Parsifal is a music drama in three acts by Richard Wagner , who also wrote the German libretto. Wagner called Parsifal a "theater-consecrating festival piece" and initially intended that it be performed only at the Bayreuth festival theater. Taking place in medieval Spain, the story revolves around the knights of the Grail at Monsalvat. The opera explores dichotomies of purity, desecration, self-control, and licentiousness. Key characters include Parsifal, a wandering youth; Kundry, a sorceress; and Amfortas, the wounded ruler of the Grail kingdom. Wagner considered Parsifal a sacred work, not an opera, because of its Christian symbolism. Some critics have found evidence of Wagner’s views on religion, diet, heroism, and art in Parsifal .

Who composed the opera Parsifal?

Richard Wagner (1813-1883) composed the opera Parsifal . Wagner called Parsifal a "theater-consecrating festival piece," and designated the Bayreuth festival theater as its sole venue. The opera premiered there in the summer of 1882. Wagner drew inspiration from Wolfram von Eschenbach's German epic poem Parzival , but he shaped the story to reflect his own views. Parsifal explores themes of purity versus desecration and self-control versus licentiousness. Wagner incorporated Christian elements such as the Grail and the spear from Jesus' crucifixion.

What is the main story of Parsifal about?

Parsifal tells the story of a wandering youth who is on a quest. The opera explores the dichotomies of purity versus desecration and self-control versus licentiousness. The main characters include: * Parsifal, a wandering youth * Kundry, a sorceress * Gurnemanz, a knight of the Grail * Amfortas, ruler of the Kingdom of the Grail Amfortas suffers from a wound that will not heal. Gurnemanz tells of how the Grail and the spear that pierced Jesus' side came into their care and how Klingsor wounded Amfortas and seized the spear. Only by regaining the spear and finding a pure, innocent man can Amfortas and the knights’ order be saved.

When and where was Parsifal first performed?

Parsifal , by Richard Wagner , was first performed at the Bayreuth Festival Theater, which Wagner initially designated as the sole venue for the work. The opera's premiere took place during the summer, with 16 performances from July 26 through August 29, 1882. Wagner labeled Parsifal a "theater-consecrating festival piece". He considered it a sacred work for the stage, not an opera, due to its Christian symbolism. The opera is set in medieval Spain and explores themes of purity, desecration, self-control, and licentiousness.

What are some important themes in Parsifal?

Wagner's opera Parsifal explores themes of purity, desecration, self-control, and licentiousness through the narrative of a questing youth. Though not conventionally religious, Wagner incorporates Christian elements such as the Grail and the spear believed to have wounded Jesus. Wagner considered Parsifal a sacred work, demonstrated by its solemn music, and saw it as a "theater-consecrating festival piece". Some critics suggest the opera reflects Wagner’s views on religion, diet, heroism, and art, as expressed in his essays, which also contained antisemitic views. The story follows Parsifal's journey of innocence, his eventual understanding of the suffering of others, and his role in the redemption of the Grail Knights .

How did Parsifal influence later music and opera?

Wagner's Parsifal , labeled a "theater-consecrating festival piece," significantly impacted later music and opera through its unique approach and themes. Wagner's creation of his own type of musical drama was a fantastic accomplishment, considering the scale and scope of his art. Parsifal is heavy with religious and ethical messages and perfectly illustrated both Wagner’s musico-dramatic theories and the unsmiling solemnity with which he approached opera. Wagner's method was to condense the confused mass of material at his disposal into a taut dramatic scheme. Wagner's influence as a composer was far-reaching. He raised the melodic and harmonic style of German music to what many regard as its highest emotional and sensuous intensity.

Parsifal

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Franz von Lenbach: portrait of Richard Wagner

Parsifal

opera by Wagner

Written by

Betsy Schwarm

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History

Background and context

Wagner himself labeled Parsifal “ein Bühnenweihfestspiel”—that is, “a theater-consecrating festival piece”—and he initially designated the Bayreuth festival theater as the sole performance venue for the work, which was the first to be written specifically for that theater. In its first summer there Parsifal was performed 16 times (July 26 through August 29, 1882). The composer sensed that Parsifal would be his last stage work, and by controlling performances he was putting a financial legacy into place for his young son, Siegfried, as well as solidifying the future of his Bayreuth festival, which remained in the control of the Wagner family into the 21st century.

The composer took as a starting point Parzival, a German epic poem by Wolfram von Eschenbach, but Wagner, as usual, made the tale entirely his own. In the narrative of a questing youth, Wagner set up dichotomies of purity and desecration, self-control and licentiousness. Although he was not conventionally religious, he introduced elements of Christian tradition, including the Grail and the spear that was believed to have wounded Jesus on the cross.

Some critics have also found in Parsifal evidence of Wagner’s highly idiosyncratic views on religion, diet, heroism, and art—views he had elucidated in a series of essays published from 1878 (“Modern”) to 1881 (“Heroism and Christianity”) as the opera was taking shape. The essays are also permeated with his virulent antisemitism.

Perhaps largely because of its overtly Christian symbolism, Wagner considered Parsifal to be a sacred work for the stage, not an opera, and his music for the work is on the whole unusually solemn and slow. One of the first parts to be completed was the Good Friday Music, which occurs near the end of the title character’s adventures. It is music of rapt beauty, expressing repentance and transfiguration in part through leitmotifs and changes in key and ending with the pealing of bells. Wagner had by this time become so adept at orchestration that he could invoke visual effects such as shimmering light. He had mastered the union of music and meaning as he evoked ideas, story, and character.

Cast and main characters

Kundry, a sorceress (soprano)
Klingsor, an evil sorcerer (baritone)
Parsifal, a wandering youth (tenor)
Gurnemanz, a knight of the Grail (bass)
Amfortas, ruler of the Kingdom of the Grail (baritone)
Titurel, father of Amfortas (bass)
Knights, esquires, flower maidens, youths

Setting and story summary

Parsifal takes place in an imagined medieval Spain, over a span of many years.

Act I

Scene 1. A forest glade near the castle of the Grail knights at Monsalvat, Spain.

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Several esquires are praying for their leader, Amfortas, who suffers from a wound that will not heal. Kundry, who serves the knights—she also serves the evil sorcerer Klingsor—has brought herbs from Arabia, hoping they will heal him. Amfortas, brought in on a litter, is not optimistic.

Richard Wagner: ParsifalBrief excerpt from Gurnemanz's song “Nun achte wohl; und lass mich seh'n” in Act I of Richard Wagner's Parsifal; from a 1951 recording featuring bass Ludwig Weber and the Bayreuth Festival Orchestra conducted by Hans Knappertsbusch.

After Amfortas is carried off, Gurnemanz regales the gathering with stories of how the Grail and the spear (which had pierced Jesus’ side) came into their care. He also explains how Amfortas came to be wounded by Klingsor and how Klingsor managed to seize the spear. Only by regaining the spear and by finding a pure and innocent man can Amfortas—and the knights’ order—be saved.

A dying swan falls from the sky, and the youth who shot the swan arrives. Gurnemanz scolds the youth, who protests that he did not know it was wrong to shoot the bird. The youth—Parsifal—knows nothing of the world, not even his own origins. Gurnemanz, wondering whether he has found the hoped-for pure and innocent man, brings Parsifal into the castle.

Scene 2. The castle of the Grail knights.

After Wagner’s Transformation Music, the knights assemble in the great hall of their castle. Old Titurel—Amfortas’s father and the knights’ former leader—encourages his son to proceed with the ceremony of revealing the Grail. Amfortas feels unequal to the task, though it is carried out. Parsifal shows no interest in the proceedings, and an angry Gurnemanz sends him from the hall.

Act II

Scene 1. Klingsor’s magic castle.

Klingsor summons Kundry to his castle, and she reluctantly appears. He declares that she must assist him in defeating an opponent, and he demands that she change herself into an irresistible temptress. In such a form, she had helped Klingsor to best—and gravely wound—Amfortas.

Scene 2. Klingsor’s magic garden.

Richard Wagner: ParsifalBrief excerpt from the song of the flower maidens: “Komm, komm, holder Knabe!” in Act II of Richard Wagner's Parsifal; from a 1951 recording by the Bayreuth Festival Orchestra conducted by Hans Knappertsbusch.

Parsifal enters Klingsor’s magic garden, having gained passage by slaying some of the sorcerer’s knights. Klingsor’s flower maidens scold him for the deed, but they soon try to seduce him. When Kundry appears, the other women leave. As Kundry tells Parsifal of his parents, she begins her own attempt at seduction. When she kisses Parsifal, however, she awakens in him not only passion but also knowledge. Realizing that he is the one who can save Amfortas, he breaks free of Kundry’s grasp.

Klingsor appears and casts the spear at Parsifal. Parsifal catches it in midair and makes the sign of the cross with it. Klingsor’s castle collapses in ruins, and the magic garden disappears. Parsifal departs victorious.

Act III

Scene 1. Many years later, at the castle of the Grail knights.

Back at the Grail knights’ castle, the now very old Gurnemanz laments Parsifal’s long absence and Amfortas’s increasing weakness. It is the morning of Good Friday, and Kundry has returned abjectly to the knights. A mysterious man appears and begins to pray, but he is soon recognized as Parsifal. He and Gurnemanz share news of what has happened while Parsifal was on his quest. With holy rituals, Parsifal, who has safeguarded the spear, becomes the new leader of the Grail knights. Redemption for Kundry follows; the scene closes with the Good Friday Music.

Scene 2. In the castle.

Still too weak to carry out his duties, Amfortas is carried into the hall. Parsifal touches the wound with the spear, and Amfortas is healed. Parsifal takes the crystal Grail from its golden shrine, and it glows with increasing brightness. Kundry, having gained forgiveness, falls lifeless to the floor. Parsifal waves the Grail in blessing over the knights, and a dove comes down from above to hover over him.

Betsy Schwarm

Parsifal

Background and context

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Cast and main characters

Setting and story summary

Act I

Act II

Act III