Wagner: Parsifal (2017) - film screening // Müpa Budapest (Festival Theatre)

The Budapest Wagner Days series started with this very successful production in 2006, and due to the great interest it has been staged from time to time ever since. Fortunately, posterity has not respected the composer's wish that Bayreuth should be the only place worthy to perform this "theatrical festive play" based on Schopenhauer's ideas of suffering, self-abandonment and redemption: the Béla Bartók National Concert Hall brings the sonic magic of the Wagner orchestra, this acoustic miracle, to life in an unparalleled way. Adam Fischer, who speaks and understands the Wagnerian idiom in his native tongue, has conducted two Wagner productions at the Bayreuth Festival for many years, and in keeping with the tradition of the Wagner Days in Budapest, he is once again working with world-famous Wagner singers in the much acclaimed staging of Magdolna Parditka and Alexandra Szemerédy. Violeta Urmana is one of the best dramatic sopranos today. Her quality as a leading lady in operas is reflected in her work with conductors such as Claudio Abbado, James Levine, Zubin Mehta, Pierre Boulez and Lorin Maazel. The German tenor Peter Seiffert, who plays the title role, has built a career as a Wagner singer in Bayreuth since the mid-1990s, and was the title role in Daniel Barenboim's Grammy-winning recording of Tannhäuser.

Performed in German with Hungarian subtitles.

Artistic director and conductor: Ádám Fischer

Cast:

Lauri Vasar - Amfortas

Ferenc Cserhalmi - Titurel

Albert Pesendorfer - Gurnemanz

Peter Seiffert - Parsifal

Jürgen Linn - Klingsor

Violeta Urmana - Kundry

Péter Kiss - 1st Knight of the Grail

Ambrus Ákos - 2nd Grail Knight

Zita Váradi, Ildikó Szakács, Krisztina Simon, Gabi Gál, Eszter Wierdl, Gabriella Balga - Flower Girls

Schöck Atala - One voice

members of the Wiener Sängerknaben - 1st and 2nd apron, Zoltán Megyesi - 3rd apron, József Mukk - 4th apron, Bence Vas - children Parsifal

Contributors:

The Hungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and Choir (choir director: Zoltán Pad)

The Hungarian Radio Children's Choir (choir director: László Matos)

Hungarian National Choir (choir director: Csaba Somos)

Zoltán Csere, Zoltán Katonka, Gábor Bora, Gábor Vida - Guardians of Amfortas

Composers:

Parditka Magdolna, Szemerédy Alexandra - director

set designer

Károly Györgyfalvai - light

János Kovács - training conductor

Fajger Orsolya - chief music staff

Dóra Bizják, Friedrich Suckel, László Bartal, Richard Lewis - music staff

Albert Mányik - assistant director

The recording was made at a concert at Müpa Budapest on 21 June 2017.

Admission to the programme is free, but registration is required on our website.