer-actors, all in their vocal prime, most having already worked with Barenboim/Kupfer in their just terminated Bayreuth Nibelungen Ring, also the best Nibelungen Ring on DVD. The static nature of Parsifal simply needs involved personal stage direction to work dramatically. As well as singers, who master their parts, obviously.

Is Waltraud Meier the best Kundry in history? Honestly, I think she may well be. Here, stunningly beautiful in her vocal prime (36 years old), already with 10 years experience in the part, her dramatic commitment and effortless vocal flexibility is unparallelled. This is her third Kundry on DVD, with the Metropolitan Parsifal recorded the same year, but leaving her with fewer dramatic options.
Poul Elming, the Danish tenor, who started out as a baryton and got his international breakthrough when Daniel Barenboim selected him as his Siegmund in the Bayreuth Nibelungen Ring, is a committed and entirely believable Parsifal. He also appears on the recently released 1998 Bayreuth production conducted by Sinopoli.  John Tomlinson, in his vocal prime, a charismatic Gurnemanz, who tells his stories so you want to listen to them. A young Falk Struckmann is a fine, though already at this point slightly grainy Amfortas, while the Nibelungen Günter von Kannen makes a fine Klingsor.

While Christian Thielemann has the glitzy brilliance, Daniel Barenboim the weightier punch, which is ultimately the most satisfying approach. He quite simply understands the structure of Richard Wagners compositions, better than he understands the structure of anything else I have ever heard him conduct (which is, in fact, a lot).

An easy first choice on DVD.

Act III, Mittag:

The bottom line (scale of 1-5, 3=average):


Poul Elming: 4-5
Waltraud Meier: 5
John Tomlinson: 5
Günter von Kannen: 4-5
Falk Struckmann: 4


Harry Kupfers production: 5
Daniel Barenboim: 5


Overall impression: 5

No controversy in Stefan Herheim´s new Bayreuth Parsifal: Myriads of ideas, but ultimately disappointing

Parsifal. Bayreuth Festival, August 18th, 2008. Director: Stefan Herheim. Cast: Christopher Ventris (Parsifal), Kwangchul Youn (Gurnemanz), Mihoko Fujimura (Kundry), Detlef Roth (Amfortas), Thomas Jesatko (Klingsor). Conductor: Daniele Gatti.

38-year Norwegian director Stefan Herheim has managed to create a Parsifal with just the right mix of novelty and tradition to make it a success with the rather conservative Bayreuth Festival audiences who visibly breathed relief after four years of the much maligned production by Christoph Schlingensief.

Ironically, the major problem with both Schlingensief´s and Herheim´s Parsifal productions, despite their vastly different approaches, is the same: Both present myriads of ideas, sufficient for several new Parsifal productions on an over-stuffed stage, downstaging both singers and music and ultimately creating confusion as opposed to enlightenment.

While Schlingensief chose the philosophical-spiritual road, Stefan Herheim seemed set on telling the story of Bayreuth (and Germany) from the 1870´s to the 1950´s. Had he just stuck to that, the production may have been great. But on top, he adds 1) a heavy Freudian tale of Parsifal and his relations with women, 2) a surrealistic imagery of supernatural creatures such as black birds of night 3) a myriad of symbols (eagles, swans etc.) on a generally overstuffed multilayered stage complete with video projections of Freudian symbols in the background, a feature known from his previous Entführung production in Salzburg 4) Religious overtones by presenting Amfortas a Jesus-figure etc etc..
Needless to say, for all these ideas to fit into one production, several things have to happen on stage simultaneously.

The main result: Confusion.

The interiour and garden of Villa Wahnfried is a main feature of the sets. Act 1 opens with Herzeleide´s death played out to the tones of the prelude. We are in and outside Villa Wahnfried and during the first Act we move up to the beginning of World War 1 through more symbols than even Syberberg managed to squeeze into his 1983 Parsifal film: Gurnemanz and Kundry: The black birds of night, Parsifal in sailor´s uniform, the naked boy cum old man alter ego Parsifal re- vs. disappearing in a bath tub, the illustration of Gurnemanz´ tale with a kitschy version of the Klingsor-Kundry-Amfortas drama. All complete with Freudian projections on the back stage and a set that changed between the inside and the garden of Villa Wahnfried, respectively. And a Jesus-figure Amfortas carrying a kitsch grail. As well as a death-mask. And I haven´t even mentioned half of it. Confused?

In Act 2 we have now moved forward to the 1920´s, and numerous references to the film industry such as Marlene Dietrich are applied as we see showgirls with the dead heroes in Klingsor´s (here a transvestite) castle (here: A lazaret) complete with a Parsifal-stuntman jumping down from the balcony. The symbolism is handled rather heavy-handed, the lowering of Nazi flags in Act 2 and the Nazi soldiers perishing in front of Parsifal is almost embarrassing and elicited several laughs from the audience. And: When o when will it become possible to see the spear change hands from Klingsor to Parsifal in an even remotely realistic way.

In Act 3 we are back in the garden of Villa Wahnfried among the ruins after the end of the Second World war. The act is played out rather conventionally until the transformation music, at which point the production suddenly becomes great and with an edge: The curtain goes down. Wieland and Wolfgang Wagner´s memento from 1951 is projected on the curtain asking the audience to refrain from discussing politics on the Green Hill: ”Hier gilts um der kunst”. Then we are inside the Reichstag. The back wall of the stage turns into a mirror reflecting the audience. The eagle on the floor of the Reichstag is reflected in the mirror globus in the ceiling. After Parsifal, the Saviour releases Amfortas (to death) he disappears down through the eagle, which subsequently becomes red, flooded with water. All reflected in the ceiling. They must have blown the budget to create this. But it looked great. The family of Kundry, Gurnemanz and the child Parsifal (emerging from Wagner´s grave cum prompters box) takes front stage. In the end, the globus is lowered and mirrors the Bayreuth audience. The future, we understand, is ours.

As much as I hate to say it: At no point was the production moving or poignant. Strangely enough it seems as Stefan Herheim has too much respect for the work. He only scratches the surface and at no time becomes really dangerous or even interesting. There is nothing of the stylish innovation or provocative insightfulness of his 2003 Entführung from Salzburg. Only during the last 10 minutes do we see the outlines of a great production.

The distinct impression remains, that Stefan Herheim does not trust the power of the music and overworks the stage technicians as well as the set designer (Heike Scheele) to create what is ultimately unnecessary and distracting action on stage producing a lasting flickery image.
No doubt that Stefan Herheim is a fine director, but he has failed to grasp the structure of this work. His Parsifal strikes me rather like a draft, which may turn into a great production provided extensive editing is applied. Luckily, he will have this opportunity here in Bayreuth in upcoming seasons.

Contrary to writings of several so-called professional music critics, the concept of Parsifal as a journey through history is not new and may be seen 600 km further north next season in Bernd Eichinger´s much superior (musically as well) Parsifal production at the Berlin State Opera. Ironically, Eichinger´s Parsifal is a result of Stefan Herheim declining an invitation from the same house six months prior to accepting the offer from Bayreuth. From a promotional point of view this is an understandable choice, but from an artistical point of view I believe Stefan Herheim would have been much better helped working with the eminent Wagnerian master of structure Daniel Barenboim, who I believe would have convinced Stefan Herheim to reduce the frenetic stage activity considerably. At any rate the new Lohengrin, which Herheim is scheduled to direct in April 2009 at the Berlin State Opera will give an indication of the truth of that point.

That the singers were completely pushed in the background by all this frenetic stage activity was in fact to their advantage as they were rather inexpressive and for most parts lacked authority:

Kwangchul Youn is a fine Gurnemanz, but his lacking of both authority and expressiveness prevents him from becoming a great one. Mihoko Fujimura is as miscast here as earlier this season in Vienna – a beautiful voice, but with none of the power and expressiveness required of Kundry. Christopher Ventris, who seemed to have lost some weight as well, on the other hand was a really fine Parsifal, clearly the best of the cast. Detlef Roth stood out as Amfortas as well. The flower maidens were...simply the worst I have ever heard in a professional theater.

I thought Daniele Gatti rather fine on the broadcast of the opening night and expected him to be even better live. He was not. Ultimately he fell into the trap of setting slow tempi without managing to maintain the essential tension, resulting in the almost unbearable dragging of long stretches to the point where the music simply seemed to stop... Combined with very odd and sudden changes of tempi and a failure to really push the orchestra in the big moments. However as his first performances in this treacherous pit, his performance was definitely honorable if not more than that.

Of course, half of the audience applauded after the first act accompanied by the hissing of the second half. Now, why this audience behaviour was repeated also after the second act, was rather puzzling and something, I´ve never experienced before. Also the cell phone going off 20 seconds into the prelude was new..

I´ve previously posted an extensive list of reviews and photographs from the premiere on July 25th here.

The bottom line (scale of 1-5, 3=average):
Christopher Ventris: 4
Mihoko Fujimura: 3
Detlef Roth: 4
Kwangchoul Youn: 3-4

Daniele Gatti: 3-4

Stefan Herheim: 3

Overall impression: 3

Bayreuth 2008: How to get a ticket for the Bayreuth Festival if you arrive without one - a live report from the queue at the Bayreuth Festival House..

Ticket queue for Tristan in Bayreuth 2008 (right after I got my ticket)

As I sort of happened to be in the area (Salzburg, a 3 hour drive), why not try and drive up to Bayreuth to see if any last minute tickets were available for this years Bayreuth Festival? I had a half appointment there with friends (with tickets) for Tristan (August 14th) and Parsifal (August 16th) - the two performances I intended to see, having already seen both Meistersinger and The Ring there last year.

Day one - getting a ticket for Tristan:

A reader had kindly informed me by mail that one of the hotels in Bayreuth was selling tickets for Tristan, which turned out to be entirely correct, but on the morning of the performance my friends made the mistake of telling the receptionist that we did not stay at the hotel, at which point she refused to part with the tickets....

Not wanting to spend my entire holiday queuing Bayreuth Festival tickets, I decided 12 am (midday) would be an appropriate time to start queuing (the Ticket Office opens at 1.30 pm, the performances start at 4 pm). Arriving at 12.15, I was number 7 in the queue. Number 1 arrived at 9 am. When the ticket office opened at 1.30, they claimed only one ticket had been returned. Now I was number 6. Curiously, five tickets were returned during my one-hour wait in the queue, but to the office next door as the ticket office hadn´t opened yet. Exactly why these tickets did not resurface we speculated loudly about in the queue..Though, apart from the explanation offered by us (foul play on part of the organizers involving internal redistribution of the tickets), the tickets may of course have belonged to the Friends of Bayreuth (a sponsor organisation), who gets allocated numerous tickets for the Festival each year (in return for the financial support of the members, obviously). To make ticket matters more complicated, the Friends of Bayreuth have their own ticket office at the other side of the Festival House with an entirely separate ticket queue.

The same two black-market dealers were constantly cruising past the queue of about 20 people - one on a bicycle alternating with a sportscar, offering tickets for twice the official rate... During the next hour three tickets were returned by ticketholders, whose companions were ill etc. At 3 pm I was number 3 in line. An elderly gentleman from Munich then offered up his daughters ticket as she was unable to come, but as he had a Friends of Bayreuth ticket (easily recognizable as the name of the ticketholder is printed on the front), he was asked to go to the Friends of Bayreuth ticket office. Then a phone call from the Friends of Bayreuth office quite unusually offered one of their tickets up for sale, meaning that at 3.05 pm I now was number 2 in the queue..

It was now 3.15 pm and suddenly the elderly gentleman from Munich returned from the Friends of Bayreuth office having been allowed to offer his daughters ticket up for sale to the general public as nobody was waiting in the Patrons ticket line. And as the gentleman in front of me could not afford it (150 Euro) at 3.15 pm I was the owner of a ticket for this years performance of Tristan and Isolde. Not exactly cheap, but at least bought at face value. And vastly easier than returning your ticket application form for 8-10 years in a row...

Day two - getting a ticket for Parsifal:

When queuing for Tristan tickets the previous day, I had noticed that on two occasions ticketholders returned tickets for future performances which the Ticket Office then offered to the people in the queue (ie. Meistersinger next week), so at 12 am (midday) I decided to join the ticket queue for this days Meistersinger to try and look closer into the Parsifal ticket situation and, if possible, get a cheap ticket for the Meistersinger (I already saw this production last year). I was number 6 in the queue. Number one started queuing at 9 am. Five of the people in the queue were also present in yesterdays queue and the performance of Tristan, which we all attended, was discussed. And again, queuing practices here, as everywhere in Germany, are very civilized - you may easily leave the queue for 30 minutes, drive downtown etc. and then return to your position.

At least 10 people constantly circled the Festival House carrying signs "Suche karte für Parsifal" (tickets needed for Parsifal) and the (very friendly) ladies in the ticket office told us that last week, two people had slept in front of the ticket office the night before the Parsifal performance and nothing was returned at any point.

Quite the contrary with Rheingold last Friday, as the highway to Bayreuth was suffering from extended queues due to heavy holiday traffic (the Bayreuth highway is part of the major E53 trans-European highway) and ticketholders had been phoning down the ticket office trying to return their tickets, as they were stuck on the highway and could not make it.
"Every year we tell people that especially on Fridays they have to be here early as the highway is unpredictable, but do they listen? It´s always the same with Rheingold and we constantly have to remind people that there is no intermission. If they are not here on time, they simply do not make it", as the lady in the Ticket Office sighed. As a result, there were spare tickets in all categories for last weeks Rheingold and sold at vastly reduced prices as well, at the request of the ticketholders, who were stuck on the highway - 205 Euro tickets were sold for 50 Euros, as we were told...

But back to the Meistersinger queue: At 1.30 pm the Ticket Office said that nothing had been returned. The usual two black market dealers were circling the house, not offering anything up for sale, but looking for tickets for Parsifal themselves, as they allegedly had clients on hand willing to pay exorbitant prices for these.

As it was freezing I was contemplating driving back to Nürnberg, but then a young couple suddenly arrived at the Ticket Office returning two tickets for.... Saturdays Parsifal: As number 1, 3, 4 and 5 in the queue could not make it, the tickets went to number 2 (a Japanese guy, who had been scribbling constantly on a note-pad for two hours) and ....me. And a good seat as well.

Furthermore I was offered tickets for Meistersinger as well, but declined due to the price (205 Euros) as I decided to save the money for Salzburg next week. They were second row seats though, and sold at face value...Tickets were offered for next weeks Meistersinger as well as for Sunday´s Siegfried, both of which my queuing position entitled me to buy (I declined as I will be in Salzburg).

Even 15 minutes before the start of the Meistersinger performance, a gentleman came up and offered me his wife´s seat for at least the first two acts for free (she´d perhaps return for the third act), which I declined as well, since I was technically not the first in line (an elderly gentleman was) and thus I felt obliged to offer the seat to him (after all I saw the production last year and never really intended to see it this year, furthermore the third act is my favorite).

And the Parsifal queue on Saturday, in which I didn´t participate for obvious reasons: The same 5 people from previous days were in it. Three tickets in total were returned - all between 2.30 and 3.30 pm...

In summary: As last year, tickets may be had for the Bayreuth Festival quite legally putting in a minimum of queuing time. Furthermore, the ticket queue is a highly entertaining place, at least for a couple of hours.

Thus: Upcoming live reports from Tristan and Parsifal..

Stefan Herheim, Daniele Gatti Bayreuth 2008 Parsifal: A very slow journey through Germany´s recent past (UPDATED WITH REVIEWS)

Katharina and Wolfgang Wagner at the Parsifal premiere.

Parsifal. Bayreuth Festival July 25th 2008. Director: Stefan Herheim. Cast: Christopher Ventris (Parsifal), Mihoko Fujimura (Kundry), Kwangchul Youn (Gurnemanz), Detlef Roth (Amfortas), Diogenes Randes (Titurel), Thomas Jesatko (Klingsor). Conductor: Daniele Gatti.


UPDATED 31/7 WITH REVIEWS BELOW
Though nothing beats a live review (any readers actually present at this premiere are most welcome to comment), I suppose the below post combining my impressions from the live radio transmission including a description of the staging accompanied by plenty of the photographs surprisingly posted on the Bayreuth Festival webpage, gives a crude impression of what to expect.

As I have not actually seen the staging (yet, I hope), I obviously may not offer an actual opinion on it (though it does seem mighty interesting...).

The audio part, however I will offer a brief opinion on:
First of all, I found Daniele Gatti rather superb: A slow interpretation, but with a grand scope and only occasionally did the tension drop. Furthermore he applied some unconventional and very rapid shift of tempi, which however worked rather well. Some of it was notoriously slow though, such as the end of the 3rd act transformation music with the slowest chords I have ever heard...
The word Italianate comes to mind, but seems rather too obvious. Of recent Bayreuth Parsifal conductors he seems closest to James Levine.

However, none of the singers were exceptional, ranging from Kwangchul Youn´s generally wobbly and inexpressive Gurnemanz (though he vastly improved in the third act), Detlef Roth´s equally shaky Amfortas to Mihoko Fujimura´s beautiful, but very smallvoiced, placid and inexpressive Kundry sung in Mozart-style. Mihoko Fujimura honestly should not be singing this repertoire as she would be stunning in Mozart. Clearly, the best singer was Christopher Ventris with a fine, dark-voiced and espressive Parsifal, though slightly under pressure in the top. The flower-maidens hopefully sounded better live than on the radio...

Difficult to judge the level of applause from the radio, but clearly there was massive applause for Stefan Herheim and his teams´s solo curtain call, entirely unusual for a Bayreuth premiere..


Reviews:

International:

New York Times - "Most startling was to hear straight-faced, seasoned Bayreuth fans during intermission express surprise at the sight of Wehrmacht soldiers and Nazi banners during Act II, recalling old days at the festival. It all seemed so inevitable."
Associated Press - "a welcome assault on the senses"
Agence-France Presse - "a learned and scholarly exploration of the history of "Parsifal" itself..[Daniele Gatti] gave one of the slowest-ever readings of Wagner's longest opera, stretching the score out to four hours and 40 minutes"
Financial Times - "The performance works on so many levels that you emerge challenged and stimulated: Bayreuth at its best."
Corriere della Sera - "the Wagnerian rites were seduced by Daniele Gatti"
International Herald Tribune - "A Parsifal that revels in its novelty"
Der Standard - "Angela Merkel gave the director red roses" (!)
Le Figaro - "A politically correct Parsifal"

A reasonable selection of the German reviews:

Der Westen - "a historical-political, but also fragile and emotional evening"
Schwäbischen Zeitung - it looks like they left after the first act...
Süddeutsche Zeitung - "In Stefan Herheim´s staging, the stage technicians work more than anyone else, pushing the singers into the background"
Die Welt - "convincing throughout"
Abendzeitung - "superficial storytelling with no time for individual characterisations"
Tagesspiegel - "Stefan Herheim destroys the Bunker-mentality of the Bayreuth Festival"

Frankfurter Allgemeine - "At this point, with young directors such as Stefan Herheim in Bayreuth, it is about time that the Festival officially comes to term with it´s own past. Winifried Wagners diaries must not necessarily be released immediately. A small inscription on the sculptures in the Festival Park would be a fine start"
Frankfurter Allgemeine - "A drama without the phi.osophical-dramatical aspects. Are you allowed to do that?" written by René Kollo
Der Spiegel - "a grandiose show"
Berliner Zeitung - "a moving production, of a kind not seen to often in Bayreuth lately"
Crescendo - "finally an evening to remember in Bayreuth"
Merkur-Online - "five hours too little for Stefan Herheim´s phenomenal journey"
Nord-Bayerische Kurier - the opinions of the VIP premiere guests..
Nord-Bayerische Kurier - "the Grail is a globus"


A 16-pages supplement to Kurier with all sorts of information about this Parsifal (in German) here.

A short video clip from the performance may be seen here.

A photo-gallery here.
Stefan Herheim´s concept in brief: A time travel through the history of Germany, from the unification (1871) to the wirtschaftwunder (economic miracle of West Germany after 1948). A historical and political Parsifal.
Heike Scheele is the set designer. In an intermission interview, Daniele Gatti explained how they had worked very closely together during rehearsals, how Stefan Herheim knew the entire score and had a very musical approach to the work (he originally trained as a cellist).

The following description of the staging are based on reports from Bayern 4 Klassik Radio (where the reviewer was quite enthusiastic) illustrated with photos from the Bayreuth Festival website.

Act 1: Herzeleide´s death is played out during the prelude. Then we are inside as well as in the garden of Villa Wahnfried (here serving as the Castle of Monsalvat) just after the unification of Germany (1871). The setting is that of dream-theater - a mix of reality and phantasy with a surrealistic air to it. Kundry ís a dark bird of the night. Parsifal´s alter-ego is a child, emerging from the swan, if I understand it correctly. The Grail Knights in the end were soldiers marching towards the first world war.

In theory, audiences in Bayreuth do not applaude after Act 1. However, both this and last year they did.

Gurnemanz:

Parsifal:

Klingsor:

Kundry:


Act 2 - Klingsor´s Castle is a lazaret. Klingsor appears a Lucifer with black wings, apparently neither man or woman. The flower-girls initially are nurses tending the wounded soldiers, transforming into seductive 1920 showgirls. Kundry appears a Marlene Dietrich look-a-like. When Parsifal rejects her, we suddenly are in the Third Reich, with Klingsor as a Göring- look-alike. Parsifal´s defeat of Klingsor is a victory over the Third Reich, with mighty Nazi banners as well as marching Nazi soldiers falling lifeless to the floor as Parsifal points his spear at them.

The flower maidens as nurses:









Act 3: Set immediately after the end of World War 2 in the ruins of Villa Wahnfried, where Gurnemanz is asleep in the garden. Water springs from the well when the black-clad Parsifal touches it with the spear. In the transformation scene the light goes on in the entire auditorium and the audience sees themselves reflected in giant mirrors onstage in front of the the Bundestag (German Parliament) in the 1950´s in front of which the opera ends. Kundry is, as always, alive..









Stefan Herheim during rehearsals:

Syberberg Parsifal on DVD

Originally Hans-Jürgen Syberberg intended to create a film about Richard Wagner. Gradually it developed into a film centered around Parsifal and with references to Wagner´s life and philosophy. Thus, this Parsifal DVD is not merely a video representation of Parsifal, but a film in its own right, though the opera Parsifal serves as the sound-track.

Syberberg originally intended a Bayreuth Festival performance of Parsifal (audio only) to accompany his new film, but after his 1976 film on Winifried Wagner (including her infamous comments on Adolf Hitler) he had hausverbot on the Green Hill, so he commssioned a new recording with Armin Jordan (father of Philippe Jordan) conducting the Monte Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra.

This is mainly a film paraphrasing on Parsifal exploring backward as well as forward associations of the work such as the Holy Grail and the Third Reich. Released in 1983 (the centenary of Richard Wagner´s death), this Parsifal is filmed entirely in a indoor studio in and around a replica of a giant death-mask of Richard Wagner serving as both the mountain from which the grail emerges and Klingsor´s Castle, as well as simply being the shape on and around which the characters move.

In the most controversial single aspect of the film Parsifal changes sex (from boy to girl) after being kissed by Kundry, for which no complete explanation is provided by Syberberg.

Syberberg originally saw the soundtrack as a seperate entity to the film and for practical (as he generally found actors more suitable than singers to convey the approprate emotions on film) as well as philosophical (he wished to separate body and voice) reasons, most parts were cast by actors. Only Aage Haugland (Klingsor) and Robert Lloyd (Gurnemanz) acted their part on screen as well as on the soundtrack. Not to speak of the most curious casting of the conductor Armin Jordan as Amfortas. Syberberg regarded Kundry as the center of Parsifal, played by the fabulously expressive German actress Edith Clever.

For the historically interested, well-educated and informed in all disciplines of the arts, the allusions and references in this film are enormous ranging from Ancient Greek to renaissance painters and architects, 19th century philosophists to individuals from Richard Wagner´s own circle of acquaintances (such as Mathilde Wesendonck as a flower maiden) as well as to Wagner´s other work. Just to identify half of them requires several viewings.

Musically, Armin Jordan´s Parsifal is well-conducted and the performances are strong, the singer-acted ones from Robert Lloyd (this early in his career almost without that irritating nasal sound) and Danish bass Aage Haugland in particular.

In short, this is a highly sophisticated film. Is it indispensable? For those seriously studying the various aspects of Richard Wagner and the related performance practices, yes. For most of those just generally interested in Richard Wagner this will be worthwhile watching at least once as well.

Transformation scene, Act 1:

Met Parsifal on DVD

Parsifal. Metropolitan Opera 1992. Director: Otto Schenk. Cast: Siegfried Jerusalem (Parsifal), Waltraud Meier (Kundry), Kurt Moll (Gurnemanz), Bernd Weikl (Amfortas), Franz Mazura (Klingsor), Jan-Hendrik Rootering (Titurel). Conductor: James Levine. Further details here.

If someone had told me this 1992 MET Parsifal was based on the staging of the 1903 outlawed first house performance of Parsifal, as Richard Wagner had banned Parsifal performances outside Bayreuth for 30 years, I would have believed them. So dreary is Otto Schenk´s predictable realism and wishes to realistically transform Wagner´s images, that this production indeed looks 90 years old. Or at least 50..

It is in fact dated 1991, the premiere featuring Plácido Domingo´s role debut as Parsifal and as one of James Levine´s favourite operas this Parsifal has been in the repertoire ever since, featuring a parade of the foremost Wagner singers of the day. This DVD was recorded in 1992, with a cast unmatched at the time.

Now, what is it with the combination of James Levine and Richard Wagner, that doesn´t add up? Which is of course a somewhat unfair comment, since it does add up, just not to the same extent as Levine combined with other composers, such as Verdi, Puccini, Gounod etc. where he is dynamic, engaged, lively, in short: Mostly brilliant. The gleamingly dense Faust he conducted a few seasons back in New York immediately comes to mind.

In Wagner he is the exact opposite: Placid, beautiful, smooth. Is it that he just doesn´t come to terms with the inner structure of Wagner´s works the way he apparently does with Verdi and Puccini?

James Levine´s Parsifal is a slowly moving carpet of smooth, elegant, but also automatic beauty. There is too little glitter, too little drama, too few nuances, no surprises. Perhaps these are artistic choices of mr. Levine´s. If that is the case, I simply do not agree with them. Still, James Levine is by no means a second-rate Parsifal conductor, Parsifal being his finest Wagnerian performance as well, and admittedly there are moments in the score working quite well.

However, for the exceptionally conducted Parsifal, one may want to go elsewhere: For the truly sparkling and beautiful Parsifal, listen to Christian Thielemann. For the dynamic Parsifal, listen to Daniel Barenboim (best live). For the transcendental Parsifal listen to Knappertsbusch (1962 or 1951).

Kurt Moll has a solid and deep, but ultimately not a very flexible voice. He delivers the monologues of Gurnemanz, but fails to tell the exciting story behind them. Siegfried Jerusalem is physically believable as Parsifal, but vocally he seems rather tired, not in good voice and is much better in the Bayreuth Parsifal DVD approximately 10 years earlier.

The young Waltraud Meier is quite possibly the best Kundry in history with the exceptional combination of an unmatched stage charisma and the ability to meet the vocal challenges of the part, with an easily projected top notes as well as superb vocal characterization.
Furthermore, Bernd Weikl is in fine voice as Amfortas and Franz Mazura looks every bit like Klingsor, though vocally he is slightly shaky.

Parsifal is still not well-served on DVD. None of the available versions are whole-heartedly to be recommended, but for another traditional approach, some may appreciate Wolfgang Wagner´s Bayreuth production from 1981, though it looks like a semi-decent copy of one of his brothers productions 40 years earlier and Horst Stein by no means surpasses James Levine on the podium (rather the contrary, as a matter of fact).

Also Lehnhoff´s 2004 Baden-Baden production (with Waltraud Meier, Matti Salminen and Kent Nagano) has some fine moments as well as an interesting stage concept.

As Parsifal is really the conductor´s show, I am still waiting for a Daniel Barenboim-conducted performance to be released on DVD, which is bound to happen eventually.

Regarding the 1903 MET Parsifal production, a revival of one of the acts in a copy of the original staging will indeed be shown at the MET 2009, as part of a gala celebrating the 125th Anniversary of the Metropolitan opera as well as Plácido Domingo´s 40 years with the company.

Act 3: Mittag.

The bottom line:

Waltraud Meier: 5
Siegfried Jerusalem: 3-4
Kurt Moll: 4
Franz Mazura: 3-4
Bernd Weikl: 4

James Levine: 4
Schenk´s production: 2

Overall impression: 3

DVD: Placido Domingo presents Parsifal - the search for the grail

Parsifal - the search for the grail. A film special with Plácido Domingo. 1998. Further information here.

First of all, this is not a filmed production of Wagner´s last opera Parsifal, but rather a 90-minute documentary centered around the sources of Parsifal - primarily the Grail legend and its treatment in modern culture, mixed with selected scenes from he opera.

The documentary is filmed on location in Bayreuth, St. Petersburg and Ravello (Southern Italy), and includes a brief interview with Wolfgang Wagner (grandson of Richard) on the Bayreuth Festival stage in an (almost) understandable German. Modern works inspired by the Grail legend are also presented, such as Monty Python and Indiana Jones.

Then, however, so-called experts comment on various aspects on the Grail legend and Wagner´s treatment of the sources, mainly resulting in simplistic and naive comments revealing a minimum of insight into the complexity of Wagner´s score: Conclusions on how Parsifal carries a message of universal peace and the racial messages of Parsifal and their influence on Hitler and Holocaust also seem simplistic and I am not at all convinced they are substantiated by facts.

The highlight of the documentary is the passages from a live Parsifal performance in St Petersburg featuring Plácido Domingo, Violeta Urmana, Matti Salminen, Nikolai Putilin and Valery Gergiev. Unfortunately, these clips are far too short.

The film is narrated by Plácido Domingo, whom I generally consider an intelligent man. Though also he makes some very simplistic comments on the universal messages of Parsifal, which I will do everyone a favor of not repeating here..

Though this documentary may serve as a fine introduction to the opera Parsifal, it definitely does not hold for repeated viewing.

Wagner - five DVD recommendations for those who do not like (know?) Wagner

A reader has asked for a recommendation of three Wagner DVDs for those who do not like/know Wagner´s music. I will give five...

My main criteria for selecting these videos are simply those that I find provide the best introduction to Wagner´s music in relatively updated productions of a reasonable quality. Thus no Tristan, no Parsifal, no Ring, no vintage DVDs with historic singers. Comments and suggestions are, of course, most welcome.

A brief look at the attached videos may hopefully help to decide before buying..

1. The Flying Dutchman. Highly acclaimed production from Bayreuth 1985 by Harry Kupfer, who essentially sees the opera as Senta´s dream.

Final scene below with Simon Estes (Dutchman) and Lisbeth Baslev (Senta):

2. Lohengrin. Either 1) Konwitschny´s class-room staging from Barcelona Liceu in 2006. Very innovative Regietheater, where the opera takes place in a class-room, the protagonists being children. Definitely a fresh view on the work. To be honest, I do not like it, as it takes too much focus away from the music, but for those unacquainted with Wagner, it may serve as an entertaining introduction.

Lohengrin and Elsa´s wedding in the classroom (John Treleaven, Emily Magee and Luana DeVol):

or 2) the elegant Lohengrin choice: Lehnhoff´s production from Baden-Baden 2006 - my personal Lohengrin favourite, not the least because this features the incomparable Waltraud Meier as Ortrud.

Below - the confrontation between Ortrud and Elsa in front of the church (Waltraud Meier and Solveig Kringelborn):

3. Tannhäuser: David Alden´s modern, very aesthetic Tannhäuser production from Munich 1994.

Confrontation between Tannhäuser (René Kollo) and Venus (Waltraud Meier):

4. Walküre - Patrice Chéreau´s historic staging from Bayreuth 1976. Still the most moving version I have seen of this work. Perhaps my top-recommendation for introducing oneself to Wagners work...

Below: Confrontation between Matti Salminen (Hunding), Peter Hofmann (Siegmund) and Jeannine Altmeyer (Sieglinde):

5. For those not keen on modern productions: Meistersinger from The Metropolitan Opera 2001. The best "traditional" Wagner DVD on the market, to my taste. With Karita Mattila, James Morris, Ben Heppner and René Pape.

Scene from Act 3 in Hans Sachs´ living room :