Philosopher Ernst Bloch once referred to the ‘Bühnenweihfestspiel’ or consecrational stage festival Parsifal as ‘a metaphysical adagio’. In these few words he summed up the story line and the musical purport of Wagner's last opera – that is, if such a thing is at all possible in his operas, because as a composer Wagner was never at a loss for words when it came to bandying about statements artistic and non-artistic about the world in general and the universe in particular. Wagner’s musical theatre revolves around fundamental questions of human existence. Tristan und Isolde is about an all-consuming love, but also about the implications of the longing for love and the death wish. The work is about defining an identity through love and the loss of that identity through that same love. Der Ring des Nibelungen is about the incompatibility of love and the pursuit of power; it is also an in-depth exploration of the question of whether man has a free will, and it is about the eternal cycle of destruction and renewal which holds mankind captive on this earth.

Parsifal is about all of the above and much, much more. Wagner himself defined the theme of his swan song as ‘Das große Leid des Lebens’, the great suffering of life. Everything he still wanted to say at the end of his life about life, love, sex, psychology, politics, society, nature, art, Christianity, Buddhism, Judaism and anti-Semitism was mixed Together in a grail chalice (poisonous, according to some) to form a ‘metaphysical adagio' of four hours of consecrational musical drama. Consecrational in the literal meaning of the word. Wagner’s own name for the genre, ‘Bühnenweihfestspiel’ means a consecrational stage festival. The plot of Parsifal refers implicitly and explicitly to Christianity and religious rites. Indeed, it was one of Wagner’s many ambitions to replace European Christianity by his own ritual art.
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After the Ring Wagner had to resolve the ‘problem’ of love in a new work. That work was Parsifal. The essential difference with all his prior works is the fact that there is no love in Parsifal. All the characters live in a loveless universe in which only the urge to reproduce – desire, lust – remains. Although Wagner's answer to this remains to be seen for the time being, one thing is important here. With Schopenhauer, Wagner does not view the urge to reproduce as morally reprehensible. He situated Siegfried, who suffered from the same fault in the Ring, in an amoral universe, not an immoral one – in a world where morals are not violated, but where all moral is absent. This is also the case in Parsifal, and it is part of the secret of Wagner’s huge success in the nineteenth century. (Part of the programme information written by Willem Bruls)

Magisch-glutvoller Parsifal aus Amsterdam

Dieser Live-Mitschnitt des Parsifal vom 12. Dezember 2010 im Concertgebouw Amsterdam kann nicht nur mit einer festspiel-würdigen Sängerriege aufwarten, sondern überzeugt vor allem durch Jaap van Zwedens glutvolle, magische Interpretation. Ihm steht das Netherlands Radio Symphony Orchestra als herausragender Klangkörper zur Verfügung, ergänzt durch zwei fulminante Chöre.

Eine Bonus-DVD enthält 10 Höhepunkte der konzertanten Aufführung aus dem Concertgebouw Amsterdam, die vom niederländischen Fernsehen NTR aufgezeichnet wurde.

Besetzung der Hauptrollen:
Parsifal: Klaus Florian Vogt, Tenor
Kundry: Katarina Dalayman, Sopran
Amfortas: Falk Struckmann, Bass-Bariton
Titurel: Ante Jerkunica, Bass
Gurnemanz: Robert Holl, Bass
Klingsor: Krister St. Hill, Bariton

Deze sublieme opname is een live-registratie van een onvergetelijke concertante uitvoering in het Concertgebouw van Wagner's Parsifal iin de Zaterdagmiddagmatinee in 2010. Met het befaamde Radio Filharmonisch Orkest en Groot Omroep Koor en 18 top solisten waaronder Falk Struckmann, Ante Jerkunica, Robert Holl, Klaus Florian Vogt, Krister St. Hill, Katerina Dalayman.

Dit is een 4-CD box plus bonus DVD met een selectie tracks van het concert op beeld! Jaap Van Zweden is wereldwijd een van de beroemdste dirigenten van dit moment. Van Zweden is chef-dirigent van de Dallas Symphony Orchestra en heeft tot 2012 ook nog dezelfde functie bij de Royal Flemish Philharmonic Orchestra. Na 2012 zal hij zich geheel kunnen focussen op zijn werk in de USA en zijn gast-dirigentschappen overal ter wereld kunnen voortzetten. Van Zweden heeft een uitgebreide discografie op zijn naam staan waaraan deze prachtige box nu wordt toegevoegd.

Een Super Audio productie!