Estupenda grabación.

Great performance; very very poor sound.

It was wonderful to be reminded of the first Parsifal performance that I ever attended. At the time I was disappointed that I had missed Knappetsbusch, but hearing Cluytens' reading again after 55 years it's better than most I have heard since. Hotter's Gurnemanz is unequalled in my opera going lifetime and Varnay and Jess Thomas as good as I recall.

Andre Cluytens leads a smooth, flowing performance that isn't rushed, but doesn't stagnate either. He paces the opera very well and is abetted by an excellent cast lead by Jess Thomas who in 1965 still had a lovely tone. Varnay is a chilling Kundry, not phased by any aspect of Kundry's music. Her high B's lash out at Parsifal effectively while the rest of her voice manages to sound very seductive. She also offers all the scripted screams in Act Two with abandon (most leave out the one at the end of the act). Hotter sounds like Gurnemanz to the life. His voice may not be quite what it was 10 years earlier, but his lifetime of experience is most telling. Adam (who just passed away) is a properly broken Amfortas. He has sung the role better on other occasions; here he sounds slightly indisposed, especially during the Third Act where he becomes hoarse. Neidlinger is a baleful, frightening Klingsor. The sound is good enough. The original tape must have become stretched in the third act as there are some brief problems (2-3 minutes) between tracks 8 and 9. It's regrettable, but not a deal- breaker. The rest of the performance is fine and is pitched correctly to boot.

The performance was likely excellent, but it was not well recorded. Then in Act III the sound got all blurred: something amiss with the equipment or maybe just with the CD I got. Still the passages with Astrid Varnay as Kundry made it worth getting.

This document of Astrid Varnay‘s Kundry is a must! I never heard a better 2nd Act! Varnay is perfect in every thinkable way; her portrayal of Kundry is unique and not to miss! Jess Thomas is in brilliant form as Parsifal. Hans Hotter a authority as Gurnemanz. Neidlinger beyond critics as Klingsor. Theo Adam slightly disappointed me as rough throated Amfortas. The Flowermaiden are a collection of first class opera soloists as they were only possible at Bayreuth in former times.I love this recording!

Cluytens est décidément un grand wagnérien d'un merveilleux équilibre . Varnay très en voix impressionne toujours par la profondeur de sa composition du personnage et son glorieux médium est ici à son affaire . Hotter bouleversant est sans doute le plus grand Gurnemanz de l'après-guerre . Adam une belle découverte dans ce rôle et Thomas intelligent et sensible . Le son est assez bon mais en-dessous de l'excellence habituelle pour Bayreuth .

Wonderful document, heard much the same cast here in Vienna.

wonderful bayreuth orchestra under cluytens, who permits at astrid varnayto give to the part her own interpretation : very great and deep performance of her