At Bayreuth, the grail is a large blue crystal with a light show, Kundry gets an avatar who seduces Gurnemanz, and the wound of Amfortas is filmed in nauseating closeup. This is Jay Scheib's 2023 production, revived with only half-hearted booing amid energetic applause for the musicians.
A heavily symbolic work, reimagined
Even by Wagner's standards, Parsifal is heavily symbolic, and nowhere more than at Bayreuth. It was the only work composed specifically for this theatre's acoustic, and for decades, Wagner's family prevented performances elsewhere. The production leans into the symbolism with lurid visuals: Klingsor, the evil sorcerer, is a dodgy uncle in pink velvet, dry-humping the stolen spear. His flower maidens occupy a concrete dungeon where corpses lie on bloody mattresses, and Parsifal is stripped to tween's pyjamas with hearts galore.
Violence is ubiquitous; there is no “good” here, just shades of “complicated.” The result is bleak and emotionally monochrome. The filming continues as Amfortas's wound is unwrapped, poked, and slowly sewn up, dominating Act 1 from a stage-wide screen.
Strong vocal performances, but orchestral inconsistency
Musically, there was more variety. Miina-Liisa Värelä's Kundry exuded goth energy, her low notes chilling, her melodies liquid ferocity. Andreas Schager's Parsifal tended towards fragmentary notes and syllables when not singing at full pelt. Georg Zeppenfeld was an appealing Gurnemanz, his bass-baritone glowing and supple, and Vitalij Kowaljow a vigorously stentorian Titurel. Jordan Shanahan (Klingsor) used his bass like a weapon, hard-edged and sleek. As Amfortas, Michael Volle roared and raged but was most compelling in his painfully lyrical Act 3 outbursts.
The chorus was well blended, its diction crystalline. Under Pablo Heras-Casado, the orchestra was inconsistent. Intonation and ensemble in Wagner's chordal motifs were unreliable, the smallest problems laid bare in this softly lucid acoustic. Yet elsewhere the subtle symphonic fabric reached seamlessly from exquisitely textured detail to swathes of almost infinite richness.
Impact and legacy
The production's bold choices have sparked debate, but the musical strengths and theatrical spectacle ensure a memorable experience. Parsifal continues at the Bayreuth festival until 25 August.
