In this 2016 production from the Berlin Staatsoper, Dmitri Tcherniakov offers a striking staging of Richard Wagner's final opera, about the knights who guard the Holy Grail and the lance which pierced the crucified Christ. The knights are in disarray: their leader Amfortas was seduced by Kundry and wounded by the evil magician Klingsor, and only a “Pure Fool Made Wise by Compassion” can recover the spear and use it to cure Amfortas. That savior is the titular wanderer, who resists Kundry's temptation and takes the lance back to the knights, destroying Klingsor's domain in the process. Tcherniakov situates the action in the present, portraying the knights as scruffy woodsmen, Parsifal as a backpacker, and Klingsor as a leering old man whose “flower maidens”—usually shown as temptresses—are instead a bevy of young, pigtailed girls in pastel-colored dresses who play with dolls. Parsifal, moreover, resists Kundry's advances because they remind him of how his mother walked in on his first romantic encounter with a girl and jealously excoriated him. The unmistakable suggestions of pedophilia and incest will put off some viewers, as will the fact that the religious and mystical aspects of the opera are underplayed. Still, conductor Daniel Barenboim brings extraordinary intensity to his very slow reading of the score, and the orchestra and chorus respond with absolute commitment. And the vocalists shine, including Andreas Schager (Parsifal), Anja Kampe (Kundry), Tómas Tómasson (Klingsor), Wolfgang Koch (Amfortas) and René Pape as Gurnemanz, the senior knight who here uses a slideshow to teach his colleagues about the history of their order. Although obviously untraditional, this is surprisingly effective overall. Presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 and PCM stereo on DVD, and DTS-HD 5.1 and LPCM stereo on Blu-ray, this is highly recommended. (F. Swietek)
Parsifal
(2016) 252 min. DVD: 2 discs, $39.99; Blu-ray: $39.99. Bel Air Classiques (dist. by Naxos of America). Volume 32, Issue 1
Parsifal
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