Parisfal 3

Wagner (Artist), Muck (Artist), Chorus & Orchestra of Berlin Opera (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 19, 1996)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Preiser Records
• ASIN: B0000023S3
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #961,775 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars as good as it gets in spite of the dated sound, March 22, 2000

By 

Ray Barnes (Surrey, British Columbia Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Parisfal 3 (Audio CD)

I have not heard the CD transfer of this performance, which as I recall dates originally from 1928, but have a treasured copy of an LP re-release on the Lebendige Vergangenheit (Living History) label. This performance, along with the Karajan Bayreuth 1951 Die Walkure Act III, is my all-time favourite Wagner recording. This is not to say it is the best by any absolute standard. I found that Dr. Karl Muck got the tempo just right in this rather difficult music and the orchestra almost has a vocal quality to its phrasing. The singers, particularly in the role of Gurnemanz, have impeccable diction and lyric beauty. The Berlin State Opera Orchestra play superbly and even the choral contribution at the end is quite unique. One marvels how these performers managed to execute so well when this was originally recorded on '78s. I have also heard the Karajan,the Boulez, both Knappertsbuschs, the Solti, the rare Act III synthesis conducted by Toscanini, Armin Jordan, Horst Stein, and Levine, and still rank the Muck performance at the top of this list, in spite of the constricted sound. It should be noted that the sound, although not great, is quite acceptable for its age.

The cover of the original LP showed a profile of the conductor, who bears quite a resemblance, without the beard, to the composer.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars an afterthought, January 14, 2002

By 

Ray Barnes (Surrey, British Columbia Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Parisfal 3 (Audio CD)

This remains a very fine album, but the music has been re-released and re-transferred as part of a new issue in the budget-priced Naxos Great Opera Recordings series. This new album on 2 CDs features all of Dr. Karl Muck's historical recordings of excerpts from Parsifal, with additional contributions directed by Alfred Hertz and Siegfried Wagner. This set is an outstanding success.