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Parsifal

Well, it is Good Friday....and what says Good Friday more than the "Good Friday" music from Parsifal? OK, any number of Passions. I know it is a masterpiece, but I find Bach's St. Matthew's Passion a tough slog. My first recording was the Richter, and I currently have the McCreesh - by the way, I am not convinced by the single voice to a part choruses. Messiah is really an Easter piece as well, but has become associated with Christmas.

At any rate, while I have no issues hearing Parsifal at other times, I do try to make it an Easter piece as well. It turns out I own 7 recordings - Knappertbusch 62 (Philips), Knappertbusch 56 (Melodram), Kubelik, Barenboim, Janowski, Gergiev and Solti. I listened to Act III of the Solti the other night. Quite beautiful, although Kollo is really overparted by "Nur eine Waffe taugt". My favorite is the consensus choice, Kna 62, followed by Kubelik - I think there is something to be said for the sound quality in Parsifal, and the Kna 56 is radiocheck mono. Janowski's SACD recording is OK, Barenboim (to me) a little faceless, and I don't think Gergiev has a clue of what Parsifal is about.

I also have the Muck excerpts, which every Wagnerite should hear, and of course for those who have an aversion to singing there is the de Waart recording of "Wagner: An Orchestral Quest" - no singing. Actually of the 3 de Waart Wagner without words, I think this is the best one.

I'm sure that others have their favorites as well. I have never heard Boulez or Karajan, and I have heard Levine in a Met broadcast....slow......






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Topic - Parsifal - TGR 15:29:18 04/03/15 (14)

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