In this production, Richard Wagner’s monumental and moving opera Parsifal transports us to the collapse of an old Europe shattered by the First World War, which stage director Claus Guth sets within a decadent hospital for the disabled, inspired by the sanatorium in Thomas Mann’s The Magic Mountain.
Based on the medieval legends of the Holy Grail but viewed through a disturbing post-war historical lens, the plot follows the journey of a pure-hearted young man who, brought up to be compassionate, must save a temple plunged into disarray, embodying the traumas and despondency that followed the First World War, whose hopes pinned on a new leader will lead to yet another disaster.
Sacred stage festival in three acts
Music and libretto by Richard Wagner, based on the medieval epic poem Parzival by Wolfram von Eschenbach
Premiered at the Festspielhaus of Bayreuth, on July 26, 1882
Premiered at the Teatro Real of Madrid, on January 1, 1914
Coproduction of the Zurich Opera and the Gran Teatre del Liceu of Barcelona
Artistic team
Conductor | Semyon Bychkov
Stage director | Claus Guth
Set and costume designer | Christian Schmidt
Lighting designer | Jürgen Hoffmann
Choreographer | Volker Michl
Video designer | Andi A. Müller
Chorus master | Andrés Máspero
Cast
Amfortas | Detlef Roth
Titurel | Ante Jerkunica
Gurnemanz | Franz Josef Selig
Klingsor | Evgeny Nikitin
Kundry | Anja Kampe
Parsifal | Klaus Florian Vogt
Klaus | Florian Vogt
Two Grail Knights | Vicenç Esteve, David Sánchez
Esquires | Ana Puche, Kai Rüütel, Alejandro González, Jordi Casanova
Six Flowermaidens | Ilona Krzywicka, Khatouna Gadelia, Kai Rüütel, Samantha Crawford, Ana Puche, Rosie Aldridge
Voice from Above | Rosie Aldridge
Teatro Real Chorus and Orchestra
RELATED CONTENT
