Painful tempi (Rating: 3.00)
Review : I cannot agree with the previous reviewer on this DVD. I had anticipated an enthralling experience watching this production on DVD, but the first few minutes into the overture, I already knew I'd be disappointed. 1) The Tempi by Levine is excruciatingly slow, sometime you would wonder whether the music is frozen. Into the drama the tempi got better but his generic approach makes it hard for singers to follow sometimes, especially for Weikl's prince role. But the slow tempi seem to be effective allowing buildup of dynamics. 2) It's surprising that an 1992 production on DVD would have less than ideal visual quality. Images are not crisp enough, and overall lighting is dark (as often happens with Met production, except for some recent ones such as Cosi, Tristan und Isode). The singing by the first three leading roles, Meier, Jerusalem, and Moll is all very good. Especially with Moll.This is a fair production and poor DVD work. Considering that not many Parsifal productions available on DVD, I have no better choice.
Onward and Upward! (Rating: 5.00)
Review : Some years back,a popular PBS crime series "Inspector Morse" ended. The inspector in question was a lover of opera and classical music. He suffered a sudden fatal heart attack. As he lay at peace in the hospital bed, the opening bars of the prelude to Wagner's Parsifal played. Momentarily,I was transcended. This ethereal music always has this effect on me.
I find only 2 problems with the acting in this drama. Vocally,the production is a masterpiece. Waltraud Mier's Kundry wasn't wild enough and Franz Mazura's Klingsor wasn't menacing enough.That said,on to the good stuff!
The great Kurt Moll as Gurnemanz is the standout here.His voice is so perfect and beautiful.I wish he had recorded a Wotan.
He is a fantastic Sarastro in DG "The Magic Flute".
ActIII is the one I most enjoyed. The healing of Amfortas and the ascension of the former "fool" Parsifal to power were breathtaking. With Wagner,it's so much more about the music than the vocals. This music is glorious. The Met Opera orchestra deserves special thanks for this tremendous achievement.
Traditional production that would please anybody (Rating: 5.00)
Review : This is a traditionally staged version from the Met. Somebody complained about the slow tempi by Levine, but, I think this tempi also works fine. All the Wagner's opera could be conducted in different ways and, if you like this tempi or the other, it's all up to your musical taste (e.g. Bernstein's slow Tristan is as much appreciated as the fast Boehm's). It's not like Solti's magnificent CD set, not even better than Armin Jordan's conducting in Syberberg's film version, though, I have nothing to complain about it.
The cast in this production is impressive. Weikl, Moll, Rootering, all the legends are here. There would be no one who could portray Kundry better than Meier, both physically and musically at the same time. She is terrific, expressive, powerful, above all, beautiful. Jerusalem is okay. Vocally excellent, but, not a good actor... well, at least he is good looking.
The video transfer could have been better, while the sound is excellent and includes DTS. Thank God it didn't fall in the hands of dreadful Pioneer Classics! Image Entertainment could have done a better job?? There are optional subtitles in five languages including the original German. This set includes some special features & booklet with pictures. Nice presentation.
Now there are two DVD version of Parsifal. Me, being the biggest fan of Parsifal, I got them both. Which one is better? It's a hard question. Musically Syberberg's film version has no comparison, otherwise both are so great and so different. Get them both!
'Waltraud Meier' and 'Siegfried Jerusalem',are the stars!!!! (Rating: 5.00)
Review : When I saw her name 'Waltraud Meier' listed,I said wow! I've seen her performance as 'Kundry' at 'Chor der Deutschen Staatsoper Berlin',conductor Daniel Barenboim. She again reprises her role as 'Kundry',last time with co-star 'Poul Elming'(as Parsifal),this time with 'Siegfried Jerusalem'(as Parsifal). Very mind blowing,under 'James Levine',we should get as good a performance as we got from conductor 'Daniel Barenboim'. Your awesome Waltraud Meier!!!!
ABSOLUTELY STUNNING - An Exerience of Music and the Sacred (Rating: 4.00)
Review : For me anyhow - this is Wagner's greatest gift - even better than the the Nibelung. Having played excerpts form the opera in amauture orchestral venues -- I can say that this work is "Erlebnis" (Experience). At once Wagner captures the piety of medieval Europe (now but a dim memory in an almost completely secular place), the foundational reverence of the Holy Sacrament, and essence of Christian grace. All of this with combined with was has to be one of the most moving musical scores of German romanticism. And thank you Met. Opera and James Levine for both re-igniting TRADITIONAL Wagnerian vision/stagings (and not those rancid "revisionist" directions), and making such respectable again.
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