Parsifal

Although Pierre Audi's Dutch National Opera production of Wagner's monumental final work—inspired by Wolfram von Eschenbach's titular medieval verse epic—was revived in 2016, this staging is the original 2012 performance. Audi and set designer Anish Kapoor eschew a realistic approach to the allegorical tale of a young wanderer introduced to the rituals of the order of knights sworn to protect the Holy Grail in the hope that he will prove the “pure fool made wise by compassion”—one destined to recover from the wicked sorcerer Klingsor the spear that pierced the side of the crucified Christ. Only the touch of that lance, stolen by Klingsor through the seductive powers of the enchantress Kundry, can cure the festering wound that afflicts Amfortas, head of the order. But retrieving it will require Parsifal to defy Kundry's wiles and face down Klingsor amidst the temptations of his garden of delights. Act I of this tale of religious redemption is set against a backdrop of tall wooden scaffolds and huge craggy rocks (all bathed in red light), as Amfortas's lieutenant Gurnemanz explains the knights' purpose to Parsifal, while Act II in Klingsor's garden is dominated by a huge concave mirror lowered from the rafters—reflecting and distorting the action as Parsifal resists Kundry and defeats the sorcerer—and the final act (in which Parsifal returns with the spear) plays out against a simpler, somber background. The vibrant visual conception is matched by the musical performance, with Iván Fischer leading the magnificent Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in a reading that captures both the score's serenity and its vigor, complemented by outstanding vocalism from Christopher Ventris (Parsifal), Petra Lang (Kundry), Alejandro Marco-Buhrmester (Amfortas), Falk Struckmann (Gurnemanz), and Mikhail Petrenko (Klingsor). Presented in a Blu-ray/DVD Combo edition with DTS-HD 5.1 and PCM stereo sound, this is highly recommended. (F. Swietek)