Wagner - Parsifal

Starring:Armin Jordan, Robert Lloyd, Martin Sperr, Michael Kutter, Anya TÃ¶lle, Anette Woll, Monika GÃ¤rtner, Caroline Riollot, Miriam Feldman, Reiner Goldberg, Antonia Preser, Yvonne Minton, Sophie von Uslar, Urban von Klebelsberg, Bettina Stiller, Bruno Romani-Versteeg, Alexandra Grunsberg, Karin Krick, Claudia Schumann (II), Sabine Kueckelmann
Director: Hans-JÃ¼rgen Syberberg
Studio: Image Entertainment
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
Parsifal, Wagner's story of alienation and longed-for redemption through the enlightenment that compassion alone confers, distills a lifetime of the composer's deepest obsessions through the medieval Grail legend. It also evokes reactions that are especially intense even for Wagnerians. The sense of simultaneous attraction-repulsion first experienced by Nietzsche generates some of the creative tension in this controversial 1982 film by Hans-JÃ¼rgen Syberberg, a member of Germany's postwar "neues Kino" generation of directors.

"Syberberg's Parsifal" is exactly that: it is not to be approached as a video presentation of an opera but as a full-scale film in its own right. The director's concern with the claims of the romantic and "irrational" in Germany's cultural heritage, demonized as an aftermath of the Third Reich, is here at its apex. An astonishingly intricate profusion of imagery saturates the film--as props, cluttering objects, costumes, part of the set, or visuals projected onto the background--with the resonance of a long, disturbing dream. Striking visuals from the opera's own symbolic world are set alongside a veritable parade of iconography from Europe's cultural history, while the action of the opera is seen to take place within and around an enormous replica of Wagner's death mask as backdrop. Conceptually the intention is to counter Wagner's "narcotic" spell with Brechtian distance or with a Walter Benjamin-like slant on the artifacts of culture.

For all of the radicalism of his imagery, Syberberg hews surprisingly close to more traditional acting styles here, drawing on a "presentational" approach of gesture, the stylization of early film, and intimate reaction shots. The music was actually recorded separately as a soundtrack, to which the actors (mostly a separate cast) lip-synch their performances. Conductor Armin Jordan--a sensitive but never self-indulgent Wagnerian--also actually performs the role of Amfortas, and the distinguished actress Edith Clever is a special asset for her mesmerizing, expressive Kundry, making the role into the opera's psychological epicenter. At the point of the resisted kiss in Act II, in a Jungian split, Parsifal becomes portrayed by a woman (still mouthing the mellifluous tenor exclamations of Reiner Goldberg). Syberberg wallows in contradictory currents and obscure symbolism that sometimes reinforces what he seems to want to take apart. Yet he has also succeeded in locating the work somewhere in a unique space between fetishized ritual and purely aesthetic experience. The DVD transfer is somewhat grainy in resolution, while the soundtrack has a noticeable persistent hiss. Jordin's relatively fleet pacing allows for much texture and offers a fine enough performance, though not a top choice on musical terms alone. --Thomas May
Description
This masterful interpretation of German and Christian mythology was Wagner's last opera. Presented on a two-disc set, this performance--musically, a masterwork--resonates with the most profound beliefs of the German "Weltanschauung." Director Hans-Jurgen Syberberg has stamped his own controversial and unmistakable style on the film. Parsifal is a medieval symbol of purity and innocence. Here, the search for the Holy Grail and the king's powerful, sacred spear leads, through a single kiss, to the knowledge and grace of redemption. The actors perform to a recording made expressly for this film, featuring singers Reiner Goldberg, Wolfgang Schone, Hans Tschammer, Yvonne Minton and the Prague Philharmonic Choir, with Armin Jordan conducting the Monte Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra. 255 minutes.

Customer Reviews:

gorgeous music.......2007-01-16

Parsifal is my favorite of Wagner's music-dramas. It has the most of all of them - Parsifal incorporates Catholic, Buddhist, and mythical themes into an overwhelmingly beautiful story infused throughout with a sense of devotion, piety, and worshipfulness.

The recording here is very good - Levine and the Met Opera Orchestra are in fine form as always. Siegfried Jerusalem makes a great Parsifal, Bernd Weikl makes a fine Amfortas (though I like Jose van Damm under Karajan better), and Waltraud Meier brings a wonderfully sensuous quality to the role of Kundry. Kurt Moll really steals the show though as far as singing is concerned, with an incomparable portrayal of Gurnemanz. The only complaint I can make about the singing is that Franz Mazura sounds really, REALLY old and doesn't successfully bring off the role of Klingsor.

The staging is very traditional - which seems to be hard to find these days - and the video quality is very good. The DVD menu allows for selections of running subtitles in several languages, including English.

ABSOLUTELY STUNNING - An Exerience of Music and the Sacred.......2004-07-05

For me anyhow - this is Wagner's greatest gift - even better than the the Nibelung. Having played excerpts form the opera in amauture orchestral venues -- I can say that this work is "Erlebnis" (Experience). At once Wagner captures the piety of medieval Europe (now but a dim memory in an almost completely secular place), the foundational reverence of the Holy Sacrament, and essence of Christian grace. All of this with combined with was has to be one of the most moving musical scores of German romanticism. And thank you Met. Opera and James Levine for both re-igniting TRADITIONAL Wagnerian vision/stagings (and not those rancid "revisionist" directions), and making such respectable again.

'Waltraud Meier' and 'Siegfried Jerusalem',are the stars!!!!.......2004-03-29

When I saw her name 'Waltraud Meier' listed,I said wow! I've seen her performance as 'Kundry' at 'Chor der Deutschen Staatsoper Berlin',conductor Daniel Barenboim. She again reprises her role as 'Kundry',last time with co-star 'Poul Elming'(as Parsifal),this time with 'Siegfried Jerusalem'(as Parsifal). Very mind blowing,under 'James Levine',we should get as good a performance as we got from conductor 'Daniel Barenboim'. Your awesome Waltraud Meier!!!!

Onward and Upward!.......2004-03-10

Some years back,a popular PBS crime series "Inspector Morse" ended. The inspector in question was a lover of opera and classical music. He suffered a sudden fatal heart attack. As he lay at peace in the hospital bed, the opening bars of the prelude to Wagner's Parsifal played. Momentarily,I was transcended. This ethereal music always has this effect on me.
I find only 2 problems with the acting in this drama. Vocally,the production is a masterpiece. Waltraud Mier's Kundry wasn't wild enough and Franz Mazura's Klingsor wasn't menacing enough.That said,on to the good stuff!
The great Kurt Moll as Gurnemanz is the standout here.His voice is so perfect and beautiful.I wish he had recorded a Wotan.
He is a fantastic Sarastro in DG "The Magic Flute".
ActIII is the one I most enjoyed. The healing of Amfortas and the ascension of the former "fool" Parsifal to power were breathtaking. With Wagner,it's so much more about the music than the vocals. This music is glorious. The Met Opera orchestra deserves special thanks for this tremendous achievement.

The ring it's not but still very good.......2004-01-05

I feel in love with opera after seeing Wagner's ring; the power held in opera and it's ability to communicate our human condition is rearly matched. Parsifal, like the Ring, was taken by Wagner from German lore; yet, the Ring is very much a pagan tale, with gods, elves and enchanments, while Parsifal has its roots in christian mythology and grail lore.

I purchesed Parsifal and, at first, had trobule getting into it (The way Albrich cursed love in Das Rhinegold can spoil you). As the opera went on though, its message and strength became more clear and potent. the essence of the story is the nature of the christan detity and the belief and hope of redemption from past sin. Amfortas, the one who must care for the grail, is a "spotted sheep" like Lancelot in the questa del grail. smote with a wound that will not heal (the Fisher king), he is the dammned man that can only be saved by grace and the deeds of an "innocent fool".

The plot of the wizard is purely medevil, yet the villan is given depth in that he is a fallen knight who tempts others with a sin he himself has not commited. He is 2nd to the temptresses that the knights face and the condemed woman saved by Parsifal. It is refreshing to see that, at one time, chasty and honor were in vouge.

Of course, there are many views on the meaning of the grail-one need look no farther than the mondern Da Vinic code, Indian Jones, or the ancient Quest de Grail (and who can forget the indepth research of Monty Python in to Grail lore?). But what I got from Wagner was the dualism of Christiany: the same God that can damn men to endless suffering-Amforas through his wound-also is their only hope of salvation-the grail and the spear. The death that saves (Christ) is symbolically the spear; it can give and take life.

Amazon.com

Parsifal, Wagner's story of alienation and longed-for redemption through the enlightenment that compassion alone confers, distills a lifetime of the composer's deepest obsessions through the medieval Grail legend. It also evokes reactions that are especially intense even for Wagnerians. The sense of simultaneous attraction-repulsion first experienced by Nietzsche generates some of the creative tension in this controversial 1982 film by Hans-Jürgen Syberberg, a member of Germany's postwar "neues Kino" generation of directors.

"Syberberg's Parsifal" is exactly that: it is not to be approached as a video presentation of an opera but as a full-scale film in its own right. The director's concern with the claims of the romantic and "irrational" in Germany's cultural heritage, demonized as an aftermath of the Third Reich, is here at its apex. An astonishingly intricate profusion of imagery saturates the film--as props, cluttering objects, costumes, part of the set, or visuals projected onto the background--with the resonance of a long, disturbing dream. Striking visuals from the opera's own symbolic world are set alongside a veritable parade of iconography from Europe's cultural history, while the action of the opera is seen to take place within and around an enormous replica of Wagner's death mask as backdrop. Conceptually the intention is to counter Wagner's "narcotic" spell with Brechtian distance or with a Walter Benjamin-like slant on the artifacts of culture.

Description

This masterful interpretation of German and Christian mythology was Wagner's last opera. Presented on a two-disc set, this performance--musically, a masterwork--resonates with the most profound beliefs of the German "Weltanschauung." Director Hans-Jurgen Syberberg has stamped his own controversial and unmistakable style on the film. Parsifal is a medieval symbol of purity and innocence. Here, the search for the Holy Grail and the king's powerful, sacred spear leads, through a single kiss, to the knowledge and grace of redemption. The actors perform to a recording made expressly for this film, featuring singers Reiner Goldberg, Wolfgang Schone, Hans Tschammer, Yvonne Minton and the Prague Philharmonic Choir, with Armin Jordan conducting the Monte Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra. 255 minutes.

Amfortas: Armin Jordan (sung by Wolfgang Schöne)
Titurel: Martin Sperr (sung by Hans Tschammer)
Gurnemanz: Robert Lloyd
Parsifal 1: Michael Kutter
Parsifal 2: Karen Krick (sung by Reiner Goldberg)
Klingsor: Aage Haugland
Kundry: Edith Clever (sung by Yvonne Minton)

Customer Reviews:

WORTH A LOOK, BUT . . . .......2007-06-14

I recently watched--and liked--a Tristan und Isolde conducted by Armin Jordan on DVD, so I was excited about watching this Parsifal when I saw that Jordan not only conducted but played Amfortas. In general, I'm not a big fan of these film versions of operas, but I like Ingmar Bergman's The Magic Flute and was recently very pleased with Julie Taymor's stunning Oedipus Rex, so I decided to give this Parsifal a try.

Unfortunately, I didn't particularly care for Jordan's conducting this time. It's almost as plodding as the film. A very important moment for me both in the story and in the music is when Parsifal kills the swan. Herbert von Karajan endows this event with great significance in his recording, infusing it with thrilling energy as the music suddenly rises into a great flurry. Not here. Things get suddenly louder, but no burst of energy, no sense that something--a great force (i.e., Parsifal himself)--has suddenly erupted onto the scene. (The director, Syberberg, handled it even worse, offering only a pretentious shot of Kundry as she writhes stupidly on the ground in fallen leaves.) Once both conductor and director got this important sequence wrong, I knew I wouldn't like the rest of the film, and in fact I didn't . . . until the last hour.

The film begins with almost ten minutes of rolling credits. Nothing happens--or rather the same thing happens over and over: we look at strewn photos on a table. Mist rolls over them. Then, after the endless credits, the overture starts and it's actually the best part of the film, all done with puppets quite beautifully.

The first two acts are utterly lifeless, completely devoid of energy, lacking the excitement and immediacy of a live performance. Everything's utterly static--even when people do nothing but walk it looks irredeemably stilted. The extras--especially the kids--look terribly self-conscious. The lip-synching is so obvious that it practically ruins the movie as soon as the first person (Gurnemanz, of course) opens his mouth. Moreover, the director assigns actors to voice parts that are utterly unsuited, resulting in one mis-match after another. For instance, if I remember correctly, the Knights and Squires with Gurnemanz in the opening scene are sung by women but played by little boys.

There are two Parsifals in this film. The first, a very thin, androgynous young man, can't lip-sync to save his life. Neither does he get the facial expressions right. In short, he looks like he has no idea what he's doing in the film, poor boy. The second Parsifal is a beautiful young woman who looks more like Joan of Arc than Parsifal. She does a much better job of lip-synching to the male voice than the actual male does (and she's a much better actor, too), but she doesn't replace the first Parsifal until almost three hours into the film. The first boy-Parsifal comes back near the end and joins the girl-Parsifal and they simultaneously lip-sync a bit (one voice, two actors). Then the director actually does something clever. There's a shot of the boy and girl coming together as if they were no longer the same person but two friends--or lovers--meeting. (Think Jungian individuation: anima/animus.)

After sludging through the first two interminable acts, I amazingly found myself sucked in by the last. I don't know if it's that I was so thoroughly numbed by the first two, but act three was strangely hypnotic. While still static in the manner of a tableau vivant, it really becomes beautiful and manages to capture a properly pious, reverent tone. It actually felt like a bit of a miracle that I liked it since by then I figured nothing could've redeemed the film for me, much less made me glad that I watched it--but there you have it: I was glad. Still, how can I give it more than two stars when most of it is so horribly tedious?

To make matters worse, Image Entertainment has done a very shabby job with this DVD release. There are only English subtitles and you can't turn them off. (Maybe they are part of the original film and can't be taken off?) They are white and very hard to read. You get white on white more than once. And the translation is horrible.

In short, while I cannot really recommend this Parsifal, if you happen to come across it, make sure you either sit through to the end or skip the first two acts and watch the last. But if you don't like the last act, you probably shouldn't bother with the first two. In any case, there are live stagings of Parsifal on DVD that I would absolutely recommend over this film.

subtitles.......2006-11-09

There are no subtitles recorded but there is an English close captions which has subtitles.

One of the Very Best.......2005-09-01

Hans Jurgen Syberberg's "Parsifal" is, quite simply, one of the greatest opera films ever made - worthy of being ranked alongside Losey's "Don Giovanni" and Bergman's "Magic Flute". I shall not spoil it for those who haven't seen it by detailing the dazzling feats of invention - and, yes, wit - that distinguish this production. Just take it from me - you will not be disappointed!

Not your grandfather's Parsifal, but give it a chance........2004-11-20

To begin with, I'm glad I bought it. Many of the negative judgments in the following reviews are no more than the insults one hurls at whatever is unfamiliar--and certainly this DVD presents a great deal that is unfamiliar. People need to keep in mind, however, that this is NOT a film of a stage production of Parsifal. It could be called "opera with commentary," perhaps, commentary based on hundreds of years of relevant western history. That is not literally what Wagner wrote, no, but contains much to reflect on, combined with a decent performance of an important music drama.

I am not going to claim that I comprehended all the symbolism; maybe eventually, but not now. Some of the weirdness is really pretty easy to place though: phallic statues in Act II don't require a lot of explanation, for example, and neither, I think do the countless references to Germany's Nazi past or to the imprint of Wagner's own life on European (and our) culture. The rest, I'll work on.

The film has faults, certainly. The subtitles are truly terrible, not because they read like bad sixteenth-century texts (which they do), but because the spelling, grammar, and syntax are simply sloppy. That shouldn't have happened, but they are intelligible.

I also agree with the reviewers who criticized the pace, both musical and dramatic. The "dreamlike" quality of the first act seemed at first more zomboid than dramatic. But truthfully I don't know how Parsifal could be played (in filmed close-ups) as conversational interaction among ordinary people. The "opera" itself doesn't seem to me to lend itself to sitcom techniques.

I was also somewhat displeased that almost everything happened in very narrow physical space. I saw mountain defiles aplenty but not much of anything in the way of the open meadow called for. Maybe the constraint is deliberate, but I think of Parsifal as bigger, somehow.

I was more concerned that the music dragged: Wagner's immensely long, arching continuity seemed missing much of the time. This is a musical work, after all, not a symbolist play with musical eruptions. I cannot, however, put my finger on any particular point when the musical dimension was inadequate, so perhaps I'm wrong. It's hard to notice everything at once in this very complex production.

I was not much bothered with the lip-sync problem, and I liked most of what came out, never mind from whom. The actors do match the roles, and with Wagner productions that's not often entirely the case (Show me a lithe, red-headed vixen who can sing Isolde!) I cannot explain the two Parsifals any more than anybody else seems able to do, but I was happy with both of them.

I expect to play this DVD many times. It is not for the stubbornly conventional, but many viewers will find they have become deeply involved, unexpectedly.

Did Nothing For Me!.......2004-02-24

OK. I recently purchased Syberberg's Parsifal, and to be frank, I really WANTED to like it. I had read previous reviews which ranged from all the way from glowing to dreadful. So, keeping an open mind to new experiences, I took the plunge. I have now watched it twice, and have come to realize that the discs would be better used as coasters or small frisbees! Rather than spending the money to take the plunge, I should have bought a plunger to flush this over-hyped piece of drivel down the drain.

The Nazi allusions, the boy-woman Parsifal, the lack of even an attempt at the "spear trick", the Marx, Wagner, et al busts, the giant Wagner death mask set --- geez, it is as if Syberberg was either on some heavy duty medication, or had recently OD'ed on the writings of Freud and Jung.

I won't even go into the horrendously bad (and often badly spelled) subtitles, nor the miserable timing of the lip-syncing.

The one positive for me was Kundry. This was the only performance that exuded depth and passion. This was my reason for giving it even one star.

Customer Reviews:

Absurd Staging!.......2007-05-19

This is a film of the staging of 'Parsifal' that was presented at the Lyric Opera of Chicago in 2002 (among other venues). Visually it is quite tiresome. It has the absurd ending of Kundry & Parsifal taking a cattle car to Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Unbearable.......2006-05-10

I can't understand how other reviewers can be so praiseworthy, but then again, I've only managed the first act - if that. Talking to a guy who works at a classical music shop in Sydney, he said most 'modern' productions tend to just dress the characters in grey overcoats. And this is no exception. I prefer the 'traditional' staging of any opera, simply because it doesn't clash with the tone and style of the music. When you have this lush, rich, beautiful music, oughtn't the staging match? Here it seems the music is an intruder on the directors 'interpretation', which is really just his own need to be 'different', but in fact is nothing special. That, or the music who we are supposed to listen to, and the staging is in the way. I think the former. Contempary music for contemporary staging. Neither would interest me in any case. Therefore, 'classical' staging for classical music. This does not mean a copy of a copy of a copy of a copy of an original performance (i.e. Bayreuth 1876/1882), but a 'faithful' rendition of the music (hence, 'acts of music made visible').

Unfortunately I can't recommend any other Parsifal, as this is the only one I have seen, but I'm going to try the Levine/Met production, which will probably err on the side of raw, but that is always better than being overcooked, which this one truly is.

Parsifal from Baden-Baden.......2006-04-12

Wow!

Magnificent singing from the great Meier and Salminen as well as from (the previously unheard by me) Christopher Ventris. I agree with others here who have remarked on the disappointing lightness of Hampson's voice in the role of Amfortas. Yes, he gives a WAYYYY better performance (he can, after all, carry a tune, for crying out loud!) than that dreadful one by Bernd Weikl on the Met DVD, but anybody who's known and loved the audio versions with Jose van Dam will probably never be satisfied with anyone else in that role. In any case, however, I'd much rather hear an Amfortas with a heftier voice that gives greater attention to the dynamics and really brings out the incredible beauty of his music.

Hampson's acting, on the other hand, was up to the extremely high standard by the other principals.

Oh, and I loved Tom Fox as Klingsor, too.

As to Nagano, I am not convinced that he understands this opera at all. There's just no passion or subtlety or magic to his direction. Competent, yes, but no more than that. I saw him do Parsifal twice this past season in LA and was not particularly impressed, but I thought at the time that the problem sprang more from Robert Wilson's production than from the pit. AFter viewing the DVD, I'm persuaded that Nagano is only slightly less clueless than Wilson when it comes to connecting with the audience in this piece. I'll take Levine, Barenboim, Boulez any day.

The third disc contains a special feature called Parsifal's Progress--interviews and such. It's mostly a lot of drivel, in my opinion. Lots of patter from director Lehnoff and the choreographer about why the flower maidens shouldn't be too seductive (puh-leez!)and why having Kundry and Parsifal walk out of the Grail Castle leading a bunch of the knights along a railroad track is an improvement on--or at least a defensible interpretation of--Wagner's ending. Singers Hampson, Ventris, Meier, and Fox are interviewed, but shed little light on anything and frankly sound like they're blowing a lot of smoke. There was no interview with Matti Salminen. Smart man!

There were many things about the production that I loved, and like at least one other who has posted here, I too was often overcome by the beauty of the singing, acting, and--well, just by Wagner's music. Okay, some of the show was laughable: Meier, for example, in Act II, singing from behind something that looks like a giant pumpkin, then falling to the stage after the kiss and doing some kind of imitation of a broken mechanical toy that can't right itself, then wriggling out of a stiff skirt so that she can finally move normally again. Where, in heaven's name, do they come up with these ideas? It's a testament to her, nevertheless, that she transcends all silliness of staging with the brilliance of her interpretation of Kundry.

Bottom line? I 100% recommend the DVD. The insults to Wagner and to the intelligence of the viewer are not negligible, but don't deny yourself the truly excellent elements of this video.

(On the other hand,if you want something TRULY great, get the Barenboim audio CD with Jerusalem, Meier, and van Dam.)

A Remarkable & Fresh Performance.......2006-02-04

This production removes all the traditional straightjacketing from this opera. The end result is stunning. It is the most moving production of this opera I ever seen.

Here, Parsifal is young and virile. Ventris's performance is nothing short of remarkable and he is joined by a crew of committed singing actors. My only reservation is Hampson whose voice is rather light for the role but like his colleagues, his performance is strong and convincing.

I have to admit that over the years I have grown bored with this opera but this DVD has renewed my love of Wagner's final opera.

The audio and video quality are of the highest standards here. There are two in-depth analysis included in this three DVD set. The first, a synopsis of the story and on the third DVD, there are extensive interviews with the cast, conductor and producer.

A Postmodern Near-Miss.......2005-12-06

After reading the other rave reviews here, I was ready to love this DVD. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. The singing is generally of high quality, especially Matti Salminen. Waltraud Meier in Act 2 is dramatically very strong. Thomas Hampson's voice is too light for the role of Amfortas, but it works dramatically in the production's overall concept, which is that this king is hated for his weakness. The big letdown comes in Act 3, which simply did not deliver for me. A surprise which other reviewers didn't mention is that Amfortas dies in Parsifal's arms in this production, then Gurnemanz is left holding the spear, while Kundry leads Parsifal and a few other knights down a traintrack. The ending struck me as much more ambiguous than others found it. This is not an apotheosis of radiant healing. Instead, we're given a dark ending to the troubled reign of Amfortas and a movement toward a world outside this kingdom of darkness. Lehnhoff says in his liner notes, "Amfortas' wound is... the wound of civilization." Judging by this staging, it is a terminal wound, and the healing of civilization comes through its own demise. It seems to me, Wagner's music offers a different message. I was able to go along with the postmodern revision of the staging up until the last act, but the ending left me feeling like I'd been tricked by a cynic who was pretending to offer a tale of hope.

Giuseppe Sinopoli - Dreampaths of Music - From the Rhine to the Nile (Beethoven Symphony No. 7 / Schumann Symphony No. 3 / Wagner Prelude to Parsifal)

Average customer rating:

not what you might think

Giuseppe Sinopoli - Dreampaths of Music - From the Rhine to the Nile (Beethoven Symphony No. 7 / Schumann Symphony No. 3 / Wagner Prelude to Parsifal)
Starring: Sinopoli , Gavin , Beethoven , Schumann , and Wagner
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Description

Dreampaths of Music was created by Italian maestro Giuseppe Sinopoli--principal conductor of Dresden Staatskapelle, one of Europe's oldest orchestras--to mark the symphony's 450th anniversary, and features performances of Schumann's "Symphony No. 3," the prelude to Wagner's "Parsifal" and Beethoven's "Symphony No. 7." For Sinopoli, these pieces formed a rite of passage, a journey in music to inspire thoughts on the meaning of existence. Pat and Barry Gavin add striking electronic graphics to this extraordinary cultural excursion, which is linked by images of rivers and water from the Rhine Valley to the Nile.

Customer Reviews:

not what you might think.......2005-01-09

I bought this dvd thinking it would be a great chance to see the Dresden Staatskapelle in action under Sinopoli. While the playing is excellent, you only get *see* about half of it. The rest of the time you are presented with various footage paired to the different works. While these images and clips are very interesting as well, it was not exactly what I set out to buy. Oh, and the "striking electronic graphics" left me a little underwhelmed.
If you know what you're getting into and what this shows all about, go for it.

Average customer rating:

Wagner - Parsifal
Starring: Richard Decker , Matthias Holle , Doris Soffel , Wolfgang Schone , and Gabor Otvos
Manufacturer: Dynamic Italy
ProductGroup: DVD
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Wagner - Lohengrin
Strauss - Elektra
Wagner - Gotterdammerung
Strauss - Daphne
Strauss - Der Rosenkavalier

ASIN: B000K2UGP2
Release Date: 2006-11-28

Wagner - Parsifal (The Story of the Opera)

Average customer rating:

Wagner's Last Opera: Behind The Mystic Masterpiece
Pretty disapointing
marvellous documentary
good performance, worthless commentary
For its function, superb

Wagner - Parsifal (The Story of the Opera)
Starring: Placido Domingo
Manufacturer: Kultur Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Similar Items:

Wagner - Parsifal / Levine, Weikl, Mazura, Metropolitan Opera
Decoding Wagner: An Invitation to His World of Music Drama (includes 2 CDs)
Donizetti - L'Elisir d'Amore / Eschwe, Netrebko, Villazon, Wiener Staatsoper
Otello (1986)
An Introduction to Der Ring des Nibelungen

ASIN: B00005NGAC
Release Date: 2001-07-31

Amazon.com

This is very good work of its kind, but potential viewers should know what to expect. It is not a performance of Wagner's Parsifal, which would take over four hours, but a 90-minute television documentary about the quest for the Holy Grail and Wagner's treatment of the subject--his last opera. It is a wide-ranging, fast-moving, multifaceted discussion, with selected scenes from Parsifal and brief allusions to other treatments of the Holy Grail (Indiana Jones, Monty Python), glimpses of Wagner's life, as played by Richard Burton, a look at the biblical roots and theological implications of the Grail legend, its medieval elaborations, and a horrifying study of the influence of Parsifal's racial attitudes on Adolf Hitler. The production's satisfactions are primarily intellectual; it can be watched with pleasure a few times and it will be useful in schools and libraries, but it will not bear repeated playing like a recorded performance. --Joe McLellan

Description

The definitive documentary about Wagner's final opera hosted by Placido Domingo, who also performs many of the excerpts from the opera. Filmed on location in Bayreuth and St. Petersburg, featuring the Kirov Orchestra conducted by Valery Gergiev. 90 minutes.

Customer Reviews:

Wagner's Last Opera: Behind The Mystic Masterpiece.......2005-08-07

I first saw this on PBS/KCET channel 28 and was pleased to know it is available on DVD. Tenor Placido Domingo has labored for the cause of opera more than any other tenor, with continual involvement in the arts (including conducting orchestral music) and speaking on behalf of opera. This documentary appeals to opera lovers and intellectuals. Domingo narrates the life and work of Richard Wagner, whose Parsifal was the final masterpiece he left the world with. It was staged in Bayreuth and immediately taken over by his imperious wife Cosima Wagner. The opera is suffused with Christian mysticism and allegory, and tells the story of Parsifal whose name means "innocent fool" who innocently embarks on a major spiritual quest. In Arthurian/Medieval Spain, the wounded king Amfortas seeks healing from a hero who must return the Spear of Destiny stolen by the evil wizard Klingsor. Klingsor has a strong claim over the ambiguous character of Kundry (is she saint or witch ?) who during the day serves the old King and who communes with the evil Klingosr in his castle at night. Parsifal takes on the mission of returning the Spear to its rightful owner. The ending of the opera is a magnificent apotheosis that finds Kunddry redeemed by love and Parsifal attaining spiritual enlightenment, finally saving the land and its King. Excerpts from the opera are performed (by Domingo in fine shape). Also, we look at Richard Wagner (played by Richard Burton) as he composes the final masterpiece. Further, the philosophical aspects of the opera are discussed. And there are many. The Hero's Quest (the much loved theme of Joseph Campbell's teachings), redemption through compassion and love, Christianity, Hinduism and Buddhism and yes, even Nazism. Unfortunately, Adolph Hitler twisted this sublime piece into a dark, Aryan Supremacist propaganda piece. Hitler loved Wagner only because he related to Wagner's zealous German nationalism, in the same way that he appreciated Nietzche's Super-Man mentality. These things are discussed in the documentary. Filmed in Spain (where the opera takes place) and other parts of Europe, this is really a fine DVD. I don't understand why people have found it disappointing.

Pretty disapointing.......2005-02-04

I rented this thinking I would be viewing the opera and that was a big disappointment. I did learn a little about how the Grail figures in religious history, which was interesting, but a lot of the commentary by both Placido Domingo, of whom I am a big fan, and also by a few other completely unbalanced people, were a bit ridiculous. Domingo seemed to be saying that the opera could bring world peace and another commentator seemed to think the opera alone was entirely responsible for the holocaust. All a bit simplistic thinking, really.

marvellous documentary.......2003-11-16

enchanting and inspiring narration by Domingo and perspective introduction by Wolfgang Wagner. Also the only documentary avaiable on Parsifal, the theme and its opera. I love this DVD, only if it is with Chinese subtitles.

good performance, worthless commentary.......2003-11-14

As others have noted, this is not a complete performance. In fact, the scenes from what appear to be an excellent Kirov performance are all too brief. What predominates this otherwise waste of 90 min is a self-serving attempt at commentary by some "experts" (who are not) who lack any understanding of the work or even of Wagner. If you want to get to know PARSIFAL, arguably Wagner's masterpiece, leave this alone as there are several books, such as the ENO guide, that do a far better job. If the complete Kirov performance ever does become available, that can be recommended. This cannot.

For its function, superb.......2002-11-07

This is a superb video, for its function as a documentary on the genesis, plot summary, and dramatic themes and resonances of PARSIFAL. Yes, the use of music from the RING at one point was puzzling, but otherwise the treatment was thorough, lucid, and involving. I very much liked the drawing-in of other filmic treatments of Wagner, Parsifal, and the Grail legend. Certainly it is not a substitute for the complete work. But for someone who a) is getting ready to explore PARSIFAL and wants some background and context, or b) already loves the work and simply wants to celebrate its profundities, this in my opinion is a must-have.

Erich Leinsdorf - In Rehearsal / Preludes and Interludes from Parsifal, Schumann Symphony No. 4

Average customer rating:

Another fine edition of this great series. More like this, please!

Erich Leinsdorf - In Rehearsal / Preludes and Interludes from Parsifal, Schumann Symphony No. 4
Starring: Sudwestfunk Baden-Baden Opera , Richard Wagner , Robert Schumann , and János Darvas
Manufacturer: Arthaus Musik
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Music Video & Concerts | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video

( E ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Georg Solti: In Rehearsal (Berlioz & Wagner)
In Rehearsal with Christoph von Dohnanyi (Haydn Symphony No. 88)
Carlo Maria Giulini in Rehearsal: Symphony 9 D Min
Mariss Jansons - In Rehearsal (Bartok - Miraculous Mandarin Suite)
Zubin Mehta: In Rehearsal

ASIN: B0007X9T6G
Release Date: 2005-04-19

Customer Reviews:

Another fine edition of this great series. More like this, please!.......2005-08-03

DVD
1hr 58min.; Color; stereo; nice big booklet about Leinsdorf, and both compositions; spoken in German, but with English, French, Spanish subtitles; concert from 1989.

REHEARSAL/PERFORMANCE
Richard Wagner: "Parsifal"
This DVD is of rehearsal material, along with a complete performance. I think overall, people will either like Leinsdorf's minimalist conducting style or they wont. I happen to appreciate someone that is not full of ego reactions and mindless exhibitionism just for the sake of 'showing' how much you are into the music. There is something to be said of simply letting the music speak for itself on its own terms.

The rehearsal, even though the complete performance is of overtures and transition music lasting 40 min., is entirely from the Good Friday Spell (I assume it is because the audience knows that music better than the other material) and is about 20 min. of footage. Leinsdorf speaks quite a bit in these excerpts. He spends time talking about the context of the music to what is happening in the story of the opera; history; and balance of instruments. I had to stand up and cheer when he talked of the aesthetics of tempo in relation to the hall you play in: if a hall has much reverb, you play slower to hear the notes and texture; if the hall has a quick reverb, you play faster. It's amazing how many musicians, even many top tier artists, do not realize this simple concept!

After the rehearsal, we get the full performance. While it may not be Berliner, Wiener, New York, it is still magnificent. Full of piety and sincerity from the orchestra, it was deeply moving. There were no disappointments.

Robert Schumann: Symphony #4
This is the first version of the symphony (from 1841) that was favored by Johannes Brahms, and was to be his Second Symphony. Schumann set it aside for many years, wrote two more symphonies, and reworked this composition and it became his Fourth Symphony.

The rehearsal is 23 min. and takes us through several movements. As with the Wagner, Leinsdorf talks history, balance, etc.--but this time he chastised some of the players for practicing during the rehearsal (paraphrase-'If you don't know it by now, you should not play.'). The basic thrust he emphasized here was lightness in playing. Now that I have heard this version, I think this one is more a Franz Schubert sound that Schumann had originally envisioned (think Schubert 'Unfinished' Symphony and you get the idea). I prefer, after hearing this version, the later so-called 'heavier' version that was more in line with a Wagner sound. It has much more of a cohesive structure, transitions are less awkward, instrumental balance is clearer, and above all else, it is simply a more inspired creative composition.

The performance was very good. Not as enthralling as the Wagner, probably because this symphony, especially this version, is a bit of an anti-climax after the emotionalism of music like "Parsifal." Perhaps this should have put first in the program. That is not to say it is bad or passive playing, just a notch lower: a bit more 'by the numbers'.

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