Parsifal in concert, or the return of Jonas

The gloriously wacky Herheim Parsifal for Bayreuth (the Prelude)


Well, that was rather special. A mostly all star cast with some fabulous work by the locals in the small parts. And star power in the main leads, with all producing amazing results, even if a couple left me wondering if we could not have cast better locally, if the company leadership had bothered. But, company politics aside, this was a truly special night. And, dare I say it, not for the reasons I expected.

First of all, I have to give full credit to the work of Pinchas Steinberg conducting an enlarged chorus and orchestra, all performing better than I have heard before. Yes, partly that is due to them not being in the pit of doom, that sucks the bloom from the strings and makes everything muddy, but, hearing things clearly also meant we could hear them performing amazingly, responsive to Steinberg's every command. And if, watching him, I found his beats confusing at times, there was no mistaking the unity of sound he was getting, or, his ability to shape, colour and guide the orchestra through this complex score, producing sounds from chamber ensembles to the full blast of a full Wagnerian orchestra in full flight. I also have no doubt that the work of Tahu Matheson and Anthony Hunt preparing the chorus and orchestra was thorough, this sort of result does not come quickly. Especially for a company that rarely performs Wagner.

For most of act 1 of course, besides the various esquires and knights (all performed fantastically by local singers) the act really belonged to the orchestra and chorus, and the fantastic Gurnemanz of Kwangchul Youn. I had only heard him live once before in a small role in William Tell, but he has straight away joined the list of basses I would travel to hear. I admit, I was less than enthusiastic about him going in, but thought, I know he knows this role backwards, so.... I now know why he is one of the in demand Wagner basses. Huge voiced, with a warm sound, he had the hall ringing with sound, yet also easily dropped to pianissimo as required by the music. It really was one of those cases where at the end of act 1, you wonder if the Gurnemanz should have had top billing, as he had been worth the price of admission (which, for a concert was outrageous) just for act 1. The fact that he then returned to sing up a storm in act 3, is beside the point.

As Parsifal, Jonas Kaufmann showed why he is currently the most sought after tenor around. If last time I heard him live, I had some concerns about his voice and the longevity of that sound, this time he sounded like the Jonas of a few years ago, when he stunned the opera world with performances of Parsifal at the Metropolitan Opera that declared his ownership of the role any time he wanted to take it up again. This was a performance, in concert only, that matched those. Secure from beginning to end, going through the journey of beginning a fool, gaining understanding, and returning to the knights, bringing the longed for healing of them all. This was as much acting, as singing, while in white tie and tails, yet still throwing the sound to the back of the concert hall, with an ease of production that I felt missing last time I heard him live. That he seemed overwhelmed by other performers in the opening act, was entirely appropriate, and felt right, especially when followed by act 2 where he changes from the brave but foolish youth, into one learning compassion and understanding of suffering before our eyes. We could hear it in the words he sang, not just the surtitles behind him, as the change took place.

As Klingsor we had Warwick Fyfe showing just why people raved about him as Alberich in the Melbourne Ring Cycles, which I have sadly missed. This was again, someone in full command of his text and music, spitting out words with venom, while still singing with control and on the breath and basically revelling in the chance to play the bad guy. Perhaps a lighter sounding voice than I am used to in the role, he certainly had the power and the ability to menace all concerned. Someone give him this role staged, soon. He is too good for it not to happen.

As his partner in crime/the woman who causes things to happen our Kundry was something of a mixed bag. Yes, she sang all the notes, yes I never had trouble hearing her, but a lot of her music seemed to sit in places that did not sit well with her voice. There were times when it was magical (mostly higher sections) and a lot when I wished someone else was on stage. Not that she was bad, just she really appeared out of place. At the end, I did wonder what would the original singer cast have made of it? We will most likely never know because I doubt she will ever get the chance to sing it, which is a pity. Instead, we had Michelle De Young, who as I said, sounded like she is not comfortable in the role, which I guess is not surprising. Kundry is not an easy sing, much less an easy role to act convincingly.

We also had Michael Honeyman who was much better than I expected, but still was very much in a role he should not be singing. In the first act, he was the singer the conductor kept making the orchestra quiet for (which they did remarkably well), rather than him singing out over the top of a swelling orchestra, as written. But, he sang all the notes and got through without ending up a train wreck in the final act, even if failed to fully convey the hell his character is living. Why he was given the part when we have other baritones who have the power to sing that, I cannot explain. And that is a common complaint I have about him, I know.

However, the night belonged to the chorus and orchestra, and our three male leads who really took this to a higher level altogether, and our conductor taking us there. It also was a tribute to the range of talent that we have, that the small parts were all well sung, and cast with the sort of luxury casting I would expect at The Met or similar. David Parkin, an effective Titurel, begging for refreshment. The knights of Dean Bassett and Alexander Hargreaves really impressed. And the Flower Maidens of Stacey Alleaume, Jane Ede, Anna Dowsley, Eva Kong, Julie Lea Godwin and Dominica Matthews, all relishing a chance to sing something they would most likely never get a chance to again, all regular much loved soloists here, getting to sing in ensemble that would do any opera house proud.

Truly, this was a night that was one I will remember. And, I will remember for the good reasons, not for two casting choices that were not bad, but just not up to the level of everyone else.

This was Jonas Kaufmann at The Met 2013

The post apocalyptic fertile land of the soul that is Parsifal

Start by playing that video, and let that sound start washing over you. That glorious rich, lush, languorous sound of music from Parsifal, conducted by Daniele Gatti, who conducted the performance I just saw. He chooses tempi that are rather slow, making it a longer opera than normal. But, he also gives a very good case for playing it slower, bringing out detail and generally wringing every last depth out of the score.

And what a score it is! Wagner's last opera is quite something if you are new to his work. Its long, and very meditative. Much of the opera people spend time explaining what has happened, or why something is happening. The action, such as it is, mostly happens in the second and third act, yet the first is over 2 hours long. Yes, that is a lot of character development, and backgrounding, but this is an opera where "time here becomes space" as Gurnemanz tells Parsifal. Its also an opera rich in meaning and symbolism, that people argue over, trying to get a grasp on what is it about, and why does it grip us so.

For me, it has always been about redemption, both personal and as a group. It is about trying to find your place in the world, and learning to accept it. There is also an element of the standard fantasy novel that revolves around a young hero who has to go through a series of trials to find his way in the world. Though, in this case, the mythology is based firmly on the holy grail myths of the medieval period, not something pulled out of the post Tolkein leftovers of so much bad writing.

So, as you would expect, The Met pulled out a very starry cast for this production. This was a joint production that was already mounted at Opera Lyon, but with a very different cast. The director has opted to allow the story to tell itself, while updating the setting to the current, or indeed, slightly into the future. The set mostly is a hillside that appears to be post some ecological disaster. The ground is dry and cracked, with a stream that runs down the slope with a bend in it, dividing the stage up. During the first act, the stream starts flowing red. Is it representing the wound of Amfortas who is being washed when it happens? Or reflecting on how he fell? Or is it a foretaste of the middle act set in Klingsor's castle, a nightmarish location where the floor is covered in blood, as if to give the impression we are inside the wound.

And yet, for all the non traditional elements of this production, it remains at its heart a traditional production. This is a production that has been stripped back to the basics. There are no amazing scene changes to dazzle the eye when we switch to inside the Castle of the Grail Knights. Rather, everything is outside. The costumes are all modern, and very plain, except for Kundry and Klingsor, who clearly fit outside the ordered world. Even the Flowermaidens have plain outfits, even if is just a plain white slip dress that gets wet in the blood.

But, for all that, it was a very carefully thought out production. The very ordinariness of the clothes, the barren landscape, the lack of gimmicks, it was all deliberate. This is a production where the performers were put front and centre. Where everything that was done, could be linked back to the score. To be sure, there were a couple of exceptions where certain things happened in ways that were not as written by Wagner, but in this modernist take on a traditional production, they made sense. And, never once did anything jump out as wrong, or jarring, it flowed logically and seamlessly to the expected conclusion.

So, to the cast. This was the sort of cast you expect when you go to The Met, but only rarely get anywhere, a cast where there is no weak link, where every lead performer is both well known in the opera world, and well cast. Where you just sit back and revel in the sheer beauty of what is unfolding in front of you, and loose yourself in the magic that is Wagner's Parsifal.

So, at the heart of Parsifal, we had the seemingly inexhaustible René Pape as Gurnemanz, the wise knight who is our guide through much of the action. In most operas, having sung as much as he did in the first act, his job would be done, yet in the third act, he is there mourning his friend Titurel, discovering the return of Parsifal. It is he who sees what has happened, and realises that truly he has found in him, the pure fool who will heal and redeem the knights. There is something about the humanity that Pape brings to this role. Its the only way to describe it, but he is the humane heart, his actions are driven by his love for his fellow knights, and humanity in general. It is hard to imagine others bettering this role, but he will remain the model against which I judge all others.

As Kundry, the almost eternal woman, we had the glorious voiced Katarina Dalayman. Another experienced Wagnerian, she worked to bring life to a character who seems to be different in each act. Here, she succeeded as much as can be expected. Her performance often felt like watching an amnesiac, as if Kundry could not remember what had gone before, and yet at others she was the all wise woman, who knows far too much. It worked effectively, even if the seduction of Parsifal ended up feeling like watching your mother try to seduce someone. Somehow the sexy got lost amongst the motherhood for me, leaving me unconvinced, except realising that there was a spell involved in bringing the attraction. And again, vocally, this was a big powerful, seeming tireless performance. To be sure, some of her quieter moments sounded less pleasing than her loud ones, but it was more a quibble than a complaint. This was a big sound, fully controlled and a seamless performance of a role she understood and lived.

As the wounded Amfortas, we had Peter Mattei, singing the role as if he was born to it. To be honest, I was not expecting him to be so successful in the role. For me, he was always more the lighter Mozartean voice. Shows how much you need to hear voices live to understand them I guess. However, he lived that role. The agony he faced, was painfully obvious with every move. His deliberate decision to crawl into his father's grave, to die with him and end the suffering was a logical step in his pain, as well as worked well to help hide the removal of the wound from his skin when time. And he sang the role well, full of anguish, yet still beautiful sounds.

Yet ultimately this is Parsifal of course, so the production depends on a tenor who can produce the goods. And yes, we had that. Jonas Kaufmann is both a consummate actor, and a powerful singer. Part of me wanted a different singer in this role, because I have a connection with two tenors who have made the role their own. Yet, really, who can fault Kaufmann? He gives all to the role. And brings the lost soul from the beginning to the man who brings wholeness to the knights. It really is a remarkable performance, proving why for many he is the go to singer for many of the Wagner tenor roles.

So, really, what can I say? This was a performance to marvel over, of an opera that dares to ask questions that do not always have answers. It challenges you to think about your actions, to look to yourself and your own actions. Will you rise to the occasion when the big decisions come as Parsifal did? Or, will you fail, and succumb as Amfortas? Yet, even as you ponder those questions, you are left with the glorious music, especially those big transcendent choruses, always demanding more. i fear they will haunt me for a long time to come. And I welcome this.