13.JANUARY 2002 17:00
PARSIFAL by Richard Wagner
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Peter Schneider was the right conductor for Parsifal.
Kurt Rydl was great as Gurnemanz, but not as tall as Matti Salminen, and that was a pity. Because in Madrid where M. Salminen sang Gurnemanz, he was always the tallest onstage, and that is almost a requirement in this role. Bernd Weikl too was great, as Amfortas, but I think Madrid's Grundheber was better. As in Madrid: Wolfgang Bankl was Klingsor, and he was great, too.
And this Parsifal was great, but now we come to the center of the question, Parsifal and Kundry. Plácido Domingo and Violeta Urmana. It was the Plácido Domingo who sang the best German, without a false word, the Spaniard was better than the German-speaking singers in the language test of Parsifal. Violeta Urmana, in her attempt to sing correct German, seem to loose out meaning in the search of pronunciation.
The Kundry of Violeta Urmana was un exciting, boring in both act1 and 3. Only in Act 2 did she manage to be any thing called exciting because of the beautiful dress she was wearing. Where Agnes Baltsa gave heart and soul into Kundry, only bel canto from Urmana.
Plácido Domingo, the final judgement: he is a great Parsifal. still young. forever young.
sonntag, 13. jänner 2002
