There is something to be said about the proverbial aura of live performances, especially in the case of “Parsifal” and recordings from its native Bayreuth. The pleasure is double – cynics might argue – in the absence of visual extravagance, incl. kinky stage designs and the intrusion of AR into the scenography.

Thankfully, Deutsche Grammophon does not impose the latter; it leaves director Jay Scheib’s contemporary maelstrom to those staunchly believing in recreating the 2023 Gesamtkunstwerk on Blu-Ray. The less entrenched may find that the CD release of “Parsifal” is already well enough of a testimony to leave its mark on discographic posterity.

An Ethereal Festival Debut

Last year’s production marked the much anticipated Festival debut of conductor Pablo Heras-Casado. The Spaniard holds a firm grip on the incomparable “Festspielorchester” which is moderately slower, and more temperate than its Viennese counterpart – heard recently on Philippe Jordan’s publication for Sony Classical.

Above all, Heras-Casado shows himself conciliatory, keen on rethinking the score while keeping with the conservatism of its religious substrate, anchored by virtue of tradition. The result is appealing throughout: He retains the opera’s sense of preternatural mystery and speeds the narrative along otherwise.

Of particular note is the transcendent playing of the strings whose diaphanous sound is like a marker for the musical realization of the numinous, for instance in the wonderfully sustained salvation scene at the very end of act III. There is something poetic here, an almost delicate reticence which so distinguishes the conducting of Heras-Casado. It translates to him providing adequate support to the voices and, perhaps, integrating the ever so peculiar acoustics of the Bayreuth pit into an overarching vision of dramatic contingency.   

A Modern Classic?

Tenor Andreas Schager takes on the main role instead of the sadly indisposed Joseph Calleja. This is a shame for Calleja, but his replacement manages to deliver a very solid, even muscular portrayal of the title character. It boasts a piercing and slightly luminous timbre. Even so, the vocal physiognomy yields enough heft for there to be a glimpse of Siegfried occasionally peeking through. This amalgamation is not out of place, as the inherent naivety of Siegfried translates rather effortlessly to the moral spotlessness of Parsifal.

Perhaps the biggest draw is Elina Garanča who does not spare any efforts to commit to the exasperation of the forsaken Kundry. It is a refined and superlatively lustrous interpretation to which the live aura adds an unsuspected layer of viscerality, making the present reviewer prefer the DG release over its immediate predecessor on Sony Classical.

The somewhat ungrateful role of Gurnemanz is donned by the now ubiquitous Georg Zeppenfeld. The monolithic bass has internalized the part to the extent of it being virtually interchangeable with his equally magisterial rendition on the Sony release. Shortcomings, if any, remain the same: the portrait is lively but less impressive vocally than that of his most illustrious peers.

With Jordan Shanahan and Derek Welton, conductor Heras-Casado has at his disposal an unusually fine-voiced Klingsor and Amfortas respectively.

Bayreuth’s “Festspielchor” rounds off this exceptionally lavish musical fresco which does not seek to compete with radicals of sorts, Toscanini and the intemperately secular Boulez being two of them. Rather, the present “Parsifal” attempts to establish a golden middle. It can justifiably claim its place as a very valid 21st century alternative to some of the historical greats.