Wagner - Parsifal [Domingo, Thielemann] 4CD

Ben Heppner . . . sang himself into the kind of voice that has made him our reigning heldentenor. It was also interesting to hear a young sound emerging from the mouth of the traditionally decrepit Gurnemanz. René Pape's calm, luxurious command wiped away all traces of the boredom some singers can attach to the part.
Concert Review / BERNHARD HOLLAND, Opera / 15. May 2006
Plácido Domingo and Waltraud Meier . . . are excellent. Domingo belying his years with an ardent yet introspective account, while Meier does not disappoint. Franz-Josef Selig and Falk Struckmann also make powerful contributions in the key roles of Gurnemanz and Amfortas. But what makes the set even more special is Thielemann's ability to integrate the strength and solemnity of traditional interpretations with the more modern tempi pioneered by Boulez. It's a tremendous achievement.
Record Review / Barry Millington, Standard (London) / 12. May 2006
There's a feast for Domingo fans this month, with Puccini's "Edgar" as well as a song recital released. But the pick of the bunch is this new "Parsifal". The tenor is in reliably fine voice as always . . . but the set's real hero is its conductor, Christian Thielemann. The urgency and depth of his conducting are irresistible.

Christian Thielemann conducts Wagner's "letzte Karte" like a psychological thriller . . .

[Domingo and Waltraud Meier] are in their primest vocal condition, and both sound understandably mature.

. . . here the VPO are attentive and flexible to every novel requirement, the winds (a crucial part of Thielemann's sound world for this opera) a colourful and seductive joy. The 'live' recording does the dynamic range of the interpretation and the various unseen effects proud. This new set is . . . a major release . . .
Record Review / Mike Ashman, Gramophone (London) / 01. June 2006
. . . I found it a moving, and in parts exciting, account of Wagner¿s astonishing swan-song . . . The playing of the orchestra – essentially, of course, the Vienna Philharmonic – is glorious here as it is throughout, with the trademark tangy oboe and the glowing strings . . . And there is no underlining, no bombast. When the curtain rises we hear the young Gurnemanz of Franz-Josef Selig, who gives a decent but not a penetrating reading of the marvellous role . . . The Knights, Squires and so on are all well cast. Quite the finest vocal performance, however, comes from Falk Struckmann as Amfortas. He is in rich voice . . . and he has a deep understanding of the role, without ever overdoing it. Enter Parsifal himself, the `opera icon¿ Domingo . . . is well delivered and reasonably youthful sounding . . . this performance succeeds in being in his tradition of interpretation to a degree I had not thought possible.
Record Review / Michael Tanner, International Record Review (London) / 01. June 2006
The exciting news here is Thielemann's performance. No other artist in recent history can approach this magnificent music ever written. As Parsifal, Domingo's singing is astonishing considering his age . . . delivery will find this performances as fine as any he has delivered in this role . . . As Kundry, Waltraud Meier delivers yet another riveting performance in one of her signature roles. Her understanding seems to deepen with the years . . . Falk Struckmann . . . is a convincing Amfortas . . . Thielemann makes one feel as though one is hearing this work for the first time. Part of this comes from his understanding not only of the score, but also all the dramatic import of the words being sung: in other words, he almost seems to be in direct communication with the composer, who always put words first and the followed up with some of the most oratorios and Bach passions, is a committed, competent and occasionally even exciting Gurnemanz . . . The orchestra plays with the conviction and understanding of musicians who have performed this work countless times, and who respond with utter sympathy to heir conductor . . . Thielemann seems destined to be the Wagner conductor of the new century . . . For the future, we can hope for more Thielemann "Parsifals", perhaps with Ben Heppner in good voice and when René Pape is available to sing Gurnemanz. We might even hope to capture Thielemann's "Parsifal" in the incomparable acoustics of the Bayreuth Festspielhaus itself – if dramaturgical sanity ever returns to the Hill for this piece.
Record Review / William Shackelford, Opera (London) / 01. September 2006
Thielemann is letting us know just how important Wagner's music is to him and how seriously he wants to be taken as a Wagner interpreter. With this new "Parsifal", the conductor demonstrates that he's a Wagnerian with a point of view, and a master of the composer's huge musicodramatic structures . . . A second major strength of the release, beyond Thielemann's leadership, is Waltraud Meier's Kundry. Meier may be the finest exponent of the role around now . . . Domingo wonderfully reveals his character's metamorphosis from impetuous youth to enlightened hero . . . Franz-Josef Selig's Gurnemanz is very good as well . . . . Falk Struckmann is a versatile Wagnerian . . . Amfortas is a tough nut to crack – the character must generate both sympathy and disgust in the listener – and Falkmann does a pretty good job of it, thanks to his powerful vocal instrument. The Klingsor, Wolfgang Bankl, sings with a coolness and determined incisiveness that's perfectly suited to his embittered world-view. Ain Anger's Titurel sounds appropriately old and tired. The choral work is excellent . . . Wagnerians should not hesitate to acquire this "Parsifal".
Record Review / Andrew Quint, Fanfare (Tenafly, NJ) / 01. September 2006
Mr. Thielemann conducts with muscle and intelligent calculation . . .
Record Review / Bernard Holland, The New York Times / 06. September 2006
Well before Parsifal's first entrance, which finds Plácido Domingo in vigorous form, the compelling overall quality of this performance is clearly established. Christian Thielemann, though seldom heard in the U.S., is deemed an authority on Strauss and Wagner. This set, recorded live in Vienna in 2005, confirms that standing without equivocation . . . He is conducting . . . a human drama – an opera – rich in musical-dramatic incident and atmosphere . . . Domingo brings a youthful ring to his opening line, catching the character's short-lived joy at his hunting prowess and suggesting the innocent pride of the noble savage before consciousness of self and of evil, before the rigors of initiation. One has to marvel, yet again, at the tenor's well-loved, still-vibrant timbre, which suits his perennial stage persona – that brand of athletic sincerity, that ability to merge with a character's bravery in living emotions to the limits of intensity and risk. That commitment makes Parsifal's learning curve, stage by stage, from Papageno to priest, particularly vivid. By Act III, Domingo conveys a bruised quality, while giving full vent to the character's self-reproaches and sympathy for others . . . the industrious tenor's treatment of text has gained in articulation and urgency, while the moderate tessitura allows him to shape lines with grace and dramatic emphasis in the "Good Friday Magic". Conditions seem perfect; the role suits Domingo . . . and the live recording finds him, remarkably, able to compete with his younger self . . . Franz-Josef Selig has an admirable, authentic grasp of the role of Gurnemanz, and a greater intensity than most basses can bring to the hours of declamation and emotion. His flexible, attractive timbre etches in the fine print, in tight sync with the orchestra, and opens up richly on the big-breaking melodic crests. The rest of the cast is quite good, with Falk Struckmann as a high-strung, edgy Amfortas, capable of soft lyricism on a word such as "Waldesmorgenpracht". Waltraud Meier repeats her well-traveled Kundry . . . still nailing the big moments knowingly. The tenors of the Vienna Stage Opera Chorus have a stellar quality, achieving transparency and menace by turns . . . In the admirable orchestra, the winds weave a spell in the "Good Friday" music; horns are consistent if not meltingly beautiful; but the strings, especially the cellos, in the snarling variations on the Amfortas theme, are models of taut, incisive phrasing.
Record Review / David J. Baker, Opera News (New York) / 01. December 2006