Jonas Kaufmann

Wagner: Parsifal

Name: Wagner: Parsifal
Brand: Jonas Kaufmann
Availability: InStock

Description

Jonas Kaufmann sings the title role in a new live recording of Wagner’s Parsifal, released by Sony Classical. It comes from performances at the Wiener Staatsoper under the direction of Philippe Jordan, with Elina Garanca as Kundry, Georg Zeppenfeld as Gurnemanz and Ludovic Tézier as Amfortas. The press reactions following the premiere in spring 2021 were unanimously positive. The critics repeatedly highlighted the richness of the nuances in the musical interpretation. In the role of the “innocent fool” Parsifal, Jonas Kaufmann is praised for his ability to move between an enchanting mezza voce and the most thrilling dramatic surges. Two singers perform their respective roles for the very first time: Elina Garanca in her highly anticipated debut as Kundry, to which she brings a real presence, and Ludovic Tézier for the first time as Amfortas. Highly anticipated, the production had to be presented - and recorded - without an audience when it was finally unveiled in April 2021, at the height of the coronavirus pandemic. Director Kirill Serebrennikov drew inspiration from the line “Here time becomes space” to set the work in a prison. Serebrennikov spent a number of years under house arrest as well as on parole and, at the time, he was forbidden to leave his country, so he had to direct his new production remotely, while a team of collaborators worked on the staging in Vienna. His conception of the work, which the Süddeutsche Zeitung called “an opera on the theme of liberation” and Der Standard described as “a multi-layered drama about human relationships,” proved convincing. Die Welt spoke of a “futuristic dystopia.” It is no surprise that Wagner’s final music drama continues to fascinate audiences to this day thanks to its Grail mysticism, Christian symbolism and underlying questions of guilt and atonement. Nor should one forget its densely woven narrative vein, its complex use of tonality and tonal colors, its psychoanalytic avant-gardism in relation to Wagner’s earlier works, its highly metaphorical and detailed symbolism and, last but not least, its length. All of these elements represent an enormous musical challenge for the orchestra and the soloists. Wagner’s Parsifal will be released by Sony Classical in a hardcover ecolbook CD format with 4 audio discs, a 284-page booklet with 3 introductory notes (including one by Philippe Jordan), synopsis, numerous photos and a booklet in 3 languages (DE, EN, FR), as well as in digital format.

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