Which Parsifal will you play this weekend? There are no wrong answers!

[Guest]

I try to play a recording of Parsifal over this particular weekend each year.

Kna crops up most years.

This year it's going to be Thielemann/Domingo live on DG.

If I get a chance to sample more recordings I will choose from Boulez, Karajan and Goodall.

I have about 10 Parsifals, less than some people in here!!

[Mr Pee]

I think the Karajan recording is very special. HVK at his very best.

[BBMmk2]

This one opera I havnt got in my collection!!

[umslopogaas]

Interesting thought. Not being particularly religious (in fact, being hardly religious at all), I hadnt thought of Easter as a pre-determined time to listen to Parsifal. I tend to listen to Parsifal, or any other Wagner opera for that matter, when I have large amounts of available time, whatever season of the year. But I think I will give it a go. I have three versions on LP: Solti, Knappertsbusch (Bayreuth 1951) and Kna again (Bayreuth 1962), and two on CD (Karajan and Gui). Despite the joys of discovering ancient performances on vinyl, I suspect I'll go for the easy option and play the Karajan CDs.

The Gui version is extraordinary, not least because a. it is "more than 3 hours" which means that it is cut and b. it features Boris Christoff as Gurnemanz and - gulp! - Maria Callas as Kundry. They dont make casts like that any more.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I think the Karajan recording is very special. HVK at his very best.

I completely agree, Mr Pee.

But, as BeefO says, there are no "wrong answers" ('tho' I suspect there'll be very few "votes" for either of Levine's recordings) and this year I'll be listening to the (sadly incomplete) first recordings from 1913, '27 & '28 conducted by Karl Muck, Alfred Hertz and Siegfried Wagner.

[gurnemanz]

Kna 1962 with Hans Hotter as my long-winded namesake was my only version - on LP - for many a year. I have recently acquired his 1951 version as part of the Bayreuth Heritage Box, but not yet played it. On your prompting I might give it a first spin this weekend.

(PS. I only have four recordings, so am a mere dilettante in this company. I have a soft spot for the 1975 Herbert Kegel with René Kollo, it being a recording of a Leipzig concert performance which we actually attended, "we" being me and young woman born in the same city as the maestro. We got married in Leipzig a few weeks after the concert.)

[BBMmk2]

So HvK on youtube?

[Beef Oven]

I think the Karajan recording is very special. HVK at his very best.

Egg wetter gree.

[Beef Oven]

Kna 1962 with Hans Hotter as my long-winded namesake was my only version - on LP - for many a year. I have recently acquired his 1951 version as part of the Bayreuth Heritage Box, but not yet played it. On your prompting I might give it a first spin this weekend.

(PS. I only have four recordings, so am a mere dilettante in this company. I have a soft spot for the 1975 Herbert Kegel with René Kollo, it being a recording of a Leipzig concert performance which we actually attended, "we" being me and young woman born in the same city as the maestro. We got married in Leipzig a few weeks after the concert.)

Wonderful PS!!

PS. Consider yourself prompted.

[Beef Oven]

This one opera I havnt got in my collection!!

[Beef Oven]

Interesting thought. Not being particularly religious (in fact, being hardly religious at all), I hadnt thought of Easter as a pre-determined time to listen to Parsifal. I tend to listen to Parsifal, or any other Wagner opera for that matter, when I have large amounts of available time, whatever season of the year. But I think I will give it a go. I have three versions on LP: Solti, Knappertsbusch (Bayreuth 1951) and Kna again (Bayreuth 1962), and two on CD (Karajan and Gui). Despite the joys of discovering ancient performances on vinyl, I suspect I'll go for the easy option and play the Karajan CDs.

The Gui version is extraordinary, not least because a. it is "more than 3 hours" which means that it is cut and b. it features Boris Christoff as Gurnemanz and - gulp! - Maria Callas as Kundry. They dont make casts like that any more.

I'm not particularly religious either, but its a good excuse!

Another HvK being played this weekend

[DracoM]

Solti/Kollo
Kna / the whole team

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

The Gui version is extraordinary, not least because a. it is "more than 3 hours" which means that it is cut and b. it features Boris Christoff as Gurnemanz and - gulp! - Maria Callas as Kundry. They dont make casts like that any more.

Cheap download here (no advice about the download quality, but worth a punt of any impecunious Wagneria's hard-earned dosh, I'd've thought).

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wagner-Parsifal/dp/B004CGZ4MC/ref=sr_1_9?s=dmusic&ie=UTF8&qid=1364328773&sr=1-9

[Petrushka]

I recorded the recent Met relay conducted by Gatti to hard drive with the intention of saving it for the Easter weekend as I was unable to catch it live. Will probably divide it between Friday (Act 1) and Saturday (Acts 2 & 3).

That aside I have the 1962 Knappertsbusch, Karajan and Solti recordings.

[Beef Oven]

Cheap download here (no advice about the download quality, but worth a punt of any impecunious Wagneria's hard-earned dosh, I'd've thought).

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wagner-Parsi...4328773&sr=1-9

I now have about 11 Parsifals and I'm £3.56 lighter in the pocket.