Wagner: Parsifal - King, Jones, Crass, Feldhoff, Nienstedt, Ridderbusch; Stein. Bayreuth, 1969

$16.95

Listen to a Sample:

Gwyneth Jones is astonishing as Kundry, even better than she was in the Deutsche Grammophon version that was released the following year. She is buoyed by the sensitive conducting of Horst Stein who favors more leisurely tempos than Boulez, giving her ample room to let her voice go into overdrive.
Jones unleashes two blood-curdling screams (I have included one in the sample). Where are the singers today with this level of searing intensity?
James King may be the perfect Parsifal. Stunning voice, stunning looks and musically very sensitive.
Franz Crass' Gurnemanz is of a softer grain than some of his fellow basses, but what is lost in dramatic declamation is more than made up for in finely nuanced monologues.
The sound is excellent.