Knappertsbusch s conducting is very slow, granted, but it has a spiritual quality to it that barely anyone else can match. A photograph of the 1951 production of parsifal featuring wielands stark design for the first scene of act one. Except with knappertsbusch and furtwangler, i got the feeling i would not enjoy owning. Compared with his parsifal of 1951 one of the most spacious on record this 1962 recording very near the tempi of the first performance under hermann levi has a sense of architecture that is almost seamless in its structure.
Direttore hans knappertsbusch 1888 1965 orchestra del. Knappertsbusch s expansive and dedicated 1962 reading is caught superbly in the philips set, arguably the finest live recording ever made in the festspeilhaus at bayreuth, with outstanding singing from jess thomas as parsifal and hans hotter as gurnemanz. Knappertsbusch s tempi are a bit more fluent than in 51 fantastic. Wagner, parsifal, act iii prelude, hans knappertsbusch, dwtkeninny bayreuth festival orchestra, hans knappertsbusch, cond. This is, of course, an inherent weakness in any recording of any live performance. Classical music reference recording 122,859 views 4. The to date 11 released recordings of hans knappertsbuschs parsifal performances at bayreuth between 1951 and 1964 constitute a unique record of one conductors work on a favoured score in. Parsifal introduction telecharger mp3 gratuite telecharger vlc. Richard wagner, hans knappertsbusch, anja silja, dorothea. His name is synonymous with this work, and likely always will be. Knappertsbusch recorded the opera again for philips in 1962 in stereo, and this release is often considered to be the classic parsifal recording. The key backstory to parsifal is the illicit night of love between king amfortas, the head of a band of monastic knights and protectors of the holy grail, and kundry, a shapeshifting sorceress.
While still at school he conducted various orchestras, but as a result of paternal opposition to a career in music he studied philosophy at bonn university. Parsifal bayreuth 1962by hans knappertsbusch on slacker radio, where you can also create personalized internet radio stations based on your favorite albums, artists and songs. Hans knappertsbusch bio, albums, pictures naxos classical. Explore releases from hans knappertsbusch at discogs. The stage designs and theories of designer adolphe appia influenced wieland wagners design for this production. You have the 1951 set, which is a classic in its own right, especially for the performances given by martha modl and hermann uhde. When the festival restarted in 1951, knappertsbusch who.
Parsifal bayreuth 1962 hans knappertsbusch on allmusic. To this day, his interpretations of the works of wagner, especially parsifal, are regarded by many as among. Wolfgang windgassen parsifal was the essential bayreuth tenorofallwork in the 50s and 60s, and hes just fine here. Wagner parsifal thomasdalishotter knappertsbusch 4 cds. George london wagner parsifal knappertsbusch music. Classical music reference recording 123,038 views 4. The string sections, in particular, sound as if they were populated by worldclass soloists, both in their tone and their commitment to the melodic line. Harmony and counterpoint once again work together to form so dissoluble a union that it is difficult not to think of bach whose music swieten had done much to introduce to mozart and indeed to the wider musical world.
There are also many unofficial live recordings from bayreuth, capturing virtually every parsifal cast ever conducted by knappertsbusch. Richard wagner, hans knappertsbusch parsifal amazon. Now two important recorded documents of that mastery have reappeared in the record stores. Only orfeo will be able to release the 55 parsifal from the bavarian tapes. Every time one returns to it, its inspiration and distinction seem to have been enhanced. Richard wagner wagner parsifal pierre boulez bayreuth70. Richard wagner, hans knappertsbusch parsifal music. This is the first performance at bayreuth after the war, and its a sure bet that everyone was being very careful, and, rightly, probably was very nervous as to just what the reopening of the. Hans knappertsbusch was one of the great slow conductors, but the funny thing isit doesnt feel slow the first parsifal i ever heard was a met broadcast in 1982, and i fell asleep about 12 hour in. This was the case with the great hans knappertsbusch and wagners parsifal. The best recording of wagners parsifal studio, historic, or live for me continues to be karajans 1981 excellent recording on dg.
Among them, hans knappertsbusch was the last of the great prewar wagner conductors, and his postwar bayreuth performances of the canonical operas have always been regarded as among the. London is still the amfortas, jess thomas is wonderful. Over the next 15 years, knappertsbusch led the same work 55 times at bayreuth, and this fourdisc set from orfeo documents the conductors last performance of the work. Textures have lightened, tempos are faster, and wagners long arcs soar instead of sag. Richard wagner parsifal amfortas george london titurel martti talvela. To this day, many regard his interpretations of the works of wagner, especially parsifal, as among the best of the 20th century.
Parsifal 196208 knappertsbusch bayreuth wagner discography. The cast in 1962 was, on balance, even finer than the one in 1951 and by then knappertsbusch had reached a deeper understanding of the opera, which is saying something. Jul 11, 1993 the conductor hans knappertsbusch had an unmatched way with wagners parsifal. Knappertsbusch s 1962 vividly live and stereo bayreuth recording on phillips remains my second choice with his live decca 1951 bayreuth rendition as a historic choice. There are recordings available from ten different bayreuth seasonsmost in multiple iterationsincluding two highly regarded commercial releases, a mono version from 1951 and this 1962 stereo account. Flower maidens bayreuth festival chorus and orchestra hans knappertsbusch. Over the next 15 years, knappertsbusch led the same work 55 times at bayreuth, and this fourdisc set from orfeo documents. Herheims production opens with parsifal at the time of its first, bayreuth staging, in 1882. Knappertsbusch, the bayreuth festival orchestra, with the wonderful jess thomas as parsifal. Parsifalbayreuth, 54 by jed distler on october 7, 2002 in among the bayreuth festival parsifal recordings official and otherwise under hans knappertsbuschs direction, this 1954 goround. These qualities characterize knappertsbusch s official 1962 philips parsifal, but 1964 has a better cast. Compared to knappertsbusch s stodgy, lethargic bayreuth parsifals from the 50s, this 1964 performance, knappertsbusch s last, is quite different. Parsifal bayreuth 1962 hans knappertsbusch on allmusic 1964 nietzsche may have been the first, but he was by.
Review by graham clark generally speaking, if there is such a thing as definitive wagner recordings, this might well be one. In 2008 gatti conducted the prelude one minute slower. Some may find him pennyplain, even mundane in a role once taken by weber knappertsbusch teldec or hotter knappertsbusch philips or moll karajan, but one comes to appreciate colds unaffected, sincere way with the music and the text, and admire his line and his lean, steady tone in key passages such as the blessing, gesegnet sei in. However, it seems worse in this recording than others e. As is also well known, the 1962 knappertsbusch bayreuth production was the second commercially recorded parsifal, and the first in stereo. Parsifal bayreuth knappertsbusch 1951 by richard wagner. Knappertsbusch wagner parsifal decca lxt 26516 uk 6xlps. Jess thomas ten parsifal george london bassbar amfortas hans hotter bassbar. Knappertsbusch bayreuth 1959, parsifal, act i youtube.
We are in eflat major, yet it is hardly affirmative. Classical music reference recording 122,558 views 4. Direttore hans knappertsbusch 1888 1965 orchestra del festival di bayreuth. As a result, the stage noises gain amplitude along with a tiny buzz in the original recording. Gerhard stolze t and georg paskuda t, 3rd4th esquires. Richard wagner parsifal preludio festival di bayreuth 1962 live. Parsifal bayreuth 1962 knappertsbusch radio baviera. Parsifal 1951 knappertsbusch london, weber, windgassen. Remastered for philips 50 great recordings series, the orchestral image in hans knappertsbuschs 1962 bayreuth parsifal seems brighter, more forward than before, and i detect more color and presence to the voices. Classical music reference recording 123,416 views 4.
Gotthelf pistor is an unrivaled parsifal here as well, and the precision of the orchestral playing is impressive. However, it is knappertsbusch who really carries this performance. Classical music reference recording 119,589 views 4. Hans knappertsbusch 12 march 1888 25 october 1965 was a german conductor, best known for his performances of the music of richard wagner, anton bruckner and richard strauss as well as his unique public persona and conducting style. Parsifal wwv 111 is an opera in three acts by richard wagner. Studio recordings followed in profusion from the 1970s onward solti 1972. Shop for vinyl, cds and more from hans knappertsbusch at the discogs marketplace. Hans knappertsbusch led the 1951 performances of parsifal. Barbro ericsons kundry is a little more aloof and mysterious than irene dalis approach in act i and the beginning of act ii but as her character goes through its transformation when she witnesses parsifal s pity of amfortas, she begins to reveal kundrys inner life making the character seem more human. Knappertsbuschs tempi are a bit more fluent than in 51 fantastic.
Parsifal 1962 knappertsbusch london, hotter, thomas. Though knappy might not be quite as luminous there as in 1962, jess thomas is a great parsifal, and hotter is incomparable as gurnemanz. Wagner parsifal telecharger mp3 gratuite telecharger vlc. Hans knappertsbusch is the true star of this performance, as is the bayreuth orchestra who bring a level of lyricism and emotion that i have never heard in this score. Once again we have an historic bayreuth recording from the early wieland wagner era, in this case parsifal under the baton of its oncehigh priest knappertsbusch. Wagner, richard classical, hans knappertsbusch, bayreuth. Hans knappertsbusch was born into a prosperous family whose wealth was gained from manufacturing. For a modern performance, i still favour karajan or, even better, kubelik, but this one is also a mightily impressive. Parsifal article about parsifal by the free dictionary. Richard wagner, hans knappertsbusch, hans hotter, gustav neidlinger, irene dalis. Except for the rheingold, the kempe bayreuth ring from 1962 recently.
The knappertsbusch parsifal discography is staggering. Seven seas has 15 and tara 35 47 daniel barenboim, berliner philharmoniker, 198990. Wagner parsifal knappertsbusch bayreuth 1951 decca 5 lp box na 25045d15 nm. Wagners festspielhaus in bayreuth reopened in 1951 with a performance of beethovens ninth symphony led by wilhelm furtwangler followed the next day by a performance of wagners parsifal led by hans knappertsbusch. It proceeds to tell a history that leads to somewhere approaching the present day, even turning a mirror upon the audience at one point, a moment with considerably greater theatrical power.
Classical music reference recording is the reference channel on youtube where all music lovers meet. But while parsifal s subversions may be blasphemous for atheist german philosophers and dogmatic christians, for devout wagnerians, parsifal is heaven on earth. I think this might be the best overall recording of parsifal. Parsifal religion, spiritualism, and occult parsifal, asteroid 2,095 the 2,095th asteroid to be discovered, on september 24, 1960, is approximately 10 kilometers in diameter and has an orbital period of 4.
When the festival restarted in 1951, knappertsbusch. Kubelik 1980, although it wasnt released till 2003. Richard wagner, hans knappertsbusch, orchestra and chorus. Classical music reference recording 23,582 views 4. Remastered for philips 50 great recordings series, the orchestral image in hans knappertsbusch s 1962 bayreuth parsifal seems brighter, more forward than before, and i detect more color and presence to the voices.
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