Tír Na HiFi

I was listening to some extracts of Wagner’s Parsifal over the weekend and enjoyed them immensely and I am therefore looking for recommendations for a CD set of the work. Von Karajan or Solti would seem obvious choices in this work to this relatively ignorant opera listener but I need some guidance in the area of the soloists. All thoughts and recommendations welcomed.

I have these two recordings - one mono, and one stereo. I like them both and would recommend them. The Knappertbusch is often expensive though (I have no need to check nowadays, but it was when it was in my ponder pouch...). The Karajan I believe divides critics; the Solti I would imagine is a reliable recording, but I have not heard much about it.

bombasticDarren wrote:

I have these two recordings - one mono, and one stereo. I like them both and would recommend them. The Knappertbusch is often expensive though (I have no need to check nowadays, but it was when it was in my ponder pouch...). The Karajan I believe divides critics; the Solti I would imagine is a reliable recording, but I have not heard much about it.

Thank you for that Darren. The Thielemann did come up in my brief research into the work.

The options are clear: Knappertsbusch if you want a momentous, spiritual experience, in good but very early 60´s sound. For a modern, digital Parsifal I ´d go straight to Karajan. That is one of his best recordings. Supremely beautiful, almost super humanly beautiful, playing by the Berlin Philharmonic.
His cast is excellent, especially the towering Gurnemanz of Kurt Moll.
Karajan´s Parsifal is SO good that it´s one of his few recordings that I actually prefer to Kubelik´s.

Thank you Pepe. As I mentioned von Karajan would have been my instinctive choice here but as both you and Darren have strongly mentioned the Knappertsbusch I will look into that as well.

I think it´s always better to get to know a work with a modern, well recorded recording than with a historical one. You will get to hear every orchestral detail that often gets lost in an old recording.
The Karajan is superbly recorded and you are bathed in those incomparable BPO sounds. And it is not a superficial reading, it has depth and its own spirituality. The glorious prelude to act 1 alone is worth the price of the 4 cds.

That makes eminent sense Pepe; get to know a work first and then go for the subtle variations and nuances later.

^^ I wish I could make a meaningful contibution to your thread Fergus, but as you will recollect, I am to Wagner what Kylie Minogue is to sheet metal welding...

I was wondering whether or not you had a version in your burgeoning Blu Ray collection Jared....but obviously not!

fergus wrote:I was wondering whether or not you had a version in your burgeoning Blu Ray collection Jared....but obviously not!

sorry, but no my friend... a growing amount of Bel Canto, Verdi & Puccini though...