110221-24Bk Parsifal

Home , Arnold van Mill, Bayreuth Festspielhaus, Gerhard Stolze, Hanna Ludwig, Hans Knappertsbusch, Hermann Levi

Mark Obert-Thorn ADD Mark Obert-Thorn is one of the world’s most respected transfer artist/engineers. He has worked for a number of specialist labels, including Pearl, Biddulph, Romophone and Music & Arts. Three of his transfers have been Great Opera Recordings 8.110221-24 nominated for Gramophone Awards. A pianist by training, his passions are music, history and working on projects. He has found a way to combine all three in the transfer of historical recordings. Obert-Thorn describes himself as a ‘moderate interventionist’ rather than a ‘purist’ or ‘re-processor,’ unlike 4 CDs those who apply significant additions and make major changes to the acoustical qualities of old recordings. His philosophy is that a good transfer should not call attention to itself, but rather allow the performances to be heard with WAGNER the greatest clarity. There is no over-reverberant ‘cathedral sound’ in an Obert-Thorn restoration, nor is there the tinny bass and Parsifal piercing mid-range of many ‘authorised’ commercial issues. He works with the cleanest available 78s, and consistently achieves better results than restoration engineers working with the metal parts from the archives of the Windgassen • Mödl • Weber ¥ London ¥ Van Mill ¥ Uhde modern corporate owners of the original recordings. His transfers preserve the original tone of the old recordings, maximising the details in critical upper mid-range and lower frequencies to achieve a musical integrity that is absent Bayreuth Festival Chorus ¥ Bayreuth Festival Orchestra from many other commercially released restorations. Hans Knappertsbusch, Conductor Recorded during July and August, 1951 at the Festspielhaus, Bayreuth

The Naxos Historical label aims to make available the greatest recordings in the history of recorded music, in the best and truest sound that contemporary technology can provide. To achieve this aim, Naxos has engaged a number of respected restorers who have the dedication, skill and experience to produce restorations that have set new standards in the field of historical recordings.

8.110221-24 12 Great Opera Recordings in bringing death to him and comfort to his Knights. Approaching the altar, Parsifal takes the Grail, now They urge him to reveal the Grail, but he is unwilling, shining with an unearthly light, and blesses those Richard for the sight of the Grail will prevent his death and gathered there. A white dove descends on his head, mean further unendurable pain. Kundry sinks to the ground and Amfortas and ! Parsifal comes forward, holding aloft the Spear Gurnemanz now kneel before him. WAGNER and then lightly touching Amfortas with it, for this Parsifal alone can bring the relief that Amfortas craves. Keith Anderson Producer’s Note Parsifal ...... Wolfgang Windgassen This classic Knappertsbusch recording of Wagner’s Parsifal was made using portions of several performances at the Bayreuth Festspielhaus during July and August of 1951. Decca had not been employing the medium of Kundry ...... Martha Mödl magnetic tape for very long by that time; and although the balance is good and the sense of atmosphere palpable, Gurnemanz ...... Ludwig Weber changes in perspective and audience noise are noticeable at some of their edits. Amfortas ...... George London There are other problems with the original master, including post-echo (after Kundry’s octave leap in Act II, Titurel ...... Arnold van Mill for example) and swishing sounds (probably caused by bad tape azimuth alignment during the loud portions at the Klingsor ...... Hermann Uhde opening of Act II), neither of which could be corrected. I have, however, fixed the pitch drop at the end of Act III which plagued later LP reissues of this recording, and have also restored a chord (just before the appearance of the First Knight of the Grail ...... Walter Fritz Knights of the Grail in the same act) which was unaccountably cut in some LP editions. Second Knight of the Grail ...... Werner Faulhaber First Squire ...... Hanna Ludwig Second Squire ...... Elfriede Wild Third Squire ...... Günther Baldauf Fourth Squire ...... Gerhard Stolze Flower Maidens . . . . Lore Wissmann, Erika Zimmermann, Hanna Ludwig, Paula Brivkalne, Maria Lacorn and Elfriede Wild Solo Alto Voice ...... Ruth Siewert

Bayreuth Festival Chorus and Orchestra (Chorus Master: Wilhelm Pitz) Hans Knappertsbusch, Conductor Recorded during July and August, 1951

First issued on Decca LXT 2651 through 2657

8.110221-24 2 11 8.110221-24 tells Kundry, who is in his power, to deal with Parsifal approaching. It is Parsifal, dressed in black armour and CD 1 55:15 as she did with Amfortas. 2 Kundry is unwilling, but is appearing uncertain of himself. 3 Gurnemanz Act I Part1 reminded that whoever resists her will break the spell welcomes his guest, but tells him to lay down the spear 1 Prelude 14:16 that binds her. 3 In his glass Klingsor sees Parsifal he carries, for the place is holy and the day is Good 2 He! Ho! 5:55 enter the magic garden, using his sword to quell the Friday. Parsifal lays down his sword and shield, putting 3 Seht dort, die wilde Reiterin! 3:19 opposition of Klingsor’s knights. Kundry, meanwhile, his spear in the ground. He takes off his helmet and (Gurnemanz, Knights, Squires, Kundry) has made off, to do as she must. kneels in prayer. 4 Recht so! Habt Dank! 7:01 4 In the garden Flower Maidens are heard lamenting 4 They recognise each other and Parsifal explains (Amfortas, Gurnemanz, Knights, Kundry) the departure of their lovers. Parsifal gazes down at how, after all his wandering and suffering, he is seeking 5 He! du da! 7:46 them in astonishment. 5 The Flower Maidens invite out the one whose suffering he once saw, bringing with (Squires, Knights, Kundry) Parsifal to join them, playing around him and vying him, unsullied, the Holy Spear. 6 Das ist ein and’res 5:07 with one another for his attention. Parsifal rejects their 5 Gurnemanz is astonished, but tells Parsifal that it (Gurnemanz, Squires) blandishments, while admiring their beauty. 6 Kundry was a curse that drove him to wander, while Amfortas, 7 Titurel, der fromme Held 11:51 appears, now transformed into a beautiful woman, and in his pain and despair, no longer performed his holy (Gurnemanz, Squires) calls Parsifal by his name. 7 She tells him of his father, office, denying the Knights the comfort and sustenance the meaning of his name and of his mother’s sorrow that the Grail would bring and thus causing the death of CD 2 62:10 and death. 8 He is drawn towards her and, 9 as she Titurel. 6 Now finally Parsifal, who blames himself for Act I Part 2 kisses him, feels the pain that had afflicted Amfortas all this, will be brought to Amfortas, purified by the 1 Weh! Weh! 7:38 and recoils in horror. 0 He resists all she can do to lure holy spring water with which Kundry bathes his feet. (Knights, Squires, Gurnemanz, Parsifal) him and she curses him, calling out. ! She seeks, 7 Gurnemanz anoints him with the holy water, 2 Nun sag’: nichts weist du 7:26 through him, her own redemption. Klingsor appears greeting him as one who has reached enlightenment (Knights, Squires, Gurnemanz, Parsifal, Kundry) and hurls at him the Spear, which remains suspended through suffering and now preparing him for the last 3 Vom Bade kehrt der König heim (Transformation Music) 7:47 over Parsifal’s head. He seizes it, making with it the revelation of the Grail that Amfortas has now promised. (Gurnemanz, Parsifal) sign of the cross, at which the castle sinks and the Parsifal performs his first duty by baptizing Kundry and 4 Zum letzten Liebesmahle 6:28 garden withers, while Kundry sinks to the ground. looks around at the beauty of the countryside. (Knights, Youths, Boys) Act III @ The Prelude to Act III evokes the spirit Gurnemanz tells him that it is Good Friday, the fields 5 Mein Sohn Amfortas 11:29 of desolation that has fallen upon the realm of the Holy and meadows now moist with holy dew and with the (Titurel, Amfortas) Grail in an opening motif from the first violins. A tears of penitents. He sings of the joy of creation and 6 “Durch Mitleid wissend, der reine Tor” 8:54 second motif represents the wandering of Parsifal in the Parsifal, turning to Kundry, gently kisses her. (Boys, Youths, Knights, Titurel, Voices) time that has now elapsed between the second and third 8 Bells announce midday and Gurnemanz dresses 7 Wein und Brot des letzten Mahles 5:23 act. Finally he returns, to the sound of the Innocent Fool Parsifal in the mantle of a Knight of the Grail. Taking (Boys, Youths, Knights) motif and the motif of the Spear. the Spear, Parsifal follows Gurnemanz, accompanied 8 Liebesmahle Music 4:33 CD 4 by Kundry, as the scene gradually changes from open 9 Was stehst du noch da? 2:32 1 The scene is open country, in the realm of the country to rocks that open to reveal the temple of the (Gurnemanz, Alto, Voices) Grail. It is early morning and Gurnemanz, now an old Grail. man, comes out of his hermit’s hut, hearing the sound 9 A procession of Knights bears in the Grail, with of Kundry’s groans from the undergrowth. 2 She is Amfortas, while another group carries in the body of now dressed as a penitent and he tries to revive her. Titurel, whose death is blamed on Amfortas and his sin. Now she would only wish to serve him, but he tells her They bid him perform his office for the last time. that now the Knights have to look to themselves, in 0 The coffin of Titurel, placed before the stone their desolation and poverty. She sees someone altar, is opened and Amfortas prays for his father’s help

8.110221-24 10 3 8.110221-24 CD 3 78:20 Synopsis mother’s death, and Parsifal has to be held back from Act II CD 1 harming her, in his anger. 1 Die Zeit ist da 6:39 1 The Prelude to Act I establishes the sacred 3 Amfortas is seen being carried back to his castle, 2 Ach! Ach! Tiefe Nacht 3:46 nature of what is to follow, making use of motifs where Gurnemanz will lead Parsifal. Transformation 3 Furchtbare Not! 8:14 associated with the Last Supper, including shorter Music allows for a change of scene from the wood to (Klingsor, Kundry) elements connoting Salvation, the Wound and the the castle and the temple of the Holy Grail. The bells of 4 Hier! Ð Hier war das Tosen 4:22 Spear, heard at the opening. This leads to motifs of the Monsalvat motif is heard, as the scene changes, while 5 Komm’! Komm’! Holder Knabe! 5:36 Holy Grail, introduced by the trumpet, and of Faith, Gurnemanz and Parsifal walk towards the temple, with (Flower Maidens, Parsifal) heard first from horns and trumpets. motifs of Sinner’s Torment and of the Spear. 6 Parsifal! Weile! 6:49 Act I 2 Gurnemanz, an older knight, and two 4 Parsifal stands by the door of the shrine, (Kundry, Parsifal, Flower Maidens) young squires are asleep in the woods in the realm of watching what is happening, while the Knights of the 7 Ich sah das Kind 5:41 the Holy Grail. They wake, pray and prepare for the Grail enter in procession and range themselves at tables (Kundry) bath of King Amfortas, to whose wounds the remedy on each side. They sing of this love-feast, a sacred rite 8 Wehe! Wehe! 5:15 brought by Gawan has given no comfort. There is only performed each day, as Amfortas is carried in, preceded 9 Amfortas! Die Wunde! 9:21 one who can bring any relief. 3 The wild-haired by squires bearing the covered Grail, which they set on 0 Grausamer! Fühlst du im Herzen 10:07 Kundry rides galloping in, dismounting to give a stone altar. (Parsifal, Kundry) Gurnemanz a salve for the King, before casting herself 5 The voice of Titurel is heard, calling on ! Erlösung, Frevlerin, biet’ ich auch dir 6:45 down on the ground in exhaustion. 4 Amfortas is Amfortas to unveil the Holy Grail, but he is in torment, (Parsifal, Kundry, Klingsor) carried in. He knows that only a pure fool, made wise suffering for his sin and for the wound that will never Act III Part 1 by suffering, can cure him, accepts the salve that heal. He hopes for healing and for death. @ Prelude 5:45 Kundry has brought and is carried towards the lake. 5 6 Boys and young men recall the promise of an The young men wonder about Kundry, but Gurnemanz innocent fool, enlightened through suffering. Amfortas CD 4 76:26 explains that she may be bewitched, but, at all events, rises, with difficulty, and unveils the sacred chalice, Act III Part 2 her absence seems to bring misfortune. 6 He recalls which is lit with a light from Heaven. 7 He raises the 1 Von dort her kam des Stöhnen 4:29 how Amfortas had been attracted by the vision of a chalice in blessing, and voices of boys are heard 2 Du tolles Weib! Hast du kein Wort für mich? 4:34 beautiful woman to the castle of Klingsor and how he bidding them take the Body and Blood of Christ, as (Gurnemanz, Kundry) had been wounded by the Spear that Klingsor had bread and wine is distributed to the company. 3 Heil dir, mein Gast! 6:56 seized. 7 In a fuller account, he tells how Titurel had 8 The boys now recall the Last Supper and the 4 Heil mir, dass ich dich wieder finde! 4:23 been given the task of guarding the Holy Grail, the changing of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of 5 O Gnade! Höchstes Heil 8:02 chalice of the Last Supper, and the Spear that had Christ, and the whole company joins in the Feast of 6 Nicht so! 6:34 pierced the side of Christ on the Cross and how Love and of Brotherhood. In solemn procession they 7 So ward es uns verheissen (Good Friday Spell) 14:00 Klingsor had tried to lure away the Knights of the Grail. leave the hall, as Amfortas is carried out once more. (Gurnemanz, Parsifal) Titurel had sent his son Amfortas to attack Klingsor, 9 Parsifal, in spite of Gurnemanz’s summons, has 8 Mittag: die Stund’ ist da (Transformation Music) 5:20 the cause of his present suffering. taken no part in the ceremony, watching always and (Gurnemanz) CD 2 suffering finally with Amfortas. Gurnemanz shakes 9 Geleiten wir im bergenden Schrein 4:20 1 At this point a swan flutters down to the ground, him and tells him to be gone, but a voice is heard (Knights) shot by the young Parsifal, who is sorry for what he has declaring him to be the innocent fool made wise 0 Ja, Wehe! Wehe! 8:08 done. 2 Questioned by Gurnemanz, he can only tell through suffering. (Amfortas, Knights) him that his mother was Herzeleide (Heart’s Sorrow) CD 3 ! Nur eine Waffe taugt 9:18 and that he had left her, following brightly dressed men Act II 1 The scene is set in the castle of Klingsor, (Parsifal, Voices, Knights, Squires) he had seen. Kundry now tells him that this caused his who sees in his magic glass the approach of the fool and

8.110221-24 4 9 8.110221-24 The Viennese bass Ludwig Weber was destined to make much of his career outside his native city. Born on 29th Richard Wagner (1813-1883): Parsifal July 1899, he was a schoolteacher before his vocal prowess was recognised. He made his début at the Volksoper in 1920 as Fiorello in The Barber of Seville and then sang at a succession of German houses, reaching Munich in The stirring Celtic myths of King Arthur and his stage, and began composing the music that August. 1933. There he took part in the 1938 première of Strauss’s Der Friedenstag. He sang at Covent Garden from 1936 knights and the quest for the Grail have fascinated Interestingly, the noble Prelude to Act I was sketched and La Scala from 1938, was a great favourite at Salzburg and Bayreuth and sang Rocco in the Fidelio which European writers from the Middle Ages onward. The first, which shows that Wagner already had a complete reopened the Vienna State Opera in 1955. On record, apart from his Wagnerian rôles, he can be heard as Ochs in publication of Cervantes’s novel Don Quixote in the vision of the interlocking motifs which would resound Der Rosenkavalier under Kleiber and Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte under Karajan. His singing of Gurnemanz on this early seventeenth century served to keep the idea of an through the work, and it was performed under his recording has not been surpassed. He died in Vienna on 9th December 1974. age of chivalry alive, even though he poked gentle fun direction in a concert at his Bayreuth house, Wahnfried, at it. In the nineteenth century two great artists were in 1878. By Christmas 1881, when he had promised to Arnold van Mill was born in Schiedam, the Netherlands, on 26th March 1921 and trained at the Rotterdam and obsessed with these myths: the poet Alfred Tennyson have the score of the opera ready for his wife Cosima to Hague Conservatories. In 1946 he made his début at the Monnaie in Brussels and after much early success he naturally concentrated on them from an English angle, see, only a few pages remained to be orchestrated. settled in 1953 at the Hamburg State Opera, where he was a pillar of the company until 1971 (and a favoured guest while the composer Richard Wagner came to them Wagner conceived the work from the start in terms of artist thereafter). He frequently performed at Bayreuth and made guest appearances all over the world. He can be from the Teutonic viewpoint. Wagner’s primary source his theatre at Bayreuth, where it was given its first heard on a number of complete opera sets and also recorded a recital LP of arias. He died in 1996. was the thirteenth-century poet Wolfram von sixteen performances under Hermann Levi’s baton in Eschenbach, whose writings he encountered in 1845. the summer festival of 1882. Only under his own close Tully Potter Having toyed with the idea of creating an opera round supervision, Wagner felt, could the deeply religious the ‘holy fool’ Parsifal (also known as Parzival or element of Parsifal be realised. Performance anywhere Perceval), he ended up writing one about Parsifal’s son else was forbidden and even after Wagner’s death, his Lohengrin; and it was not until 1857 that he again heirs banned any stage presentation until the copyright started thinking seriously about the project, although he ran out in 1914. A production at the Metropolitan did consider introducing the character of Parsifal Opera, New York, in 1903 was seen by them and other briefly into Tristan und Isolde. He wrote out a sketch Wagnerians as a betrayal. The Prelude and Good (which is lost) for a three-act drama, and in 1865 he was Friday Music, however, were quickly established in the able to give his patron King Ludwig II of Bavaria a concert hall. Parsifal has had no successors, although it fairly good impression of what the opera would be clearly influenced Pfitzner’s Palestrina, and it remains, about. All this time, as he occupied himself with The with its rapt religiosity, the most difficult of the Ring and Die Meistersinger, his concept of Parsifal Wagnerian music dramas to stage, especially in an was evolving, acquiring more and more layers of increasingly sceptical and secular society. The symbolism. For instance, Wolfram and other early preponderance of slow music and bass voices also writers were not too sure what the Grail actually was; makes it hard to bring off in the theatre. It is the but Wagner’s further reading drew him to the ultimate challenge for a Wagnerian conductor, but it is conviction held by later authors that it was the chalice full of beautiful music, especially in the harmonically used at the Last Supper and then employed by Joseph of rich third act, and it contains strikingly individual Arimathea to catch the blood that flowed from the spear characters. Klingsor may be the archetypal villain and wound in the side of Christ on the Cross. The concept Parsifal the usual Wagnerian tenor, but Gurnemanz that the spear which plays a large part in the drama represents the epitome of operatic nobility, the tortured would be the very weapon with which the centurion Amfortas is never forgotten, once seen, and in Kundry, Longinus inflicted that wound, was an even later with her intriguing dual nature, Wagner created his discovery for him. most exceptional female protagonist. Wagner wrote his libretto in the spring of 1877, in The production enshrined in this live recording was the knowledge that this would be his farewell to the one of the epoch-making theatrical events of the

8.110221-24 8 5 8.110221-24 twentieth century. The new broom at Bayreuth in this Knappertsbusch, who never did anything finer than this Hans Knappertsbusch was born at Elberfeld on 12th March 1888 and studied philosophy before entering first post-war season, the composer’s grandson set, the first complete recording of Parsifal. Bayreuth Cologne Conservatory, where he was a pupil of Brahms’s favourite conductor Fritz Steinbach. At Bayreuth he Wieland Wagner, chose Parsifal, with its themes of that year was also a magnet for the record companies. became assistant to Hans Richter and Siegfried Wagner. From 1922 he was in charge of the Bavarian State Opera purification and redemption, as the ideal vehicle for EMI was there to record the Ninth Symphony under in Munich but in 1936 he was sacked by the Nazis and moved to Vienna. In later years he worked as a guest cleansing the Festspielhaus after the disgrace of the Furtwängler and Die Meistersinger under Karajan, conductor, equally at home in concert hall and opera house. Renowned above all as an interpreter of Beethoven, Third Reich, when Wagner’s music had been adopted while Decca was doing the first Ring cycle (of which Brahms, Bruckner and Wagner, he left innumerable recordings. He died in Munich on 25th October 1965. by the Nazis and Hitler himself had been an honoured only the last part was actually taped) and Parsifal. The guest at Bayreuth. In keeping with this ethos of engineer Kenneth Wilkinson made various experiments Martha Mödl, born on 22nd March 1912 in Nuremberg, studied in her native city and in Milan. Making her début newness, Wieland swept away all the old-fashioned and finally slung a single microphone high up in the as Hansel at Remscheid in 1943, she quickly became one of the most sought-after mezzo-sopranos in Germany and ideas of production and presented a stark, almost empty auditorium, blending the sound from that vantage point in the 1950s expanded into the dramatic soprano territory, returning to the mezzo Fach in the 1960s. She was a stage picture, sombrely lit. In such a simple setting, with the output from closer microphones. The result favourite at Covent Garden from 1950, Vienna from 1952 and the Metropolitan from 1956. At Bayreuth she sang acting and characterisation assumed primary was a sound of immense atmosphere, helped by the until 1967, taking all the rôles open to her, including Isolde and Brünnhilde. One of the great singing actresses of importance, so the singers were meticulously rehearsed famous cowl which at Bayreuth veiled the orchestra. her time, she was still making occasional appearances in the 1990s. She died on 16th December 2001. in the psychological implications of their rôles. The The Festspielhaus, in which the singers could advance production was revived countless times and its impact over the orchestra and therefore always be heard, Wolfgang Windgassen, from a family of opera singers, became the leading Heldentenor of his era, although he is still being felt today; but it was also momentous on played its part. The recording, with an almost ideal also sang a wide range of other rôles. Born on 26th June 1914 in Annemasse, France, he studied first with his father the musical side, bringing forward such ‘new men’ as blend of warmth and clarity for its time, still sounds Fritz, then at the Musikhochschule in Stuttgart. In 1939 he made his début at Pforzheim as Pinkerton. After army Windgassen, van Mill and London alongside amazingly good; and the interpretation, edited by the service he became a member of the Stuttgart company and remained so until his death. Meanwhile he gave guest established stars such as Mödl, Uhde and Weber. In producer John Culshaw from the general rehearsal and performances all over the world. He was much recorded, especially in the Wagner operas, and took part in the first charge of these wonderful singers and the handpicked two performances, has stood the test of time. complete recording of The Ring, under Solti. His Tristan from Bayreuth, under Böhm, was also admired. On 8th chorus and orchestra was the craggy figure of Hans September 1974 he died suddenly of a heart attack in Stuttgart, where he had been artistic director of the State Opera since 1972.

George London was born in Montreal on 30th May 1919 but lived in Los Angeles from 1935. After vocal studies with three teachers, he made his début in La Traviata in Hollywood in 1942 under the name George Burnson (a version of his real name Burnstein). With his ample bass-baritone voice and superb stage presence, he had a meteoric rise to fame and by 1949 was singing at the Vienna State Opera. In 1951 he appeared at the Met as well as Bayreuth and until illness ended his career in 1967 he was one of the world’s busiest singers. Perhaps his greatest moment was singing Boris at the Bolshoy in 1960 – he was also recorded in the rôle by the Russians. He had a decade as a successful producer before further illness caused his retirement in 1977. He died on 24th March 1985.

Hermann Uhde, born in Bremen on 20th July 1914, also had his career drastically cut short Ð by a heart attack on stage, from which he died in Copenhagen on 10th October 1965. After studies with his mother and Philipp Kraus, he made his début in the bass rôle of Titurel in Parsifal in Bremen in 1936. His rise through the provincial opera houses was rapid and in the 1950s and early 1960s he was one of the most admired dramatic bass-baritones Ð record collectors particularly esteem his singing of the title rôle in Der fliegende Holländer at Bayreuth in 1955. From 1954 he sang at Covent Garden and from 1955 at the Met in New York.

8.110221-24 6 7 8.110221-24 twentieth century. The new broom at Bayreuth in this Knappertsbusch, who never did anything finer than this Hans Knappertsbusch was born at Elberfeld on 12th March 1888 and studied philosophy before entering first post-war season, the composer’s grandson set, the first complete recording of Parsifal. Bayreuth Cologne Conservatory, where he was a pupil of Brahms’s favourite conductor Fritz Steinbach. At Bayreuth he Wieland Wagner, chose Parsifal, with its themes of that year was also a magnet for the record companies. became assistant to Hans Richter and Siegfried Wagner. From 1922 he was in charge of the Bavarian State Opera purification and redemption, as the ideal vehicle for EMI was there to record the Ninth Symphony under in Munich but in 1936 he was sacked by the Nazis and moved to Vienna. In later years he worked as a guest cleansing the Festspielhaus after the disgrace of the Furtwängler and Die Meistersinger under Karajan, conductor, equally at home in concert hall and opera house. Renowned above all as an interpreter of Beethoven, Third Reich, when Wagner’s music had been adopted while Decca was doing the first Ring cycle (of which Brahms, Bruckner and Wagner, he left innumerable recordings. He died in Munich on 25th October 1965. by the Nazis and Hitler himself had been an honoured only the last part was actually taped) and Parsifal. The guest at Bayreuth. In keeping with this ethos of engineer Kenneth Wilkinson made various experiments Martha Mödl, born on 22nd March 1912 in Nuremberg, studied in her native city and in Milan. Making her début newness, Wieland swept away all the old-fashioned and finally slung a single microphone high up in the as Hansel at Remscheid in 1943, she quickly became one of the most sought-after mezzo-sopranos in Germany and ideas of production and presented a stark, almost empty auditorium, blending the sound from that vantage point in the 1950s expanded into the dramatic soprano territory, returning to the mezzo Fach in the 1960s. She was a stage picture, sombrely lit. In such a simple setting, with the output from closer microphones. The result favourite at Covent Garden from 1950, Vienna from 1952 and the Metropolitan from 1956. At Bayreuth she sang acting and characterisation assumed primary was a sound of immense atmosphere, helped by the until 1967, taking all the rôles open to her, including Isolde and Brünnhilde. One of the great singing actresses of importance, so the singers were meticulously rehearsed famous cowl which at Bayreuth veiled the orchestra. her time, she was still making occasional appearances in the 1990s. She died on 16th December 2001. in the psychological implications of their rôles. The The Festspielhaus, in which the singers could advance production was revived countless times and its impact over the orchestra and therefore always be heard, Wolfgang Windgassen, from a family of opera singers, became the leading Heldentenor of his era, although he is still being felt today; but it was also momentous on played its part. The recording, with an almost ideal also sang a wide range of other rôles. Born on 26th June 1914 in Annemasse, France, he studied first with his father the musical side, bringing forward such ‘new men’ as blend of warmth and clarity for its time, still sounds Fritz, then at the Musikhochschule in Stuttgart. In 1939 he made his début at Pforzheim as Pinkerton. After army Windgassen, van Mill and London alongside amazingly good; and the interpretation, edited by the service he became a member of the Stuttgart company and remained so until his death. Meanwhile he gave guest established stars such as Mödl, Uhde and Weber. In producer John Culshaw from the general rehearsal and performances all over the world. He was much recorded, especially in the Wagner operas, and took part in the first charge of these wonderful singers and the handpicked two performances, has stood the test of time. complete recording of The Ring, under Solti. His Tristan from Bayreuth, under Böhm, was also admired. On 8th chorus and orchestra was the craggy figure of Hans September 1974 he died suddenly of a heart attack in Stuttgart, where he had been artistic director of the State Opera since 1972.

8.110221-24 6 7 8.110221-24 The Viennese bass Ludwig Weber was destined to make much of his career outside his native city. Born on 29th Richard Wagner (1813-1883): Parsifal July 1899, he was a schoolteacher before his vocal prowess was recognised. He made his début at the Volksoper in 1920 as Fiorello in The Barber of Seville and then sang at a succession of German houses, reaching Munich in The stirring Celtic myths of King Arthur and his stage, and began composing the music that August. 1933. There he took part in the 1938 première of Strauss’s Der Friedenstag. He sang at Covent Garden from 1936 knights and the quest for the Grail have fascinated Interestingly, the noble Prelude to Act I was sketched and La Scala from 1938, was a great favourite at Salzburg and Bayreuth and sang Rocco in the Fidelio which European writers from the Middle Ages onward. The first, which shows that Wagner already had a complete reopened the Vienna State Opera in 1955. On record, apart from his Wagnerian rôles, he can be heard as Ochs in publication of Cervantes’s novel Don Quixote in the vision of the interlocking motifs which would resound Der Rosenkavalier under Kleiber and Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte under Karajan. His singing of Gurnemanz on this early seventeenth century served to keep the idea of an through the work, and it was performed under his recording has not been surpassed. He died in Vienna on 9th December 1974. age of chivalry alive, even though he poked gentle fun direction in a concert at his Bayreuth house, Wahnfried, at it. In the nineteenth century two great artists were in 1878. By Christmas 1881, when he had promised to Arnold van Mill was born in Schiedam, the Netherlands, on 26th March 1921 and trained at the Rotterdam and obsessed with these myths: the poet Alfred Tennyson have the score of the opera ready for his wife Cosima to Hague Conservatories. In 1946 he made his début at the Monnaie in Brussels and after much early success he naturally concentrated on them from an English angle, see, only a few pages remained to be orchestrated. settled in 1953 at the Hamburg State Opera, where he was a pillar of the company until 1971 (and a favoured guest while the composer Richard Wagner came to them Wagner conceived the work from the start in terms of artist thereafter). He frequently performed at Bayreuth and made guest appearances all over the world. He can be from the Teutonic viewpoint. Wagner’s primary source his theatre at Bayreuth, where it was given its first heard on a number of complete opera sets and also recorded a recital LP of arias. He died in 1996. was the thirteenth-century poet Wolfram von sixteen performances under Hermann Levi’s baton in Eschenbach, whose writings he encountered in 1845. the summer festival of 1882. Only under his own close Tully Potter Having toyed with the idea of creating an opera round supervision, Wagner felt, could the deeply religious the ‘holy fool’ Parsifal (also known as Parzival or element of Parsifal be realised. Performance anywhere Perceval), he ended up writing one about Parsifal’s son else was forbidden and even after Wagner’s death, his Lohengrin; and it was not until 1857 that he again heirs banned any stage presentation until the copyright started thinking seriously about the project, although he ran out in 1914. A production at the Metropolitan did consider introducing the character of Parsifal Opera, New York, in 1903 was seen by them and other briefly into Tristan und Isolde. He wrote out a sketch Wagnerians as a betrayal. The Prelude and Good (which is lost) for a three-act drama, and in 1865 he was Friday Music, however, were quickly established in the able to give his patron King Ludwig II of Bavaria a concert hall. Parsifal has had no successors, although it fairly good impression of what the opera would be clearly influenced Pfitzner’s Palestrina, and it remains, about. All this time, as he occupied himself with The with its rapt religiosity, the most difficult of the Ring and Die Meistersinger, his concept of Parsifal Wagnerian music dramas to stage, especially in an was evolving, acquiring more and more layers of increasingly sceptical and secular society. The symbolism. For instance, Wolfram and other early preponderance of slow music and bass voices also writers were not too sure what the Grail actually was; makes it hard to bring off in the theatre. It is the but Wagner’s further reading drew him to the ultimate challenge for a Wagnerian conductor, but it is conviction held by later authors that it was the chalice full of beautiful music, especially in the harmonically used at the Last Supper and then employed by Joseph of rich third act, and it contains strikingly individual Arimathea to catch the blood that flowed from the spear characters. Klingsor may be the archetypal villain and wound in the side of Christ on the Cross. The concept Parsifal the usual Wagnerian tenor, but Gurnemanz that the spear which plays a large part in the drama represents the epitome of operatic nobility, the tortured would be the very weapon with which the centurion Amfortas is never forgotten, once seen, and in Kundry, Longinus inflicted that wound, was an even later with her intriguing dual nature, Wagner created his discovery for him. most exceptional female protagonist. Wagner wrote his libretto in the spring of 1877, in The production enshrined in this live recording was the knowledge that this would be his farewell to the one of the epoch-making theatrical events of the

8.110221-24 8 5 8.110221-24 CD 3 78:20 Synopsis mother’s death, and Parsifal has to be held back from Act II CD 1 harming her, in his anger. 1 Die Zeit ist da 6:39 1 The Prelude to Act I establishes the sacred 3 Amfortas is seen being carried back to his castle, 2 Ach! Ach! Tiefe Nacht 3:46 nature of what is to follow, making use of motifs where Gurnemanz will lead Parsifal. Transformation 3 Furchtbare Not! 8:14 associated with the Last Supper, including shorter Music allows for a change of scene from the wood to (Klingsor, Kundry) elements connoting Salvation, the Wound and the the castle and the temple of the Holy Grail. The bells of 4 Hier! Ð Hier war das Tosen 4:22 Spear, heard at the opening. This leads to motifs of the Monsalvat motif is heard, as the scene changes, while 5 Komm’! Komm’! Holder Knabe! 5:36 Holy Grail, introduced by the trumpet, and of Faith, Gurnemanz and Parsifal walk towards the temple, with (Flower Maidens, Parsifal) heard first from horns and trumpets. motifs of Sinner’s Torment and of the Spear. 6 Parsifal! Weile! 6:49 Act I 2 Gurnemanz, an older knight, and two 4 Parsifal stands by the door of the shrine, (Kundry, Parsifal, Flower Maidens) young squires are asleep in the woods in the realm of watching what is happening, while the Knights of the 7 Ich sah das Kind 5:41 the Holy Grail. They wake, pray and prepare for the Grail enter in procession and range themselves at tables (Kundry) bath of King Amfortas, to whose wounds the remedy on each side. They sing of this love-feast, a sacred rite 8 Wehe! Wehe! 5:15 brought by Gawan has given no comfort. There is only performed each day, as Amfortas is carried in, preceded 9 Amfortas! Die Wunde! 9:21 one who can bring any relief. 3 The wild-haired by squires bearing the covered Grail, which they set on 0 Grausamer! Fühlst du im Herzen 10:07 Kundry rides galloping in, dismounting to give a stone altar. (Parsifal, Kundry) Gurnemanz a salve for the King, before casting herself 5 The voice of Titurel is heard, calling on ! Erlösung, Frevlerin, biet’ ich auch dir 6:45 down on the ground in exhaustion. 4 Amfortas is Amfortas to unveil the Holy Grail, but he is in torment, (Parsifal, Kundry, Klingsor) carried in. He knows that only a pure fool, made wise suffering for his sin and for the wound that will never Act III Part 1 by suffering, can cure him, accepts the salve that heal. He hopes for healing and for death. @ Prelude 5:45 Kundry has brought and is carried towards the lake. 5 6 Boys and young men recall the promise of an The young men wonder about Kundry, but Gurnemanz innocent fool, enlightened through suffering. Amfortas CD 4 76:26 explains that she may be bewitched, but, at all events, rises, with difficulty, and unveils the sacred chalice, Act III Part 2 her absence seems to bring misfortune. 6 He recalls which is lit with a light from Heaven. 7 He raises the 1 Von dort her kam des Stöhnen 4:29 how Amfortas had been attracted by the vision of a chalice in blessing, and voices of boys are heard 2 Du tolles Weib! Hast du kein Wort für mich? 4:34 beautiful woman to the castle of Klingsor and how he bidding them take the Body and Blood of Christ, as (Gurnemanz, Kundry) had been wounded by the Spear that Klingsor had bread and wine is distributed to the company. 3 Heil dir, mein Gast! 6:56 seized. 7 In a fuller account, he tells how Titurel had 8 The boys now recall the Last Supper and the 4 Heil mir, dass ich dich wieder finde! 4:23 been given the task of guarding the Holy Grail, the changing of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of 5 O Gnade! Höchstes Heil 8:02 chalice of the Last Supper, and the Spear that had Christ, and the whole company joins in the Feast of 6 Nicht so! 6:34 pierced the side of Christ on the Cross and how Love and of Brotherhood. In solemn procession they 7 So ward es uns verheissen (Good Friday Spell) 14:00 Klingsor had tried to lure away the Knights of the Grail. leave the hall, as Amfortas is carried out once more. (Gurnemanz, Parsifal) Titurel had sent his son Amfortas to attack Klingsor, 9 Parsifal, in spite of Gurnemanz’s summons, has 8 Mittag: die Stund’ ist da (Transformation Music) 5:20 the cause of his present suffering. taken no part in the ceremony, watching always and (Gurnemanz) CD 2 suffering finally with Amfortas. Gurnemanz shakes 9 Geleiten wir im bergenden Schrein 4:20 1 At this point a swan flutters down to the ground, him and tells him to be gone, but a voice is heard (Knights) shot by the young Parsifal, who is sorry for what he has declaring him to be the innocent fool made wise 0 Ja, Wehe! Wehe! 8:08 done. 2 Questioned by Gurnemanz, he can only tell through suffering. (Amfortas, Knights) him that his mother was Herzeleide (Heart’s Sorrow) CD 3 ! Nur eine Waffe taugt 9:18 and that he had left her, following brightly dressed men Act II 1 The scene is set in the castle of Klingsor, (Parsifal, Voices, Knights, Squires) he had seen. Kundry now tells him that this caused his who sees in his magic glass the approach of the fool and

8.110221-24 4 9 8.110221-24 tells Kundry, who is in his power, to deal with Parsifal approaching. It is Parsifal, dressed in black armour and CD 1 55:15 as she did with Amfortas. 2 Kundry is unwilling, but is appearing uncertain of himself. 3 Gurnemanz Act I Part1 reminded that whoever resists her will break the spell welcomes his guest, but tells him to lay down the spear 1 Prelude 14:16 that binds her. 3 In his glass Klingsor sees Parsifal he carries, for the place is holy and the day is Good 2 He! Ho! 5:55 enter the magic garden, using his sword to quell the Friday. Parsifal lays down his sword and shield, putting 3 Seht dort, die wilde Reiterin! 3:19 opposition of Klingsor’s knights. Kundry, meanwhile, his spear in the ground. He takes off his helmet and (Gurnemanz, Knights, Squires, Kundry) has made off, to do as she must. kneels in prayer. 4 Recht so! Habt Dank! 7:01 4 In the garden Flower Maidens are heard lamenting 4 They recognise each other and Parsifal explains (Amfortas, Gurnemanz, Knights, Kundry) the departure of their lovers. Parsifal gazes down at how, after all his wandering and suffering, he is seeking 5 He! du da! 7:46 them in astonishment. 5 The Flower Maidens invite out the one whose suffering he once saw, bringing with (Squires, Knights, Kundry) Parsifal to join them, playing around him and vying him, unsullied, the Holy Spear. 6 Das ist ein and’res 5:07 with one another for his attention. Parsifal rejects their 5 Gurnemanz is astonished, but tells Parsifal that it (Gurnemanz, Squires) blandishments, while admiring their beauty. 6 Kundry was a curse that drove him to wander, while Amfortas, 7 Titurel, der fromme Held 11:51 appears, now transformed into a beautiful woman, and in his pain and despair, no longer performed his holy (Gurnemanz, Squires) calls Parsifal by his name. 7 She tells him of his father, office, denying the Knights the comfort and sustenance the meaning of his name and of his mother’s sorrow that the Grail would bring and thus causing the death of CD 2 62:10 and death. 8 He is drawn towards her and, 9 as she Titurel. 6 Now finally Parsifal, who blames himself for Act I Part 2 kisses him, feels the pain that had afflicted Amfortas all this, will be brought to Amfortas, purified by the 1 Weh! Weh! 7:38 and recoils in horror. 0 He resists all she can do to lure holy spring water with which Kundry bathes his feet. (Knights, Squires, Gurnemanz, Parsifal) him and she curses him, calling out. ! She seeks, 7 Gurnemanz anoints him with the holy water, 2 Nun sag’: nichts weist du 7:26 through him, her own redemption. Klingsor appears greeting him as one who has reached enlightenment (Knights, Squires, Gurnemanz, Parsifal, Kundry) and hurls at him the Spear, which remains suspended through suffering and now preparing him for the last 3 Vom Bade kehrt der König heim (Transformation Music) 7:47 over Parsifal’s head. He seizes it, making with it the revelation of the Grail that Amfortas has now promised. (Gurnemanz, Parsifal) sign of the cross, at which the castle sinks and the Parsifal performs his first duty by baptizing Kundry and 4 Zum letzten Liebesmahle 6:28 garden withers, while Kundry sinks to the ground. looks around at the beauty of the countryside. (Knights, Youths, Boys) Act III @ The Prelude to Act III evokes the spirit Gurnemanz tells him that it is Good Friday, the fields 5 Mein Sohn Amfortas 11:29 of desolation that has fallen upon the realm of the Holy and meadows now moist with holy dew and with the (Titurel, Amfortas) Grail in an opening motif from the first violins. A tears of penitents. He sings of the joy of creation and 6 “Durch Mitleid wissend, der reine Tor” 8:54 second motif represents the wandering of Parsifal in the Parsifal, turning to Kundry, gently kisses her. (Boys, Youths, Knights, Titurel, Voices) time that has now elapsed between the second and third 8 Bells announce midday and Gurnemanz dresses 7 Wein und Brot des letzten Mahles 5:23 act. Finally he returns, to the sound of the Innocent Fool Parsifal in the mantle of a Knight of the Grail. Taking (Boys, Youths, Knights) motif and the motif of the Spear. the Spear, Parsifal follows Gurnemanz, accompanied 8 Liebesmahle Music 4:33 CD 4 by Kundry, as the scene gradually changes from open 9 Was stehst du noch da? 2:32 1 The scene is open country, in the realm of the country to rocks that open to reveal the temple of the (Gurnemanz, Alto, Voices) Grail. It is early morning and Gurnemanz, now an old Grail. man, comes out of his hermit’s hut, hearing the sound 9 A procession of Knights bears in the Grail, with of Kundry’s groans from the undergrowth. 2 She is Amfortas, while another group carries in the body of now dressed as a penitent and he tries to revive her. Titurel, whose death is blamed on Amfortas and his sin. Now she would only wish to serve him, but he tells her They bid him perform his office for the last time. that now the Knights have to look to themselves, in 0 The coffin of Titurel, placed before the stone their desolation and poverty. She sees someone altar, is opened and Amfortas prays for his father’s help

8.110221-24 10 3 8.110221-24 Great Opera Recordings in bringing death to him and comfort to his Knights. Approaching the altar, Parsifal takes the Grail, now They urge him to reveal the Grail, but he is unwilling, shining with an unearthly light, and blesses those Richard for the sight of the Grail will prevent his death and gathered there. A white dove descends on his head, mean further unendurable pain. Kundry sinks to the ground and Amfortas and ! Parsifal comes forward, holding aloft the Spear Gurnemanz now kneel before him. WAGNER and then lightly touching Amfortas with it, for this Parsifal alone can bring the relief that Amfortas craves. Keith Anderson Producer’s Note Parsifal ...... Wolfgang Windgassen This classic Knappertsbusch recording of Wagner’s Parsifal was made using portions of several performances at the Bayreuth Festspielhaus during July and August of 1951. Decca had not been employing the medium of Kundry ...... Martha Mödl magnetic tape for very long by that time; and although the balance is good and the sense of atmosphere palpable, Gurnemanz ...... Ludwig Weber changes in perspective and audience noise are noticeable at some of their edits. Amfortas ...... George London There are other problems with the original master, including post-echo (after Kundry’s octave leap in Act II, Titurel ...... Arnold van Mill for example) and swishing sounds (probably caused by bad tape azimuth alignment during the loud portions at the Klingsor ...... Hermann Uhde opening of Act II), neither of which could be corrected. I have, however, fixed the pitch drop at the end of Act III which plagued later LP reissues of this recording, and have also restored a chord (just before the appearance of the First Knight of the Grail ...... Walter Fritz Knights of the Grail in the same act) which was unaccountably cut in some LP editions. Second Knight of the Grail ...... Werner Faulhaber First Squire ...... Hanna Ludwig Second Squire ...... Elfriede Wild Third Squire ...... Günther Baldauf Fourth Squire ...... Gerhard Stolze Flower Maidens . . . . Lore Wissmann, Erika Zimmermann, Hanna Ludwig, Paula Brivkalne, Maria Lacorn and Elfriede Wild Solo Alto Voice ...... Ruth Siewert

Bayreuth Festival Chorus and Orchestra (Chorus Master: Wilhelm Pitz) Hans Knappertsbusch, Conductor Recorded during July and August, 1951

First issued on Decca LXT 2651 through 2657

8.110221-24 2 11 8.110221-24 Mark Obert-Thorn ADD Mark Obert-Thorn is one of the world’s most respected transfer artist/engineers. He has worked for a number of specialist labels, including Pearl, Biddulph, Romophone and Music & Arts. Three of his transfers have been Great Opera Recordings 8.110221-24 nominated for Gramophone Awards. A pianist by training, his passions are music, history and working on projects. He has found a way to combine all three in the transfer of historical recordings. Obert-Thorn describes himself as a ‘moderate interventionist’ rather than a ‘purist’ or ‘re-processor,’ unlike 4 CDs those who apply significant additions and make major changes to the acoustical qualities of old recordings. His philosophy is that a good transfer should not call attention to itself, but rather allow the performances to be heard with WAGNER the greatest clarity. There is no over-reverberant ‘cathedral sound’ in an Obert-Thorn restoration, nor is there the tinny bass and Parsifal piercing mid-range of many ‘authorised’ commercial issues. He works with the cleanest available 78s, and consistently achieves better results than restoration engineers working with the metal parts from the archives of the Windgassen • Mödl • Weber ¥ London ¥ Van Mill ¥ Uhde modern corporate owners of the original recordings. His transfers preserve the original tone of the old recordings, maximising the details in critical upper mid-range and lower frequencies to achieve a musical integrity that is absent Bayreuth Festival Chorus ¥ Bayreuth Festival Orchestra from many other commercially released restorations. Hans Knappertsbusch, Conductor Recorded during July and August, 1951 at the Festspielhaus, Bayreuth

8.110221-24 12

CMYK

Great Opera Recordings ADD 8.110221-24 WAGNER 4 CDs Parsifal Windgassen • Mödl • Weber ¥ London ¥ Van Mill ¥ Uhde Bayreuth Festival Chorus ¥ Bayreuth Festival Orchestra Hans Knappertsbusch, Conductor Recorded during July and August, 1951 at the Festspielhaus, Bayreuth

CMYK N

8.110221-24 Richard ADD AXOS Historical 4 CDs WAGNER Playing h BROADCASTING AND COPYING OF THIS COMPACT DISC PROHIBITED. UNAUTHORISED PUBLIC PERFORMANCE, TRANSLATIONS RESERVED. ALL RIGHTS IN THIS SOUND RECORDING, ARTWORK, TEXTS AND (1813-1883) 2003 HNH International Ltd. 2003 HNH International Time 4:32:11

8.110221-24 Parsifal

Parsifal ...... Wolfgang Windgassen The production enshrined in this Kundry ...... Martha Mödl live recording was one of the epoch- Gurnemanz ...... Ludwig Weber making theatrical events of the Bayreuth Festival Chorus and Orchestra ¥ Knappertsbusch twentieth century. It was also Amfortas ...... George London momentous on the musical side, Titurel ...... Arnold van Mill bringing forward such names as Klingsor ...... Hermann Uhde Windgassen, van Mill and London W © alongside established stars such as olfgang Windgassen • Martha Mödl 2003 HNH International Ltd. 2003 HNH International First Knight of the Grail ...... Walter Fritz Mödl, Uhde and Weber. In charge Second Knight of the Grail ...... Werner Faulhaber of these wonderful singers and the First Squire ...... Hanna Ludwig handpicked chorus and orchestra Second Squire ...... Elfriede Wild was Hans Knappertsbusch, who never did anything finer than this Third Squire ...... Günther Baldauf set, the first complete recording of Fourth Squire ...... Gerhard Stolze Parsifal. With an almost ideal blend of warmth and clarity for its time, Bayreuth Festival Chorus and Orchestra the recording still sounds amazingly Hans Knappertsbusch, Conductor good; and the interpretation, edited from the general rehearsal and two olfgang Windgassen • Martha Mödl Windgassen olfgang Recorded during July and August, 1951 performances, has stood the test of W First issued on Decca LXT 2651 through 2657 time.

CD 1 55:15 CD 2 62:10 CD 3 78:20 CD 4 76:26

Bayreuth Festival Chorus and Orchestra ¥ Knappertsbusch Chorus and Orchestra Festival Bayreuth 1-7 Act I Part 1 55:15 1-9 Act I Part 2 62:10 1-! Act II 72:35 1-! Act III MADE IN @ Act III Part 1 5:45 Part 2 76:26 CANADA

Archivist & Restoration Producer: Mark Obert-Thorn 8.110221-24 Special thanks to Maynard F. Bertolet for providing source material for this release www.naxos.com A complete track list can be found in the booklet

AXOS Historical Cover Image: Stage Design for Act III of Parsifal by Heinz Grete (1924)

N (Private Collection) 6 36943 12212 9