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

[Petrushka]

Friday evening I listened to Act III from the Thielman/Domingo recording. Not sure that I like Domingo in the role, & he's certainly too old to be convincing on stage - there's no way he could have enough make-up to look youthfull enough for Act I.

I would have chosen Knappertsbusch/Windgassen 1951 performnace from Bayreuth, but the prelude is on one CD & the rest of the act on another, & I didn't want to jump up after a few minutes to change CDs. I don't know why the whole act couldn't have been fitted on one CD, since CD 3 is 78 minutes long and CD 4 76 minutes.

What, just the 12 minute Prelude on 1 CD??? Act 1 (with Prelude) is about 2 hours long so fits nicely on to two CDs with Acts 2 and 3 occupying CD 3 & 4 respectively. Whose re-issue is this (so I can be sure of avoiding it)?

[Flosshilde]

Act I is on CD 1 & 2; Act II is on CD 3; Prelude to Act III is on CD 3; rest of Act III is on CD 4. "the prelude is on one CD & the rest of the act is on another" isn't quite the same as 'one CD contains the prelude (& nothing else) & the rest of the act is on another.'
As the Prelude to Act III in this performance lasts for five and three quarter minutes I would have thought it would fit onto CD 4 with the rest of the act.

It's the Naxos reissue, from a Decca issue. It would be interesting to know if Decca had the same arrangement for Act III.

[AmpH]

Still no Parsifals here.

None here either ER ....... you are not alone !

[EdgeleyRob]

None here either ER ....... you are not alone !

Great to hear from you AmpH.
I've had an unlistened to Ring cycle on my shelves for years,so not much point buying a Parsifal yet.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

As the Prelude to Act III in this performance lasts for five and three quarter minutes I would have thought it would fit onto CD 4 with the rest of the act.

Well, that fourth CD is already 78mins 20secs, Floss - so with the 5min 45sec that would take the duration to just over 84mins; which is pushing it. (Superb performance and CD transfer that Mono Kna!)

[AmpH]

Great to hear from you AmpH.
I've had an unlistened to Ring cycle on my shelves for years,so not much point buying a Parsifal yet.

Cheers ER. Leave Wagner to the masochists and have another crack at Sibelius instead !

[gurnemanz]

Listened to Kubelik - acquired after it got 2013 BaL nod - brilliantly done.

[Beef Oven!]

Listened to Kubelik - acquired after it got 2013 BaL nod - brilliantly done.

I've been tracking that for a few years now, hoping it will come down in price. :sad face:

Edit: I see it's come down a bit. Was £32 last time I looked and has been as high as £40.

[Conchis]

I picked up the Kubelik for around £22.00 back in 2006. Those were the days!

No Parsifal for me this Easter. Pharoah Sanders' Meditation, instead. :)

[Beef Oven!]

I picked up the Kubelik for around £22.00 back in 2006. Those were the days!

No Parsifal for me this Easter. Pharoah Sanders' Meditation, instead. :)

Indeed, I even remember it being £18 and I passed it over (no pun).

[P. G. Tipps]

Cheers ER. Leave Wagner to the masochists and have another crack at Sibelius instead !

As Easter is the greatest Christian festival of all (even puts Christmas in the shade) I've long thought the most appropriate works to listen to are the Unfinished Bruckner 9 (Good Friday), Bruckner 0 on Easter Saturday , and the gloriously resurrectionist Bruckner 5 on the day itself.

Okay I'm biased ... but I can't honestly think of two more appropriate works than the first and third of the above, given the composer's great and (still) widely-mocked Christian faith?

One day those at R3 will finally cotton on, I'm sure ...

[Roehre]

As Easter is the greatest Christian festival of all (even puts Christmas in the shade) I've long thought the most appropriate works to listen to are the Unfinished Bruckner 9 (Good Friday), Bruckner 0 on Easter Saturday , and the gloriously resurrectionist Bruckner 5 on the day itself.

Okay I'm biased ... but I can't honestly think of two more appropriate works than the first and third of the above, given the composer's great and (still) widely-mocked Christian faith?

One day those at R3 will finally cotton on, I'm sure ...

Easter IS by far the most important Christian festival - it's at the very center of the Christian faith
We could do without Christmas, but never without Easter.

JSBach St.Matthew Passion perhaps for Good Friday?

see also here

[Beef Oven!]

Wagner - Parsifal, Act III
Chorus and Orchestra Of the Bayreuth Festival, Boulez et al. Deutsche Grammophon.

Not having listened to Parsifal in a while, returning to it in this pacey, direct performance makes a refreshing change from my usual Goodall, Knappertsbusch, Karajan go-to recordings.

Probably only enough time for Act III today.

it will be Herbert von Karajan, BPO Deutsche Grammaphon.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I played the Karajan set earlier in the week (an act each day) - about to embark on the Kubelik.

[gradus]

It will only be an excerpt or two but it's Boulez at Bayreuth that enthralls me.