Parsifal

The final musical drama of Richard Wagner, who preferred to describe it not as an opera but as “ein Bühnenweihfestspiel” – “a festival play for the consecration of the stage”, was originally intended to be performed exclusively in Bayreuth. The action is based on the legend of the Holy Grail and stories relating to it. Wagner began devoting to this theme during his stay in Marienbad (Mariánské Lázně) back in 1845. Before he created the libretto, he read a number of books, the most significant being Wolfram von Eschenbach’s epic poems Parzival and Titurel. Wagner’s drama depicts the journey of the wanderer Parsifal to the throne of the King of the Knights of the Holy Grail, where he is brought by the purity of his heart. The mystical work is imbued with numerous symbols that must be understood within a gamut of connections. The overarching ideas are the conflict between the pure heart and erotic passion, and the variance in perception of love as “eros” and “agape” (caritas), whereby the former leads to sin and the latter to redemption. The musical conception is also inspired by the Gregorian chant and Protestant chorale, as well as the early masters. The sheer beauty and forcibility of individual motifs and entire passages – the most celebrated of which is the Good Friday Magic, combining the glory of awakening Nature and the mystique of Easter – is astounding. Parsifal is returning to the National Theatre after an interval of 97 years.

Choir and Orchestra of the National Theatre Opera, Prague Philharmonic Choir.