Richard Wagner (1813-1883)
Parsifal (1882)
Parsifal, Andreas Schager (tenor); Kundry, Elīna Garanča (mezzo-soprano); Gurnemanz, Georg Zeppenfeld (bass); Amfortas, Derek Welton (bass-baritone); Klingsor, Jordan Shanahan (baritone); Titurel, Tobias Kehrer (bass)
Bayreuth Festival Chorus & Orchestra/Pablo Heras-Casado
rec. live, July 2023, Bayreuth Festspielhaus
German libretto with English translation and commentary in German and English included
Reviewed as a 24/96 download
Deutsche Grammophon 4865877 [4 CDs: 235]
In 1912, Cosima Wagner petitioned the German government and parliament to pass the Lex Parsifal, a special law designed to extend the copyright term of Wagner’s music drama. Shortly after her misguided and rather presumptuous petition had been rejected by the bewildered politicians, Parsifal was no longer the exclusive preserve of Bayreuth, a venue for whose unique design and acoustics it had been conceived. Since then, Parsifal has been staged in countless productions at major opera houses all over the world, generating a multitude of recordings. Yet, given the work’s historical origins, productions of Parsifal at Bayreuth itself continue to attract special attention and critical scrutiny.
Under Katharina Wagner’s artistic direction, Bayreuth’s track record with Parsifal has been uneven, with many productions falling short of expectations. One notable exception was Stefan Herheim’s universally acclaimed 2012 staging, which unfortunately never saw an official video release. More recently, Jay Scheib’s 2023 production, which serves as the basis of this live recording, fared poorly with critics and audiences alike. Despite some original ideas, most notably Parsifal’s decision to destroy the Grail in the final scene, the production was widely criticised for its reliance on augmented reality gimmicks. Due to insufficient sponsorship, only a tiny fraction of the audience could be provided with the required AR glasses, and those who managed to get hold of them complained about a persistent onslaught of tacky CGI animations that added little of value to the theatrical experience and were more likely to cause sensory overload.
In light of the production’s lukewarm reception, it is surprising that Scheib’s Parsifal has now been released both on Blu-ray (Deutsche Grammophon 0736525) and as an audio recording. In fact, it is the Bayreuth Festival’s first audio release in years. This raises the question: What musical qualities does this new Parsifal, conducted by Pablo Heras-Casado, have to offer that would justify this release?
Heras-Casado, in his Bayreuth debut, achieves a remarkable level of transparency and balance in his reading of Parsifal. His ability to adapt to the challenging acoustics of the Festspielhaus, where so many distinguished conductors have stumbled, is impressive. His tempi, especially in comparison to other Parsifal recordings, lean towards the brisker side.
Strangely, Parsifal often tempts conductors to adopt extreme tempi. Herbert Kegel (review), for instance, manages to dispatch the entire music drama in a record-breaking three and a half hours, whereas James Levine (Philips 416842-2), at the other end of the spectrum, requires an extra one hour and ten minutes to perform exactly the same music. Eschewing such extremes, Heras-Casado manages to find a happy medium, but, most importantly, he never loses momentum. Unlike Kegel’s or Boulez’s versions, his reading never feels rushed either, as he gives the music space to breathe. Surprisingly, his recording is only seven minutes shorter than Thielemann’s somewhat plodding 2006 account (review), yet it feels much livelier and more dramatic. This clearly demonstrates that perceived tempo and dramatic flow are much more important than the precise timing.
Heras-Casado’s attention to detail is evident throughout. He makes the score sound fresh and new by highlighting interesting countermelodies and particularly middle and bass lines that are often all but inaudible. A striking example of this is the passage from ‘Vom Bade kehrt der König heim’ (‘The king is returning from the bath’) to the end of Act I. It’s a masterclass in balancing the forces and bringing out previously unheard details in the orchestration. Contrabassoon and bass tuba evoke the weighty sound of an organ pedal line, whereas the horns and timpani reinforce the dotted march rhythm, creating a propulsive momentum that carries the listener into the next scene, preparing the climax of the unveiling of the Grail. The result is worlds away from the lethargic, slow-motion approach of other recordings, which can easily undermine the dramatic impact of this scene change.
The success of any Parsifal performance ultimately hinges on the casting of Gurnemanz. Ideally, the singer should be an engaging storyteller, holding the audience spellbound. In poor performances, however, one often encounters a static oratorio-style singer focused solely on producing beautiful sounds, whose long expository monologues, in which Gurnemanz recounts the entire backstory, just seem to drag on forever. Georg Zeppenfeld as Gurnemanz is the standout singer of this recording, coming remarkably close to the ideal of a true storyteller. His monologues are captivating, never allowing the listener’s attention to flag for one moment. Zeppenfeld’s diction is flawless; every word is crystal clear, without the need to consult the libretto. His voice type differs significantly from that of Kurt Moll, often viewed as the definitive Gurnemanz under Kubelik and Karajan. Zeppenfeld lacks Moll’s darker bass tones, his voice is lighter and brighter, with secure and resonant top notes. In his own distinctive way, he reaches the same level of excellence as his predecessor, Kurt Moll.
Andreas Schager stepped in at short notice to replace Joseph Calleja, who had originally been cast as Parsifal. He delivers the role with a powerful, penetrating voice, excelling particularly in the dramatic outbursts.. Schager’s Parsifal is someone you can easily imagine committing acts of raw violence, such as killing the swan. However, he sometimes lacks subtlety and nuance. He sounds more like Siegfried than the young, naive ‘pure fool’ Parsifal. A different casting choice might have been more fitting here. I wonder if a singer with a more lyrical voice and greater sensitivity to textual details (for example Klaus Florian Vogt) might have been a better match for Heras-Casado’s approach to the piece.
Deservedly celebrated by the Bayreuth audience, the Latvian mezzo-soprano Elīna Garanča performs the role of Kundry here for the second time, following her recording with Philippe Jordan. She displays an enormous expressive range, from weary resignation and seductive softness to mocking cynicism and ferocious outbursts. Throughout, her singing maintains its richness, and she never sounds unpleasantly shrill.
Derek Welton is an Australian bass-baritone who first came to my notice due to his excellent portrayal of Wotan in an outdoor performance of Das Rheingold in a Berlin car park in the middle of the Covid pandemic. Although he is an experienced Klingsor, in this recording he takes on the role of Amfortas. In this role too, he impresses with his expressive singing. His attention to the text is meticulous, and his diction exemplary.
Ironically, Klingsor is performed by Jordan Shanahan, himself a veteran in the role of Amfortas, who now portrays the Grail King’s old nemesis. Thankfully, he avoids turning Klingsor into a pantomime villain, instead crafting a three-dimensional character and delivering a convincing vocal performance.
Tobias Kehrer sings Titurel with a dark, almost vibrato-free voice, creating an interesting contrast to his son Amfortas. His Titurel is an eerie presence, a shadow of his former self, a man who already has one foot in the grave.
The rest of the cast – the knights, squires and flower maidens – deliver solid, though not outstanding, performances. The Bayreuth Festival Chorus (chorus master Eberhard Friedrich) is well-balanced and demonstrates a wide dynamic range. However, there are occasional minor tuning issues in the men’s voices, likely due to the less-than-ideal positioning of the chorus at the far rear of the stage, where the singers couldn’t hear the orchestra.
The sound quality is excellent for a live recording, almost reaching studio-level standards. It might have been a good idea for Deutsche Grammophon’s engineers to excise the loud clanging noise when Parsifal smashes the Grail to pieces in Act III from the audio recording. Without the visual context of Scheib’s staging, this noise is just a meaningless irritant.
Overall, this is undoubtedly the best Parsifal recording since Kubelik’s landmark 1980 version (Arts Archives 43027-2). Stylistically, it reminds me of Abbado’s approach to the piece, although he unfortunately only recorded a 40-minute Parsifal Suite for orchestra and chorus (Deutsche Grammophon 474377-2) rather than committing the entire music drama to disc. Heras-Casado’s interpretation is far superior to other Parsifal recordings of recent years. Philippe Jordan’s version (review), despite some overlap in casting, is serviceable and unmemorable at best. Thielemann’s 2006 live recording suffers from his heavy-handed, unrhythmic conducting, a dreadfully unidiomatic performance by Domingo in the title role as well as intrusive stage noise. Janowski’s 2012 recording (review) offers some interesting orchestral details but at times feels rushed and lacks dramatic tension. It simply cannot belie the fact that it is based on a concert performance.
In contrast, Heras-Casado presents Parsifal as gripping human drama rather than a quasi-religious ritual played out in slow motion. This makes his recording particularly appealing for those who are hearing the work for the first time. In line with the work’s motto, ‘Zum Raum wird hier die Zeit’ (‘Here time becomes space’), Heras-Casado’s performance allows the listeners to lose all sense of time without ever feeling that they have to sit through four hours of very challenging music.
Considering the quality of the orchestra, the conductor and the new generation of Wagner singers assembled here, this recording gives cause for optimism. It is to be hoped that the Bayreuth Festival will produce more recordings of this calibre. A promising sign is that Heras-Casado has already been engaged to conduct the next Bayreuth Ring cycle in 2028.
Stefan Schwarz
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Other cast
Knights of the Grail, Siyabonga Maqungo (tenor) and Jens-Erik Aasbø (bass); Squires, Betsy Horne (soprano), Margaret Plummer (mezzo-soprano), Jorge Rodríguez-Norton (tenor), Garrie Davislim (tenor); Flower Maidens, Evelin Novak (soprano), Camille Schnoor (soprano), Margaret Plummer (mezzo-soprano), Julia Grüter (soprano), Betsy Horne (soprano), Marie Henriette Reinhold (mezzo-soprano); Voice from Above, Marie Henriette Reinhold (mezzo-soprano)
