Customer Reviews

Wagner: Parsifal (Highlights)

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On one hand, it is a relief to finally have vocal and orchestral highlights of "Parsifal" on a well-filled, 76 minute CD, since it is not often that I have 4 1/2 hours to spend listening to a single work. The performance, led by Daniel Barenboim is a good one, serene, rapturous and intense. But don't listen to this disc on your headphones, because there are many sonic annoyances mixed in with the great music.

Despite the fact that this recording was made over a period of months in Jesus-Christus Kirche, the site of many legendary recording sessions, the sound is rather bland and faraway and there are many thumps, gasps and miscellaneous noises, such as Barenboim's unfortunately customary, periodic, orgasmic groaning! Does he think this enhances the music, or is music? Does he know there's a microphone on? Hello, Daniel: you're making rude, annoying noise, and disturbing your audience.

Until DG or Decca sees fit to issue highlights of this opera, this disc is the only game in town.

This is a highlights disc from a 1990 recording of Wagner's PARSIFAL by Daniel Barenboim, the Berlin Philharmonic, and the Chor der Deutschen Staatsoper Berlin. It features Siegfried Jerusalem as Parsifal and Waltraud Meier as Kundry. What you have here is 76'42 of fantastic Wagner, with excellent singers. The liner notes are minimal, just a brief synopsis of the characters and story. I highly recommend this for anyone just seeking out Wagner's music. If you're not sure about an entire opera, by all means see if you enjoy these highlights first. After going through this process myself, I eventually acquired a copy of the acclaimed complete opera led by Hans Knappertsbusch at Bayreuth in 1962. But I still listen to these Barenboim highlights more often -- the music is superb, and it is a much more practical length for daily listening.

The great Barenboim Ring cycle recorded in 1991 and 1992 at Bayreuth is also available in four highlights discs: Das Rheingold, Die Walküre, Siegfried, and Gotterdammerung. "Das Rheingold" was recorded in June/July 1991, and the other three operas were recorded in June/July 1992. John Tomlinson is Wotan, Anne Evans is Brunnhilde, and Siegfried Jerusalem, appropriately enough, is Siegfried.

I listen to these Barenboim highlights discs more often than the entire operas -- the length is ideal for everyday listening, while the entire operas, let alone the entire cycle, require some specially dedicated listening time. And while it wouldn't make sense to *watch* these works in fragments, the music does not have the same requirement. I can enjoy the Ring an hour at a time much more often than the entire operas -- thank goodness I'm not a purist, or I would only hear the music on rare occasions.

If you are not sure about Wagner or the Ring, or not sure about the practicality of such long multi-disc operas, then by all means check out this PARSIFAL and the other Barenboim highlights discs and hear for yourself!

(verified purchase from Amazon.co.uk)

I've seen 'Waltraud Meier' on stage two times already as 'Kundry',thought her performance was magnificent. Heard and seen her perform with conductor Daniel Barenboim,'Chor der Deutschen Staatsoper Berlin' and conductor James Levine,'Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus'. Familar with Mr.Barenboim,who I have a collection of 'Piano Sonatas' written by Ludwig Van Beethoven,performed by Mr.Barenboim. Should be an interesting 'CD'......