BaL 14.12.13 - Wagner's Parsifal

[verismissimo]

The Levine from Bayreuth is in this box: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wagner-Great...bayreuth+decca

And it looks as though the Goodall from Covent Garden is nla: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wagner-Parsi...+covent+garden

[Black Swan]

I am looking forward to this as well. I have Barenboim on Disc and the Met with Levine on DVD. Oddly, as much as I love this opera I do not have that many recordings or DVD. I am a huge fan of Waldtraut Meier as Kundry.

[verismissimo]

Shouldn't that be Vierte Knappe, LMP?

Apologies, LMP. Mine was not intended as a correction, but as a (rather feeble) joke concerning the many Parsifal recordings of Knappertsbusch.

[LeMartinPecheur]

Apologies, LMP. Mine was not intended as a correction, but as a (rather feeble) joke concerning the many Parsifal recordings of Knappertsbusch.

Don't worry - should probably have specified '..right down to Sixth Flower Maiden' anyway. (More fun with inside leg measurements...?)

[LHC]

Rather surprised to see that I have managed to collect quite a few complete versions over the years:

LP
VPO, Sir Georg Solti
Prague Philharmonic Chorus, Monte Carlo PO, Armin Jordan

CD
RAI Rome, Vittorio Gui
Bayreuth Festival, Hans Knappertsbusch (1962)
VPO, Sir Georg Solti
BPO, Herbert von Karajan
WNO, Sir Reginald Goodall
Bayreuth Festival, James Levine
Deutschen Staatsoper, Daniel Barenboim
Mariinsky Orchestra & Chorus, Valery Gergiev

Video
Bayreuth Festival, Horst Stein

DVD/Blu-ray
Syberberg Film (Prague Philharmonic Chorus, Monte Carlo PO, Armin Jordan)
Deutsches Symphony Orchester Berlin, Kent Nagano
Zurich Opera, Bernard Haitink
Bayreuth, Philippe Jordan (the superb Herheim production)
Staatskapelle Dresden, Christian Thielemann

The Blu-rays of the Met Opera/ Gatti performance are on order and no doubt I will buy the Blu-ray of the recent ROH/ Pappano performance (which I enjoyed very much) when that eventually comes out

[Thropplenoggin]

Video
Bayreuth Festival, Horst Stein

DVD/Blu-ray
Syberberg Film (Prague Philharmonic Chorus, Monte Carlo PO, Armin Jordan)
Deutsches Symphony Orchester Berlin, Kent Nagano
Zurich Opera, Bernard Haitink
Bayreuth, Philippe Jordan (the superb Herheim production)
Staatskapelle Dresden, Christian Thielemann

The Blu-rays of the Met Opera/ Gatti performance are on order and no doubt I will buy the Blu-ray of the recent ROH/ Pappano performance (which I enjoyed very much) when that eventually comes out

I'd be interested to know which is your favourite version on DVD, as I'm in the market for one.

[Flosshilde]

Syberberg's without a doubt.

[amateur51]

EA has the start time correct but some listeners may not have noticed - it's 09:05 hrs

[Bryn]

The Horst Stein is the only performance I have on DVD. I feel no need to replace or supplement it. There again, I am no great Wagnerphile. The Syberberg DVDs come into a fair bit of stick re. poor (Dolby Digital) audio quality, I note.

[DracoM]

CD Review has not been kind to Solti in the past. I do hope that THIS time his 'Parsifal' is given fair treatment. His Act 3 has to be the finest on CD.

[Alison]

I believe Nicey is not likely to side with a slow and monumental approach.

[Nick Armstrong]

EA has the start time correct but some listeners may not have noticed - it's 09:05 hrs

And judging by the timings now on the R3 schedule, Nicey's been allotted a full 55 minutes for this one. The ensuing Sarah Lenton / Stephen Johnson / Harriet Smith () Gush-fest isn't scheduled to start till 10am.

[verismissimo]

Sounds like Kubelik's it?

[Black Swan]

Very interesting BAL. I missed the DVD/Blue Ray recommendation. Which one was it?

[slarty]

Did'nt give a DVD recommendation. My, how times change - Knappertsbusch out! Solti out! Karajan out! in fact the Solti and Karajan hardly were played.
Having slagged off various imterpretations of Amfortas, it defeats me how he could pass over one of the greatest interpreters of the role - Fischer-Dieskau - he does not get mentioned. Strange - it is one of the glories of that set.
Kubelik's performance, made for radio is fine, but it is definitely light weight. So this is almost an HIP performance.
I saw Moll sing Gurnemanz many times, lovely sonorous voice, that could put one to sleep from lack of characterization, King's performance is hardly "ideal".
I get the feeling that he wanted to avoid the Solti recording at all costs.
Frick may have been "old" but he sings wonderfully, this is the best cast, the best orchestral sound and well conducted. Of all the commercial sets this is still the best.
Strange review.
Also could and should have mentioned that some singers when live would give a much more characterful interpretation on stage than were they just singing in the studio.