Richard Wagner

“Thielemann’s Wagner is beautiful, and as close to perfection as humans can get.” (Financial Times)

Richard Wagner Wolfgang Koch Staged by Michael Schulz Stephen Milling Johan Botha Salzburg Michaela Schuster Parsifal Easter Festival Staatskapelle Dresden Christian Thielemann Richard Wagner Parsifal

Conductor Christian Thielemann Rarely can an opera premiere have been more eagerly awaited Orchestra Staatskapelle Dresden than the premiere of Parsifal at the Salzburg Easter Festival. Chorus Sächsischer For the first time since the event was founded by Herbert Staatsopernchor Dresden von Karajan in 1967, the Festival has a new orchestra, the Chor der Bayerischen Staatsoper Staatskapelle Dresden once hailed by Wagner as “his magic Salzburger Festspiele harp”. Its Principal Conductor Christian Thielemann is also und Theater Kinderchor the new Artistic Director of the Festival, an artist regarded as Chorus Masters Pablo Assante “perhaps the greatest Wagner conductor of our time” (Focus). Wolfgang Götz Thirty years earlier, as musical assistant to his mentor Herbert von Karajan, he had rehearsed Parsifal for the Easter Festival; Amfortas Wolfgang Koch now the time was ripe, suitably coinciding with the bicentenary Titurel Milcho Borovinov of Richard Wagner’s birth, for him to offer his own interpretation. Gurnemanz Stephen Milling Parsifal Johan Botha And rarely indeed can an opera performance have been so Klingsor Wolfgang Koch universally praised for its music by press and public alike: “truly Kundry Michaela Schuster perfect sound” (Kurier), “Great riches are to be heard from the Flowermaidens Eva Liebau orchestra. Magical string sounds” and “The conductor achieves Annika Sophie Ritlewski the transition to the worldly sphere as magically as the return Theresa Holzhauser to the chromatically enhanced harmony that gives this score Bele Kumberger a flavour of the avant-garde.” Süddeutsche( Zeitung), “Right Chiara Skerath up to the concealed horn trill, everything is audible. All the Carolin Neukamm refinements, all the layers, even in the transformation scenes, Knights of the Grail Thomas Ebenstein which have such a desperately glorious ring to them.” (Münchner Derek Welton Merkur). “Dresden’s Staatskapelle gives a near-perfect rendition of Wagner’s score” and “it is beautiful, and as close to perfection Stage Director Michael Schulz as humans can get.” (Financial Times), while the Spanish El Pais Video Director Brian Large goes so far as to compare Thielemann’s Parsifal with Karajan’s and declares “The musical performance was superb”. Length approx. 280' Shot in HDTV 1080/50i Equal praise for the rest of the ensemble: “The singers, never Cat. no. A04050005 lost, are affectionately accompanied and could not be better.” (Der Tagesspiegel). “Phenomenal sound from the united choirs of the Dresden and Munich State Opera” (Kleine Zeitung), which A co-production of ORF/3sat and UNITEL were also particularly well shown off by the stage setting. The in cooperation with Osterfestspiele Salzburg and CLASSICA impressive staging, making full use of the Great Festival Hall, was created by Berlin sculptor and painter Alexander Polzin. The production is a co-production with the Semperoper Dresden, the Beijing Music Festival and the Teatro Real in Madrid.

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