Open Web Player
This is now my favourite recording of Parsifal. It has displaced previous favourite Kubelik, Karajan and Knappertsbusch recordings. The sound in this newest remastering is beyond compare to anything I have ever heard in any recording of Parsifal. Total clarity and purity in the sound of the strings, all the way to the highest registers in the violins. Shining trumpets to compare with what Karajan achieved in his Berlin recording. But what most caught my attention are the woodwinds - incredible presence, especially the lower woodwinds. The choruses - no distortion, no loss of clarity anywhere, rich, rich sound. The Vienna Philharmonic is beyond compare in this recording.
The Blu-ray Disc is obviously the greatest treasure in this package and offers the best way to enjoy the refurbished sound. But the CDs are also amazing. I listened to the CDs in my Prius over several days while driving and found myself enjoying the same clarity and depth of sound that I hear on the blu-ray. The only criticism about the CDs is that Decca did not take advantage of this release to accommodate Acts 2 and 3 on one CD each. The break in Act III between CDs 3 and 4 is not the most judiciously chosen. Of course, the blu-ray eliminates the need for any breaks in the acts and is clearly the best way to enjoy this great recording.
The soloists are the best ever assembled for a Parsifal recording. This was probably René Kollo's best recording. He is in total command of the role's vocal and emotional demands. Christa Ludwig was tested by some of the higher notes, but the range of expression she brought to this role could not be matched by any other Kundry, not even Marta Mödl. Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau is the best Amfortas on records - no competition. His incredible, profound reading reveals the total tragedy of the man Amfortas. Soft singing beyond anything you'll ever hear in this role. Gottlob Frick was brought back from retirement, I remember reading somewhere, to sing Gurnemanz for Solti. Wow, how fortunate for us. His voice is not as smooth or steady as Kurt Moll's in competing recordings by Karajan and Kubelik, but he is more convincing as the weathered elder trying to keep the community together. His voice is magnificent, despite some unsteadiness.
And Solti? I'm not the biggest fan of Solti's Wagner recordings, and though I had bought the original LPs on London Records, and both previous CD incarnations of this Parsifal, I rarely listened to it. This new issue has made me rethink my resistance to Solti's Wagner. As I listened I felt I was hearing the music as it should be played and sung. I did not perceive the ego of a conductor. This statement will probably be controversial, but I felt that Parsifal does not depend on the conductor as much as the Ring or Tristan und Isolde or Die Meistersinger do. Listening to this recording I often felt that all the conductor needs to do is get the right tempo - and Solti, absolutely gets the right tempo throughout - and the magic of the music does the rest. Wagner achieved something truly unique. Rare is the conductor who gets Parsifal wrong. After receiving the new Solti Parsifal, I also listened to some of my other recordings - Karajan (Berlin), Kubelik, Jordan, Thielemann, Boulez, Barenboim. I didn't go back to any of my Knappertsbusch recordings this time around. Only the Boulez and Thielemann do I find unlistenable. Barenboim, Karajan and Kubelik are all marvellous, with very similar timings as Solti. But none of them had the cast Solti assembled, and none match the excellence of the sound in Solti's recording.
Customers who viewed this item also viewed
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
Top reviews from other countries
Klodius
Le solennelle d'un oratorio et le génie de l'opéra
Reviewed in Canada on November 22, 2019
Czerny
The Blu Ray Audio disk is fantastic, but
Reviewed in Germany on September 1, 2019
Czerny
Reviewed in Germany on September 1, 2019
Images in this review
