Richard Wagner: Parsifal

The Met production easily has the most beautiful staging, designed by Otto Schenck, who also produced the fabulous set for the Met's previous Ring cycle. Kurt Moll is a wonderful Gurnemanz, but compared to his studio recording under Karajan a decade earlier it has lost some of its original velvety body and luster. As Parsifal, Jerusalem is starting to show some wear and tear on his voice at the Met in 1992 as opposed to his prime form at Bayreuth in 1981, but is still quite good; only Placido Domingo could compete with him in the role at that time.

Cast

Bernd Weikl

Amfortas

Siegfried Jerusalem

Parsifal

Waltraud Meier

Kundry

Kurt Moll

Gurnemanz

Jan-Hendrik Rootering

Titurel

Franz Mazura

Klingsor

Heidi Grant Murphy

Knappe erste

Jane Bunnell

Knappe zweite

John Horton Murray

Knappe dritte

Bernard Fitch

Knappe vierte