Classical Music / Opera
Wagner took most of the story from a medieval poem Parzival by the German poet Wolfram von Eschenbach. Parsifal was the last opera Wagner completed.
Parsifal, WWV 111 ('WWV' denotes Wagner's catalogue of musical works in German, meaning "Wagner-Werk-Verzeichnis") is and opera in three acts by German composer Richard Wagner. It is loosely based on Wolfram von Eschenbach's Parzival, a 13th-century epic poem of the Arthurian knight Parzival (Percival) and his quest for the Holy Grain (12th century). Wagner first conceived the work in April 1857 but did not finish it until twenty-five years later. It was his last completed opera.
Parsifal was first produced at the second Bayreuth Festival in 1882. The Bayreuth Festival maintained a monopoly on Parsifal productions until 1903, when the opera was performed at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. Wagner's widow Cosima (Franz Liszt's daughter), was outraged that she declared none of the singers involved in the unauthorised production would ever work at Bayreuth again. Bayreuth only lifted the baon on January 1, 1914. Parsifal was so popular that in the first six months after the ban was lifted, numerous European opera houses staged performances.
Wagner described Parsifal not as an opera, but as "Ein Bühnenweihfestspiel" ("A Festival Play for the Consecration of the Stage"). At Bayreuth a tradition has arisen that there be no applause after the first act of the opera. The spelling of Parsifal instead of the Parzival that Wagner had used up to 1877 is informed by an erroneous etymology of the name Percival deriving it from a supposedly Persian origin, Fal Parsi meaning "pure fool".
The story of Parsifal, briefly. The story of Parsifal and the Holy Grail has survived in several forms dating from between 1170 and 1220. Wagner, who always wrote the words of his operas himself, used a mixture of several versions to fit his ideas. Parsifal is a young man who is a “pure fool”, which means that he is an innocent, good man who slowly starts to understand the world. The Holy Grail is the cup from whih Jesus Christ is supposed to have drunk at the Last Supper. The Holy Spear is supposed to have been the one with which the Roman soldier pierced Jesus’ side when he was crucified on the cross. The Holy Grail and the Holy Spear are sacred relics which have been given to Titurel and his band of Christian knights to look after. To guard them, Titurel has built a castle, Montsalvat, high up on the forest rocks. In particular, he has to watch out for Klingsor, the magician, who lives nearby. Klingsor has a garden full of beautiful flower-maidens who are in his power. One of them is Kundry. She has already been made to lure young knights to Klingsor’s power. Even Titurel’s son, Amfortas, could not resist the lure of Kundry. His spear was taken from him and he was badly wounded before being rescued. The opera begins with him lying in pain. The only thing that could heal the wound would be the touch of the Holy Spear which Klingsor now has, and the only person who could get that spear back again is a “pure fool,” Parsifal, a young man who knows nothing about the evil of the world and who can resist the beauty of the flower-maidens.
Suggested Listening:
Wagner - Parsifal (Full). Youtube, uploaded by composercorner. Accessed July 26, 2017.
Video Credit:
Richard Wagner - Parsifal Prelude - 2017 - Elbphilharmonie Hamburg. Youtube, uploaded by Wilhelm Feist. Accessed July 26, 2017. (To be replaced. Video no longer available.)
Resources:
Parsifal. simple.wikipedia.org. Accessed July 26, 2017.
Parsifal. en.wikipedia.org. Accessed July 26, 2017.
Wagner took most of the story from a medieval poem Parzival by the German poet Wolfram von Eschenbach. Parsifal was the last opera Wagner completed.
Parsifal, WWV 111 ('WWV' denotes Wagner's catalogue of musical works in German, meaning "Wagner-Werk-Verzeichnis") is and opera in three acts by German composer Richard Wagner. It is loosely based on Wolfram von Eschenbach's Parzival, a 13th-century epic poem of the Arthurian knight Parzival (Percival) and his quest for the Holy Grain (12th century). Wagner first conceived the work in April 1857 but did not finish it until twenty-five years later. It was his last completed opera.
Parsifal was first produced at the second Bayreuth Festival in 1882. The Bayreuth Festival maintained a monopoly on Parsifal productions until 1903, when the opera was performed at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. Wagner's widow Cosima (Franz Liszt's daughter), was outraged that she declared none of the singers involved in the unauthorised production would ever work at Bayreuth again. Bayreuth only lifted the baon on January 1, 1914. Parsifal was so popular that in the first six months after the ban was lifted, numerous European opera houses staged performances.
Wagner described Parsifal not as an opera, but as "Ein Bühnenweihfestspiel" ("A Festival Play for the Consecration of the Stage"). At Bayreuth a tradition has arisen that there be no applause after the first act of the opera. The spelling of Parsifal instead of the Parzival that Wagner had used up to 1877 is informed by an erroneous etymology of the name Percival deriving it from a supposedly Persian origin, Fal Parsi meaning "pure fool".
The story of Parsifal, briefly. The story of Parsifal and the Holy Grail has survived in several forms dating from between 1170 and 1220. Wagner, who always wrote the words of his operas himself, used a mixture of several versions to fit his ideas. Parsifal is a young man who is a “pure fool”, which means that he is an innocent, good man who slowly starts to understand the world. The Holy Grail is the cup from whih Jesus Christ is supposed to have drunk at the Last Supper. The Holy Spear is supposed to have been the one with which the Roman soldier pierced Jesus’ side when he was crucified on the cross. The Holy Grail and the Holy Spear are sacred relics which have been given to Titurel and his band of Christian knights to look after. To guard them, Titurel has built a castle, Montsalvat, high up on the forest rocks. In particular, he has to watch out for Klingsor, the magician, who lives nearby. Klingsor has a garden full of beautiful flower-maidens who are in his power. One of them is Kundry. She has already been made to lure young knights to Klingsor’s power. Even Titurel’s son, Amfortas, could not resist the lure of Kundry. His spear was taken from him and he was badly wounded before being rescued. The opera begins with him lying in pain. The only thing that could heal the wound would be the touch of the Holy Spear which Klingsor now has, and the only person who could get that spear back again is a “pure fool,” Parsifal, a young man who knows nothing about the evil of the world and who can resist the beauty of the flower-maidens.
Suggested Listening:
Wagner - Parsifal (Full). Youtube, uploaded by composercorner. Accessed July 26, 2017.
Video Credit:
Richard Wagner - Parsifal Prelude - 2017 - Elbphilharmonie Hamburg. Youtube, uploaded by Wilhelm Feist. Accessed July 26, 2017. (To be replaced. Video no longer available.)
Resources:
Parsifal. simple.wikipedia.org. Accessed July 26, 2017.
Parsifal. en.wikipedia.org. Accessed July 26, 2017.
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