Customer Reviews

Wagner: Parsifal

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Little to add to the long, thoughtful reviews below, except to say this is in my opinion the single greatest recording of any opera, ever. Wagner's final work is a re-working of the Fisher King myth: how a holy innocent restores fertility to the sickly realm of the Grail Knights, a fallen land in perpetual winter, besieged by a warlock, one of their number gone to the dark side, and his bevvy of flower-tarts/temptresses. Wagner's text is a potent blend of Christian, Buddhist and Pagan myths; his score, spare, voluptuous, and rapt, the helmet-horned histrionics of yore dialled down to an oozing liquid musical synesthesia that SOUNDS JUST LIKE blood flowing from Christs wound, cleansing water, sacramental wine, tears of compassion -- is his very finest, most miraculous achievement.

The reputation of Parsifal is: a)that the proper balance of the meditative, magical, spiritual and erotic is almost impossible to bring off convincingly in performance, and there are far fewer good ones in the Wagner discography than say, The Ring; b)only the acoustics of Wagner's own Bayreuth theater, for which the score was actually written to order, can reproduce the work properly; and c)Between 1951-1964 conductor Hans Knappertsbusch owned this work as no conductor has ever owned a single opera before or since.

This was Knappertsbusch's first Bayreuth Parsifal, and while in broadcast mono, it takes the prize. The reason is the sense of occasion. While Hitler had adopted the Wagner family as his own and showered Bayreuth with his largesse, he also quietly banned Parsifal in 1938. (Remember, for all the talk of Wagner as a proto-Nazi, he intended Parsifal to be his defining work, and willed that it be performed at his theater annually in the spirit of a religious ritual; that the Nazis would suppress something so dear to Wagner's heart indicates that his message of love and compassion was fundamentally at odds with the ideology his name has been tarred by forever). After the war, the theater was shut down by the US occupation while its principals were investigated for their cosiness with Hitler. Finally in 1951, the Wagner grandsons re-opened the rehabilitated, de-Nazified Bayreuth with this very Parsifal. Master record producer John Culshaw recorded it beautifully (I would barely know this was mono); and I believe that this tale of redemption is here so powerfully rendered because everyone involved, including the audience, knew they were witnessing the actual redemption of Wagner, the festival, and a discredited strain of German Romanticsm so hideously co-opted by Hitler. This is the actual sound of cultural re-birth, and if you fall under it's spell, it will knock you to your knees. Knappertsbusch and co. were not merely performing an opera, they were performing a kind of musical sage-burning ceremony to chase away the demons that had corrupted their stage,their race, their nation, and also, in the process, embracing the spirit of atonement, self-abnegation, universal love and forgivness that is Wagner's message. It really is no exaggeration to say that this recording was a rite, an exorcism, a purging of evil. And the committment of the performers elevates Parsifal to a level of emotion beyond a mere night at the opera

Legendarily, Knappertsbusch took slow tempos, yet even by his standards this is slow, in fact this is the longest Parsifal on record. Yet it never turns into a taffy-pull, in fact Wagner's structural underpinnings, the endless melodies morphing from motif to motif, have never been more audible, the climaxes gain from the dammed up tensions of the hushed bits, and the voices are powerfully exposed and naked above the unfurling orchestral carpet. The starry cast -- Windgassen, London, Hotter, especially Modl's unhinged Kundry -- has never been bettered. And as I began, the sense of occasion is palpable. Many prefer Knappertsbusch's 1962 recording on Philips for it's faster tempo and stereo sonics, and it is great. But this is beyond great -- the slightly rusty mono cannot put a brake on what is truly a religious experience, exactly as Wagner intended.

The world-famous conductor, especially renowned for his staging of Parsifal in Bayreuth. The names of Knappertsbusch and Parsifal are inseparable. The conductor regarded his work as a sacred act, a great homage to God. He spent each night in zealous prayers and he needed to see a soaring dove in the final scene of the triumph of the spirit even over an empty Bayreuth "saucer".
The Knight of the Grail Gurnemanz is played by Ludwig Weber - the name known mostly in the inner circles. This exclusive musician has played a lot at Bayreuth Festspiele, without him a Wagner performance would not be a success. His playing is characterized by incomparable charm and if, sometimes they say about a musician "good but without much kick", in case of Weber it is just the opposite.
Wolfgang Windgassen is a Bayreuth colossus and Wagnerian prime star. "What should have been done if Wolfgang Windgassen was not in Bayreuth?" To which Knappertsbusch retorted: "Send him an invitation as soon as possible, what else?"
Once Knappertsbusch philosophized: "Windgassen for Bayreuth is a sort of astral indisputable body, which by spiritual force is retaining here the Beauty (das Musische)». Knappertsbusch seldom made such remarks, so when he did it was after long deliberation. Windgassen comet started its flight from the role of Parsifal.
There are many recordings of Parsifal from Bayreuth Festspiele with the ever-present Hans Knappertsbusch and Windgassen as Parsifal. Philips recording of Parsifal from Bayreuth in 1962 can be considered universal for a wide range of listeners. But the real connoisseurs know that there will no such Parsifal as at the opening in 1951. No words can describe that atmosphere of incredulously quite audience in which a cough would have been a crime. Listening would be better than words.

This recording was made during the first postwar Wagner Festival in Bayreuth. It features Wolfgang Windgassen (Parsifal) and George London (Amfortas) at the beginning of their careers as Wagner singers. Martha Modl set the standard for Kundry for a generation. Conductor Hans Knappertsbusch was well known in Europe for his Wagner--especially "Parsifal".
In short the cast was wonderful, and the conducting magnificent. The sound is monaural, but made with the best equipment available in 1951. It was made during live performances of the opera in Festspielhaus. Thus it has the level of excitement possible only in live recordings and is aided by the excellent acoustics of the theatre.
Amazon allows five stars. I would give it six or seven.

The adulation accorded this recording in previous reviews and elsewhere mystifies me; it strikes me that some of it is couched in terms which approach the obsessively unhinged. Don't misunderstand me; I love Wagner and do indeed find "Parsifal" to be a truly spiritual experience, even (especially?) on disc - but this recording is not the one to do it for me.

First, it's in dim, but perfectly listenable mono. Fine; I listen happily to many recordings of lesser sonic quality - but if I can have a "Parsifal" in beautiful, clear sound, I'd prefer it. Both the Kubelik (see my review) and the Karajan studio recordings provide just that. Furthermore, they both feature a Gurnemanz in Kurt Moll whose beauty of voice, tonal splendour and understanding of the text put the wobbly Ludwig Weber in the shade. He is on stage for so long that this rôle is really crucial to our enjoyment - and I find Weber's vocal failings and unsteadiness a bit of a trial when I have the aural image of Moll's sonorous bass in my head. Windgassen, too, is perfectly adequate, but he always sounded elderly even when he wasn't and James King's carefully thought out characterisation matches his superior vocalisation; he really sounds boyish. Minton is almost Mödl's equal vocally and almost as good interpretatively. It is true that no-one matches George London's great anguished, black-voiced Amfortas - least of all Weikl - but that's the only real casualty if you opt for Kubelik's masterly pacing and buy the Arts & Archives set.

This 1951 Kna recording is now available very reasonably on Naxos if you must have it. Certainly you'd be crazy to pay a lot for such a venerable version; I bought mine for pennies on the Quadromania label and it sounds as good as you could hope for its age. In truth, if I were going to live with a live, historical performance, I'd prefer the 1950 RAI broadcast conducted by Gui and sung in Italian (incredibly well) by Callas, Christoff, Panerai and Baldelli.

Isn't it amazing when someone conducts or directs a work, whether it's a play, movie, or an opera or operetta and they are so great, interpert it so perfectly, that it becomes "theirs".

This was the case with the Great Hans Knappertsbusch and Wagner's "Parsifal". His name is synonymous with this work, and likely always will be.

This is the first performance at Bayreuth after the war, and it's a sure bet that everyone was being very careful, and, rightly, probably was very nervous as to just what the re-opening of the Festspielhouse would bring. I am sure everyone was probably walking on "eggs". But, not to worry, as it turned out...people still flocked to see and hear Wagner's works presented that year, 1951. This was the opening opera performance of that season, and there was a break with singers of the past, the grandsons wishing to "bring" or start New Bayreuth. So, we herewith had the debuts, if you will, of Wolfgang Windgassen and George London...not too bad! Especially if you factor in Martha Modl and Hermann Uhde, Ludwig Weber, and Arnold van Mill. Imagine to have been there!

The last performance of "Parsifal" at Bayreuth was 1939...Hitler had forbidden performances of "Parsifal" during the war, so this performance was especially meaningful not only for Germans, but for Wagner lovers all over the world. Bayreuth would start again, afresh, hopefully to shake off the association that was connected with the Fuhrer and his political world.

So, opening night, and the next morning the opera world was simply sat on its collective [...], if you will. Gone all traces of anything associated with the past, and the entrance of New Bayreuth...notably "barren" stages! And, it worked...the grandsons had rightly figured that removing anything distracting would enable the total absorption of the music drama itself, and it set a whole new standard for the presentation not only of "Parsifal", but all other productions of Wagner's works at the Festival Theater.

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This performance, recorded with the very finest equipment and technical capabilities at the time, is a truly remarkable document. It belongs in every serious opera collection. It cannot be overlooked. Windgassen and London, Weber and van MIll all at the very beginning of their careers. (A very few shakey spots, but this is great history in the making...the foremost tenor of the second half of the 20th century is cutting his teeth here!). The Great Modl, and Hermann Uhde, and of course, all held together by the incomparable "Kna" in a stately, but warmly scintilating, production. All recordings later released get held up to, and compared critically with, this great performance, and also the later 1962 performance, as it happens, also under "Kna". And, it's easy...it's pass/fail, period.

The sound here is amazingly very good, and the unbelievable part is this...there are no sneezes, coughs, chair rattling, etc. This was the "old days" when people simply would not make a sound out of respect for the great work, and also, I believe, for the performers also.

The booklet with this release is just astonishing. So many photos, and information.....how one wishes other recordings by other companies would produce documentation like this. And, it's on high-quality glossy paper throughout.

Simply put, a must-have recording for many reasons, which I have tried to show, with this, I realize, very long review. Somehow it is not possible to just make great performances like this just blach/white without some of the important history associated with it. Forgive the length, but get the recording, soon, as I fear these grand old pressings are, or will be soon, out of print. ~operabruin

SOURCE: In the summer of 1951 John Culshaw and a sound crew from Decca were at Bayreuth to record the post-war rebirth of the great musical festival. "Parsifal," conducted by Hans Knappertsbusch, opened at the end of June and played through July. In August, the bill changed to "Die Meistersinger" under the baton of the Festival's other conductor, Herbert von Karajan. In the absence of evidence to the contrary, I believe that this recording of "Parsifal" was made in the same way as the recording of Karajan's 1951 "Meistersinger," that it is an assemblage of selected takes from rehearsals and several performances. For years, this was the only recording of "Parsifal" available to the general public; it formed the taste of a generation.

SOUND: This recording, like that of the contemporary "Die Meistersinger," pushed the technology of 1951 to its extreme to capture a performance at the Bayreuth Festival. It is in perfectly respectable mono, remarkable for its time and acceptable to ours, if a listener offers it some goodwill. It should be noted, however, that the recording crews must have learned much from these first attempts to capture the Bayreuth experience in the new technology, for recordings made in the subsequent seasons show noticeable advances, even prior to the introduction of the newer-still stereo technology.

The voices of the singers are very nicely captured, while the orchestra is comparatively distant and a bit muffled, at least as compared to the latest digital stereo versions. However, it must be remembered that Wagner, himself, clearly did not want a bright and forward-sounding orchestra. He designed and built the Festspielhaus, in fact, to prevent precisely such a thing from happening.

The audience, respectful Wagnerites, maintained a remarkable and self-disciplined hush throughout.

CAST: Amfortas - George London (baritone); Titurel - Arnold van Mill (bass); Gurnemanz - Ludwig Weber (bass); Parsifal - Wolfgang Windgassen (tenor); Klingsor - Hermann Uhde (bass); Kundry - Martha Moedl (soprano); Squire I - Hanna Ludwig (soprano); Squire II - Elfriede Wild (soprano); Squire III - Guenther Baldauf (tenor); Squire IV - Gerhard Stolze (tenor); Flower Maiden I - Hildegard Schuenemann (soprano); Flower Maiden II - Erika Zimmermann (soprano); Flower Maiden III - Hanna Ludwig (soprano); Flower Maiden IV - Paula Brivkalne (soprano); Flower Maiden V - Maria Lacorn (soprano); Flower Maiden VI - Elfriede Wild (soprano); Knight I - Walther Fritz (tenor); Knight II - Werner Faulhaber (bass); Voice from Above - Ruth Siewert (contralto).

CONDUCTOR: Hans Knappertsbusch, with Orchester und Chor der Bayreuther Festspiele.

COMMENTARY: The town of Bayreuth was bombed and massively damaged during the course of World War II. One of the few public buildings that remained standing was Richard Wagner's Festspielhaus, although it did not escape damage.

After the war, it did not take long to reach the conclusion that the Festival must continue. But, like many Germans (von Karajan and Furtwaengler spring to mind), it had to undergo a lengthy and painful process of de-nazification. For the Festival, that meant the permanent sidelining of English-born Winifred Wagner, the daughter-in-law of Richard Wagner and to the day she died, the outspoken friend and fan of Adolph Hitler. Winifred's sons, Wieland and Wolfgang Wagner took over control. The Wagner brothers faced formidable problems. The Festival was bankrupt, the Festspielhaus in need of repair and the accumulated sets and costumes of three generations were either destroyed or, worse, buried in a salt mine in the Russian Zone.

As it happened, the brothers triumphed. They raised the money. They repaired the Playhouse. They signed up co-conductors of enormous prestige, Knappertsbusch effectively representing tradition and continuity and Karajan for brilliance and entry into the new, post-war world.

The reborn, de-nazified, financially strapped New Bayreuth Festival opened on June 30, 1951 with this very "Parsifal." This recording is a major historical document in its own right. By one of those odd little ironies of fate, Knappertsbusch, the Man of the Past, led the first production of Wieland's radical, stripped down, abstract New Bayreuth style, while Karajan, the Man of the Future, followed up by conducting Wolfgang's very traditional, realistic and even ponderous-looking production of "Die Meistersinger."

Although, a few die-hard traditionalists (such as Knappertsbusch) were appalled, the new "Parsifal" was a smash hit. The formidable English critic, Ernest Newman was there in 1951. He wrote, "This was not only the best Parsifal I have ever seen and heard but one of the three or four most moving spiritual experiences of my life."

I must confess that I am not quite so moved. The very first opera I ever saw in an opera house was "Die Meistersinger." I stood through all five-and-a-half mortal hours of it and loved every bar, every note. On the other hand. when I at last saw "Parsifal," I thought that in doing so that I had just experienced the most thundering boredom of my life. (That time I was fortunate enough to have a seat, at least.) I have endured other "Parsifals" since then. To this day, I find "Parsifal" (and "Lohengrin," too) a dreary duty, entirely devoid of the pleasures afforded by Wagner's other works, yes, even "Rienzi" and "Das Liebesverbot."

Before any rabid Wagnerite orders up a supply of tar and feathers from Amazon, I admit that my distaste for "Parsifal" is almost certainly more informative about me than it is about the opera.

As "Parsifals" go, this "Parsifal" is a very superior one. Knappertsbusch clearly loved the opera and he was a great conductor for it. Take this as fair warning, though: his approach is not a modern one. He was taught his Wagner by Hans Richter, who had it directly from the Master himself. Knappertsbusch was less concerned with absolute precision or quality of tone than with the dramatic and musical arc and flow of the piece.

The newly reconstituted Bayreuth Orchestra was pretty good in 1951, but it would improve in quality with the passing of time.

The cast is simply amazing: London, Weber, Windgassen, Uhde, Moedl and the rest. I have heard people whose judgement I trust (despite the fact that they actually manage to enjoy "Parsifal") declare that no-one has ever surpassed Uhde as Klinsor or Moedl as Kundry. Whether that is true or not, I don't believe that a cast of comparable quality could be assembled in any opera house in the world today. It is astonishing to recall that this cast is only one of three or four of equal quality that could have performed at Bayreuth in 1951.

This is a fine and important performance of an opera I do not happen to like. The cast is wonderful, good enough to make me bewail the state of Wagnerian singing in the Twenty-first Century. The conductor is an old-fashioned man, conducting in an old-fashioned way, but his way may be truer to the intentions of the composer than today's accepted manner. The sound of the recording is good, although definitely in the "historic" class. The value of this recording is in the performance, not the technology.

To those who can abide "Parsifal," five stars.

INFO: I listened to samples from this release and the naxos version (can be found on amazon uk). The naxos version sounds warmer, has more orchestration depth and fullness, and has less voice echo. I ended up buying the naxos because of naxos remastering of this recording.

This is a great, exciting performance, but Knappertsbusch's later performances, after 1960, are better.

Get this for Ludwig Weber. Yes he's a little wobbly but the character is an old man and besides he's way less wobbly than Hans Hotter was when he sang Gurnemanz. (Not really a fair contest because Hotter's back was injured.) Weber is huge, cavernous, avuncular, and every bit as smart as Kurt Moll but unlike Moll he knows how to sing without SOUNDING like a supergenius all the time.

Knappertsbusch, Windgassen, London, and Modl all improved a lot later. Here Big George has not yet developed his full piledriver force. You feel sorry for him but you don't wince with pain like in 1962 when he roars "O, Strafe, Strafe ohnegleichen!"

I don't quite believe Hermann Uhde as Klingsor. He's good as a deceived bad guy like Gunther or Friedrich von Telramund, but not convincing as pure sadistic corruption incarnate. Of course, I'm comparing him to Gustav Neidlinger (PeaceBeUponHim) which is unfair to anyone. The role Uhde was really good at was Amfortas but you have to buy his double-CD anthology to hear that.

My favorite of Knappertsbusch's PARSIFALs is Bayreuth 1954, with Josef Greindl as Gurnemanz, not-yet-injured Hans Hotter as Amfortas, Neidlinger, Wingassen, Modl. Theo Adam is perfectly cast as Titurel.

I tried most of the top rated Parsifals and stayed with this old live 1951 recording. This seems the most sincere I can imagine. The rough quality of the recording is blown away by the performance!


Note of Interest:
At one point I had 2 copies of this recording and noticed one was better than the other. The first set I got had no libretto and had the words Wagner Mania on each disc along with the word History. The recording was the 1951 Kna. The second was on Teldec and had a Libretto and rougher sound but was the same concert. I took the book and box of the Teldec set to put with the better disc and sold the Teldec c.d.'s.