Wagner - Parsifal

[Richard Tarleton]

The etymology of "to gurn" is interesting.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Do you people know how long 'Parsifal' is? It takes until next tax demand just to get to the end of the Prelude, and you havent even met Gurnemanz yet ...

Ah: you have the Levine/Bayreuth set, I see!

But the entry into the castle of the Grail at the climax of Act I is just magic.

[umslopogaas]

fhg #22 "Ah: you have the Levine/Bayreuth set, I see!"

Actually, no: Solti, two Knappertsbusch's, Karajan and Gui. Who? Orch. and Chorus of the Radio Italiana, Rome, cond. Vittorio Gui. Recorded in Rome in 1950. Its a 3 CD set, the box proudly announces that it is "More than three hours", which is a devious way of saying it's cut. I bought it because it features - wait for it - Boris Christoff as Gurnemanz, Rolando Panerai as Amfortas and ... Maria Callas as Kundry. Its sung in an Italian translation. Not a first choice, but worth hearing, in my view, for Christoff, one of my favourite singers, and Callas. She abandoned Wagner early on, I think, in favour of Italian and French repertoire: Callas singing Brunnhilde would have been quite something.

If Levine's Parsifal is slower than Karajan, I think I'll give it a miss ...

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Callas singing Brunnhilde would have been quite something.

I've only heard her Liebestod, which makes one ache for what might have been! Never heard the Rome Parsifal; a hunt in the Forest of Cyber is probably in order!

[umslopogaas]

fhg #24

My 3 CD set of Callas singing Parsifal under Gui (well, not literally, you understand) in 1950 is on the Virtuoso label. Code is 2699232, all three discs have the same code, but are simply labelled one to three. I bought it secondhand and have no idea if its still available. The discs are copyright 1989, Metromusica, Milan.

[austin]

'Parsifal' live concert performance here.....

http://tinyurl.com/cdwudek

[Beef Oven]

'Parsifal' live concert performance here.....

http://tinyurl.com/cdwudek

Thanks very much for this Austin, I wasn't aware of this site. I am listening to the performance as I type!

[austin]

I am listening to the performance as I type!

Pleased to be able to share with you.

I am also listening with the score from....
http://tinyurl.com/d2qucpq

[gurnemanz]

Thanks very much for this Austin, I wasn't aware of this site. I am listening to the performance as I type!

It surely takes a special kind of Wagner fan to be listening to Parsifal at 8.06 on a Sunday morning. I am deeply impressed. I will confess that I had not even woken up at that point.

[Beef Oven]

It surely takes a special kind of Wagner fan to be listening to Parsifal at 8.06 on a Sunday morning. I am deeply impressed. I will confess that I had not even woken up at that point.

I am an early riser - I had already been for a jog and washed down my kipper with half a gallon of coffee!