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Parsifal (Excerpts)
This performance, while marred by less-than-ideal sound, stands as a remarkable artifact from an era not far removed from the time of Richard Wagner himself. Under the baton of Leopold Stokowski, the orchestra delivers Wagner's complex orchestration with a vivid array of colors. Stokowski's interpretation is neither overtly slow nor fast, but rather one where the tempos flow naturally with the drama, breathing life into the score.
Rose Bampton brings a deep, resonant mezzo-soprano to the role of Kundry, her voice exuding both richness in Act II during the seduction scene and soaring effortlessly through powerful high notes in later moments. While Nelson Eddy is primarily known for his matinee idol status, in this recording, he demonstrates a surprising Wagnerian gravitas as Gurnemanz. His performance is a testament to his versatility, adding considerable weight to the production.
Robert Steel delivers a commendable performance as Parsifal, though somewhat overshadowed by the larger-than-life presence of his colleagues. His lyricism, however, is undoubtedly powerful and well-suited to the role.
Track List
Act I
1. Weh'! Weh'! Hoho!
2. Nun sag': nichts weisst du, was ich dich frage
2. Nun sag': nichts weisst du, was ich dich frage
Act II
3. Ha, Kühner! Wagst du zu nahen?
4. Parsifal! Weile!
5. Ich sah das Kind
6. Amfortas! Die Wunde!
7. Grausamer! Fühlst du im Herzen
8. Nie sollst du ihn finden!
4. Parsifal! Weile!
5. Ich sah das Kind
6. Amfortas! Die Wunde!
7. Grausamer! Fühlst du im Herzen
8. Nie sollst du ihn finden!
Act III
9. Enthüllet den Gral!
10. Nur eine Waffe taugt
10. Nur eine Waffe taugt
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4.3
Based on 3 reviews
✓ Verified Buyer
United States
poor sound but this is the best I've heard
From what can be heard, the performance is excellent despite poor sound.
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✓ Verified Buyer
United Kingdom
the ld curiosity shop
I don't want to be harsh, but the sound quality is poor. Some might call it indecipherable. Is the performance worth working through? If you know Parsifal well and are really interested in Stokowski, these are precious documents. He was an amazing conductor of late Romantic opera and we can only dream about what a complete Wagner would have sounded like under his direction. But listening to this is a chore.
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✓ Top Reviewer
United States
This is a memoir about one of the singers, not a review. I hope no one minds!
The Second "Ritter" is played by a baritone named Ben De Loache. This is recorded in 1933. Well, fifty years later, when I was in college, I took voice lessons from him. He was a very frail old man with heart problems, took nitroglycerine all the time (it's a heart-medication as well as an explosive). The singing group I was in (Yale Russian Chorus, which is how I got ThrownOutOfTheKremlinForSinging) hired him to give us a group-lesson. He began by asking for a "volunteer who was an uninhibited person". One guy, a wide-eyed freshman named Larry, stepped forward. Ben said: "Please come to the middle of the room. Now, please cackle like a chicken which has just laid an egg." Larry thought for a moment and then gave his best imitation of a cackling chicken. Ben said "that's really good, now, can you hop around and flap your arms, like an actual chicken?" Larry did. And for two hours, Ben coached him on developing his cackle, asking questions like "can you start small and bring it to a climax? Can you express more pride in your egg? Can you give your cackle more shape? Can you pass more air from your lungs at the high-pitched part? Would you like it better if you put a small sequence of short, staccato cluckings after the initial big squawk?" Larry obeyed, all the while jumping around and flapping his arms, until he was exhausted, sweaty, and gasping for breath. Then Ben looked around the room, and said "Gentlemen, sing like that. Thank you." And left.
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