Wagner - Parsifal

[austin]

Many thanks for all your opinions. Clearly plenty to think about before I commit myself. (Cost will probably be an important factor!)

[Mandryka]

Many thanks for all your opinions. Clearly plenty to think about before I commit myself. (Cost will probably be an important factor!)

I don't think there are any recordings that I would say are BAD, but I agree with the poster above who warned against Levine's first recording, which is now only available in a multi-disc set: Peter Hoffman on his last legs vocally, the (always) very average Hans Sotin as Gurnemanz and Levine plodding in the pit.

You might also want to avoid Boulez - who is not bad and is well-served by a great cast,but whose interpretation is probably too individual to live with long term.

[Beef Oven]

Many thanks for all your opinions. Clearly plenty to think about before I commit myself. (Cost will probably be an important factor!)

In terms of cost being an important factor

Barenboim is available brand new in the Amazon market place for £12.36 including p&p!!!

I have never heard Barenboim's account, but enough people on here rate it. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Parsifal-Dan...6220774&sr=1-2

Also Kna's 1951 is only £13.97 direct from Amazon http://www.amazon.co.uk/Parsifal-Kna...6221650&sr=1-1

And the Boulez is £15.45 incl p&p from Amazon marketplace http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wagner-Parsi...6222435&sr=1-1

Any of these would make a good starting point. There is also a Thielemann on the marketplace which is cheap, but it's from the US, so you might get hit with duty if the cost goes over £18 (duty is levied on the buying price and p&p).

[Richard Tarleton]

The Thielemann is excellent (I picked it up for £16 off Amazon, and not from the marketplace, a few years back) - Domingo is wonderful here.

Domingo was a fine live Parsifal in a concert performance in the RFH in 1997. The

tedious old bloke who just goes on and

was magnificently sung by John Tomlinson, with Deborah Polaski as Kundry. The conducor's name escapes me - he was standing in for an indisposed Horst Stein. There was an odd review in the ST by David Cairns who said you needed long arms to conduct Parsifal (this chap's weren't long enough, apparently).

BTW I have just the one recording, the Karajan.

[Beef Oven]

Domingo was a fine live Parsifal in a concert performance in the RFH in 1997. The was magnificently sung by John Tomlinson, with Deborah Polaski as Kundry. The conducor's name escapes me - he was standing in for an indisposed Horst Stein. There was an odd review in the ST by David Cairns who said you needed long arms to conduct Parsifal (this chap's weren't long enough, apparently).

BTW I have just the one recording, the Karajan.

Congratulations on keeping to one recording!!!

Thinking of Stein, I have a most enjoyable DVD on DG of the Bayreuth company with Horst Stein, Jerusalem et al.

Arms not long enough!!?

[Richard Tarleton]

The etymology of "to gurn" is interesting.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Do you people know how long 'Parsifal' is? It takes until next tax demand just to get to the end of the Prelude, and you havent even met Gurnemanz yet ...

Ah: you have the Levine/Bayreuth set, I see!

But the entry into the castle of the Grail at the climax of Act I is just magic.

[umslopogaas]

fhg #22 "Ah: you have the Levine/Bayreuth set, I see!"

Actually, no: Solti, two Knappertsbusch's, Karajan and Gui. Who? Orch. and Chorus of the Radio Italiana, Rome, cond. Vittorio Gui. Recorded in Rome in 1950. Its a 3 CD set, the box proudly announces that it is "More than three hours", which is a devious way of saying it's cut. I bought it because it features - wait for it - Boris Christoff as Gurnemanz, Rolando Panerai as Amfortas and ... Maria Callas as Kundry. Its sung in an Italian translation. Not a first choice, but worth hearing, in my view, for Christoff, one of my favourite singers, and Callas. She abandoned Wagner early on, I think, in favour of Italian and French repertoire: Callas singing Brunnhilde would have been quite something.

If Levine's Parsifal is slower than Karajan, I think I'll give it a miss ...

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Callas singing Brunnhilde would have been quite something.

I've only heard her Liebestod, which makes one ache for what might have been! Never heard the Rome Parsifal; a hunt in the Forest of Cyber is probably in order!

[umslopogaas]

fhg #24

My 3 CD set of Callas singing Parsifal under Gui (well, not literally, you understand) in 1950 is on the Virtuoso label. Code is 2699232, all three discs have the same code, but are simply labelled one to three. I bought it secondhand and have no idea if its still available. The discs are copyright 1989, Metromusica, Milan.

[austin]

'Parsifal' live concert performance here.....

http://tinyurl.com/cdwudek

[Beef Oven]

'Parsifal' live concert performance here.....

http://tinyurl.com/cdwudek

Thanks very much for this Austin, I wasn't aware of this site. I am listening to the performance as I type!

[austin]

I am listening to the performance as I type!

Pleased to be able to share with you.

I am also listening with the score from....

http://tinyurl.com/d2qucpq

[gurnemanz]

Thanks very much for this Austin, I wasn't aware of this site. I am listening to the performance as I type!

It surely takes a special kind of Wagner fan to be listening to Parsifal at 8.06 on a Sunday morning. I am deeply impressed. I will confess that I had not even woken up at that point.

[Beef Oven]

It surely takes a special kind of Wagner fan to be listening to Parsifal at 8.06 on a Sunday morning. I am deeply impressed. I will confess that I had not even woken up at that point.

I am an early riser - I had already been for a jog and washed down my kipper with half a gallon of coffee!