Availability Pristine Classical

Richard Wagner (1813-1883)
Parsifal (1882)
Music drama in three acts, libretto by the composer
Parsifal – Wolfgang Windgassen (tenor)
Kundry – Martha Mödl (soprano)
Gurnemanz – Ludwig Weber (bass)
Amfortas – George London (bass-baritone)
Titurel – Arnold van Mill (bass)
Klingsor – Hermann Uhde (bass-baritone)
Orchestra & Chorus of the Bayreuth Festival/Hans Knappertsbusch
rec. live composite, 30 July-25 August 1951, Bayreuth Festival
No libretto
XR Remastering, Ambient Stereo
PRISTINE AUDIO PACO190 [4 CDs: 269]

The 1951 post war reopening of the Bayreuth Festival ushered in Wieland Wagner’s concept of a “New Bayreuth”. This involved staging the operas in a more stylized way using the sparest of sets and costumes and stage direction that focused on the epic nature of the dramas. It was a sort of knee jerk response to the Nazi era’s manipulation of the detailed imagery that was present in Wagner’s works. Wieland made a deep commitment to cleanse the productions of the Hitler era’s obsession with iconography and in the process he revolutionized opera productions in general for a generation. The opening production of that year was the present Parsifal. It was believed to be an event of importance significant enough for the Decca Company to send a top recording team to Bayreuth to capture the event live. This now 71-year-old recording receives a fresh transfer from the skilled hands of Pristine Audio’s sound engineers.

While Wagner’s new approach to staging his grandfather’s operas was controversial among the public and critics of the day, they were nearly unanimous in their praise of the high musical standards achieved at that first festival. The Parsifal performances were especially singled out for their general excellence. The first thing that strikes me while auditioning this set is the aura of electric excitement that sustains throughout the proceedings. Parsifal is an opera in which the concentration can easily lag throughout its lengthy perambulations but Knappertsbusch was galvanized by this score to produce his two most successful recordings, this one and the 1962 stereo version he recorded for Phillips. There is not a musical phrase during these 4 hours where his intense concentration and sense of discovery are not immediately apparent to the listener. While the total timing of this version makes it one of the lengthiest Parsifal’s on record at no point does it ever occur to this listener that it is being excessively drawn out. Knappertsbusch came closer to achieving complete transcendence on these discs than he would ever attain again. It is certain that his superb 1962 recording (review) doesn’t quite approach the searing intensity of this one despite having a more disciplined orchestra at his disposal 11 years later.

One of the chief glories of this cast is the remarkably three dimensional characterization of Gurnemanz by Ludwig Weber. Parsifal is unique in that it contains roles in which singers with slightly fallible voices actually do more to illustrate the character than do those with more perfect instruments. Kundry, Amfortas and especially, Gurnemanz become more interesting and believable when slight vocal flaws enhance the symbolic archetypes they represent. Weber’ s detailed word pointing combined with the occasional weakness in his vocal line make this Gurnemanz so much less remote than any other assumption of the role on recordings. Hans Hotter’s, equally fallible voice on Philips is the only other singer who comes anywhere close to Weber’s riveting portrait. Time and again the rough humanity that Weber conveys in purely aural terms draws in the listener. This Gurnemanz is quite human and resists becoming a bore as so often happens in this opera.

Martha Mödl’s Kundry inspires a similar fascination. In Act One she allows a rough hoarseness to creep into her voice which is commensurate with the wild woman of the natural world that she is presenting. Just the way she spits out “Ich- helfe nie” to Gurnemanz has no rival on any other recording. The layers of meaning that she conveys when she laments for no one to ever wake her again after Parsifal attacks her is truly unforgettable. Her seductive turn in the Act Two is no less successful although some of the higher phrases of the role begin to display her limitations. For example the highest passage of “Ich sah das Kind” hasn’t the lush sound of Irene Dalis, Christa Ludwig or Jessye Norman but none of those estimable singers hypnotize the listener in the way that Mödl does.

Wolfgang Windgassen’s assumption of the title role is tempered by a hint of waspish tone; still, he has plenty of heroic ring on offer throughout. He supplies a fascinating catch in his tone at the point when he sings his own name in the seduction scene after Kundry reminds him who he is. The original recording team captured a thrilling moment at “Amfortas. Die Wunde” when his voice echoes through the Festspielhaus. It remains a pulse quickening moment 71 years later.

George London’s tortured Amfortas was one of his finest roles. His deep luxurious tone is enhanced by the hint of an edge which provides a nap to his vocal velvet and an aural sense of the suffering that Amfortas endures. In the 1951 recording he is captured at the peak of his powers, which were just beginning to decline when he recorded the role again on the 1962 version. José van Dam provides a more roundly polished sound for Amfortas on two rival versions but it comes at the expense of the vivid illustration of the knight’s agony. Although the shorter role of the malign Klingsor has been successfully sung on several other recordings it is Hermann Uhde’s multi-faceted portrayal and expressive tone that is generally acknowledged to be the finest vocal representation of the fallen knight yet recorded. His scene with Mödl’s Kundry hasn’t been bettered on any rival version.

This recording has been released twice before on CD. Originally issued on Teldec, it had a later iteration on Naxos drawn from an immaculate vinyl copy, as is this current version. What Pristine offers on their new version is a beautifully expanded soundscape thanks to the wizardry of their XM remastering process. There were one or two barely detectable moments of overloading noted during the opera but these were present on the original LP transfers and not the fault of Pristine’s engineers. Pristine has also developed an attractive new gatefold cardboard casing which I understand is of limited availability for their initial CD run. Ultimately one really should have one of the stereo recordings of Parsifal on the shelves of one’s collection. There are several recommendable sets to choose from with the Philips set recorded live at Bayreuth being the most recommendable. However; this 1951 Knappertsbuch set, caught live from the re-opened Bayreuth Festival is an equally essential purchase, if only to hear the most intensely galvanized Parsifal ever put on disc. While those with the Teldec or Naxos editions needn’t rush out to replace them, Pristine’s edition is definitely the first choice among the three.

Mike Parr

Previous review: Ralph Moore