A lot of serious listening work has been done by Parsifal lovers to rank the top three recordings of all time, and many agree with the listing Kna1952, Kna1954, and Kna1951 in decreasing order. Some would put Kna1954 first. All three performances have the advantage of the genuine Bayreuth Bells (in fact, bass piano strings struck with a hammer) that Wieland Wagner unwisely replaced in 1955 with an electronic synthesizer that sounds odd. Here in 1954 Josef Greindl is a brilliant and sensitive Gurnemanz. Greindl was typecast as a "baddie" to sing Hagen or one of the Giants in Das Rheingold, which is a shame. His present interpretation is beyond wonderful. As a bonus Hans Hotter sings a fantastic Amfortas, without wobble (!!). The Klingsor is Gustav Neidlinger who in other years and other nights could sound bored or tired, but here he is in top form. A wonderful recording all around with acceptably fine sound.

I'm not giving it more stars because there aren't any more.This representation, if it had been recorded in stereo, like the 1957 ring, would have been absolute references in the discography. Knappertsbusch again "saved the furniture" due to the sudden death of Clemens Krauss in 1954 in Mexico. And he truly did a masterful recreation of Wagner's last work

Hans Knappertsbusch owned the Bayreuth Parsifal podium following the post-war reopening of the Festspielhaus. This is another first-rate performance demonstrating his attention to detail in each bar along with his grasp of Wagner's extended dramatic paragraphs. Yes, the overall timing is slow compared to later versions, but the incandescent beauty of the score is well conveyed. Windgassen is slightly more baritonal than one would expect from his forays as Siegfried, he has the part thoroughly under control, and he injects true drama into his portrayal. Mödl is a strong yet feminine Kundry - the hysterical pain of her 2nd Act cry of lachte is heart-wrenching. Hans Hotter's Amfortas is spectacular, beautifully sung, acted with conviction. Compared to his usual granitic bass turns as Hagen and Hunding, Greindl is a warm and sympathetic Gurnemanz, lyrical in the Karfreitag scene. Neidlinger, as always, clearly conveys Klingsor's malice and self-loathing. The recording is very good: the microphone placing was most fortunate in capturing both singers and orchestra in good 1954 mono sound, and the mastering for CD is excellent. Even if you have other Parsifals in your collection, this release is definitely worth exploring. Highly recommended.

Until now I did not have the time to listen to them. And besides that, I don't like to pubish my reviews.

It's very hard to choose which of Knappertsbusch's Bayreuth performances of PARSIFAL from the 1950s and early 1960s is best. My vote is a tossup between this one (1954) and the very famous one which has been around since the vinyl days, performed in 1962 (with Jess Thomas in the title role and George London as Amfortas). I've reviewed that one in its own place; now for a review of the 1954 performance:This is the classic Bayreuth cast, with Wolfgang Windgassen and Martha Modl and Josef Greindl and Hans Hotter and Gustav Neidlinger and young, up-and-coming Theo Adam in the minor roles of Titurel and first Gralsritter. This is one of their "on" nights. Both Windgassen and Modl have grown into their roles since they first performed them at Bayreuth in 1951. A lot of people criticize Windgassen for a rough, harsh timbre, but no one denies his brains and insight into the role. He's more than adequate here although not as heroic as Jon Vickers later was, nor as reflective as Jess Thomas (who was a professor of psychology) later was.Hans Hotter plays Amfortas. To my ear he sounds somewhat aloof, emphasizing the character's stateliness rather than his agony. His voice sounds much better than it did later when he sang Gurnemanz. This is because he was not yet injured--in 1957 he sustained a chronic back injury which made it difficult for him to lift his huge instrument and caused him to sound wooly and wobbly. It also necessitated his abandoning his top and dropping down to bass roles such as Gurnemanz and Pogner. But here in 1954 he's in excellent shape and still a baritone.This performance is graced by my beloved Josef Greindl, who usually played Titurel, in the more expansive role of Gurnemanz. Gurnemanz's music demands great musicality as well as a strong range and technical mastery: it contains many discordant leaps (major and minor sevenths) and counterintuitive chord progressions. Now I love Greindl so much that it's hard for me to be objective about him, but I'll just say this performance shows his brains, giving the lie to the rumor that he was only good for the "cave man" roles for which he was typecast. In fact, his crude, hard-edged cave-man persona was an act. The range is perfect for him, giving opportunities to demonstrate his rich, full top as well as his voluminous, gravelly low notes.Martha Modl's dark, earthy soprano is perfect for the role of Kundry, much better-suited to her than her equally famous outings as Brunhilde which lacked volume and brightness.Knappertsbusch is still growing into the piece, but is well on the way to the maturity he achieved in the early 1960s. He's not afraid to lead the stately choruses of Gralsritters slowly, and he keeps the chorus of flowergirls nicely on cue. Neither of these choruses is as thrilling as in the later 1962 performance.

simple the best Parsifal. A legend...Knappertsbusch is the only conductor who can combine the drama and the solemnity of this masterpiece.