Wednesday, September 29, 2010

RECORDING OF THE MONTH- September 2010: PARSIFAL by WAGNER

If a definitive recording of Wagner's final work exists... this is it.

Parsifal, based loosely on Wolfram von Eschenbach's 13th Century epic poem, Parzivâl, was conceived first around April of 1857 when he wrote the original prose sketch that is now lost. However it was not written on Good Friday, as was stated poetically by Wagner himself in the subsequent years. 25 years later, it was completed and in 1882, at the second Bayreuther Festspiele, it was produced for the first time.

The production was attached to an agreement with his patron, King Ludwig II of Bavaria, intended to pay off the deficit that was brought about by the first Bayreuth Festival. Because of that Wagner used many of the personnel from the München Hoftheater in performing the work. One of those is the Jewish conductor Hermann Levi who was the first to conduct this work. Just one more strike against those who try to convince us that Wagner was an "anti-semite."

Richard did not refer to this monumental last work as an "opera" at all, but as a Bühnenweihfestspiel or a Festival Play for the Consecration of the Stage. Some believe that this is an indication that his original intent was to consecrate the Bayreuth Festspielhaus with this work had it been finished earlier, some believe that it refers to this work consecrating the stage each time that it is performed. Whatever he intended with this title, it is clear that to Wagner (and Wagnerians everywhere), this is more than an opera. It surpasses the art of musical theatre and becomes a sacred experience, not entertainment. This is made exceedingly clear in the Bayreuth tradition of no applause at the conclusion of the first act (and minimal if any at the end of the second and third acts as well).

In my opinion, the only way to truly experience Parsifal is by seeing it at Bayreuth. That is where the work was conceived and for years (until the greedy Americans stepped in with a shrewd under the table move in 1903 by the Met) Bayreuth was the only house that was allowed to produce it.

Given the importance Wagner placed on this holy work, many fine recordings have come into fruition over the years. But one stands out as the benchmark. The recording I speak of is the Phillips 1962 live recording from the Bayreuther Festspiele

Parsifal - Jess Thomas
Amfortas - George London
Gurnemanz - Hans Hotter
Kundry - Irene Dalis
Klingsor - Gustav Neidlinger
Titurel - Martti Talvela

Conductor - Hans Knappertsbusch
with the Bayreuther Festspiele chorus and orchestra

This, similarly to my review of Strauss's Capriccio, is a near perfect work of recorded art. It rivals the greatest recordings of anything, and what's better is that it is a 100% live performance.

To start with, Hans Hotter is (in my opinion) the best Gurnemanz to grace the stage. The austere solemnity and wisdom that his character encompasses resonate clearly with every phrase. His victories as a Lieder singer allow him to maintain a sensuality and a sensitivity to text that is so prominent in Wagner's score and the breadth of his tone is widely unmatched in the 20th and 21st centuries.

Jess Thomas is singing the role of Parsifal and he may very well be the most beautiful voiced Heldentenor to ever sing the role. The intellect that he uses in his approach to the role is his greatest victory here. While his voice may lack the grandeur of Vickers or the power of James King, he makes up for it in pure inspiration.

Among the artists on the disc, my personal favorite may be George London, singing Amfortas just a few years before his untimely vocal retirement. His Amfortas captures a frightening impotence and a painfully direct anguish that is only enhanced by his unmatched depth and sheer vocal power.

If one must name a weak link of this document, that would have to be Irene Dalis's reading of Kundry. Vocally this role is among the most demanding in the entirety of the repertoire, it has the full low phrases of a dramatic mezzo, but soaring high notes of a soprano. While she does sing it well, she lacks a bit of the sensuousness that was so mastered by artists such as Dame Gwyneth Jones. But her character is nicely balanced and her weaknesses do not distract from her absolutely miraculous cast-mates. She fortunately manages to muster up the nice balance of seduction and demonic ferocity needed for the Act II curse, thereby purging herself of any shortfalls she had leading up to that point on the disc.

Knappertsbusch, who may be the conductor most closely associated with this work in the 20th century, could be at times relatively unpredictable in performance. Often magnificent, but occasionally verging on careless. But like his 1951 Götterdämmerung, here, he is magnificent. He takes a somewhat slower tempo, but with a virtually unparalleled control, he keeps the drama moving with a swift purpose. The gravitas in his baton remind the listener of the spiritual grandeur, human frailty and almost, at times, insufferable beauty of this final stage work of the operatic master.

For a truly pious and sacred operatic experience, the only recording truly worth turning to is this 1962 Bayreuth Festival Parsifal. If you don't like (or understand as it may be) Wagner, surely the gravity of this work will help to show you the light.

-Christopher Michael Kelley