Wagner - Parsifal Recommendations?

Hi Ralf,

If you enjoy Thielemann's approach and his cast, he has recorded it 'live' for DG with Placido Domingo and Waltraud Meier. Both singers are audibly past their prime, and have recorded the opera before: Domingo with Levine and Jessye Norman in a gorgeous but s-l-o-w recording from New York. Highly recommended if you have the attention span that Levine commands and appreciate Domingo's Spanish German. Meier has sung with Siegfried Jerusalem for Barenboim - I no longer have the recording as I find Barenboim's conducting too bland here (and life is too short for bland Parsifals) - but if you fancy Waltraud Meier this is your best bet. 

The usual modern recommendations are Solti and Karajan. Personally I go along with these; in fact I would choose the Karajan as one of my desert island discs. Also, go back in time a bit, and a wealth of out-of-copyright riches await you on youtube, in wide ranging recording qualities.

Cheers

EJ

I would agree with ELS in recommending the Solti & Karajan, both very fine recordings.

My current favourite however is the Rafael Kubelik recording on Arts Archives.

Kurt Moll is a magnificent Gurnemanz on both this & the Karajan set.

I think the pick of the older versions is probably the 1962 Bayreuth recording conducted by Hans Knappertsbusch.

Thanks EJ and Morton for your advice.

Frankly speaking I don't like Peter Hofmann so much, but I'll give Karajan and Solti a try.

Cheers

Ralf

Hoffmann's career as Heldentenor began with a bang and didn't last long. For a few years, he was Bayreuth's new hope - in his recording for Karajan, he is heard at his best and with fresh experience of singing the role in Bayreuth.

EJ

As an alternate you could try the new dvd/blu ray of New York’s Met production which has Jonas Kaufmann as Parsifal.

I saw Kurt Moll as Gurnemanz at Covent Garden many years ago, he had total command of the role.

Thanks for all the alternatives. There's definitely much out there to discover.

Cheers

Ralf