Germany Wagner, Parsifal: Soloists and Chorus of Hamburg State Opera, Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra / Patrick Hahn (conductor). Hamburg State Opera, 21.4.2025. (DM-D)
Production:
Director, Set, Costume and Lighting designer – Achim Freyer
Revival director – Petra Müller
Artistic collaboration – Sebastian Bauer (directing), Moritz Nitsche (set design), Petra Weikert (costume design), Sebastian Alphons (lighting design)
Video – Jakob Klaffs, Hugo Reis
Dramaturgy – Klaus-Peter Kehr
Chorus master – Christian Günther
Cast:
Amfortas – Christoph Pohl
Gurnemanz – Kwangchul Youn
Titurel – Han Kim
Parsifal – Benjamin Bruns
Klingsor – Mark Stone
Kundry – Irène Theorin
Knights of the Grail – Jürgen Sacher, Hubert Kolwalczyk
Esquires – Marie Maidowski, Aebh Kelly, Ziad Nehme, Mziwamadada Sipho Nadlayiya
Flowermaidens – Yeonjoo Katharina Yang, Hongping Ruan, Ira Aldrian, Na’ama Shulman, Gabriele Rossmanith, Marta Świderska
Voice from above – Ira Aldrian
Wagner famously advocated the concept and practice of the universal work of art, the Gesamtkunstwerk. Some productions of his operas come closer to achieving that aim than others, usually when the directorial team work well together. Or when, as was the case for this 2017 production, one artist, Achim Freyer, was in charge of directing and designing set, costumes and lighting including projections and videos.
The multiplicity of levels and aspects of dimension was key to this production’s concept. On the stage, there were at least three levels above the floor, in a circular structure, possibly a spiral, all the way to the very top of the visible stage area. Objects and projections populated the space on all levels, some identifiable, such as large numbers, some obscure in usually dim light — dim to allow the projections onto the gauze covering the entire height of the stage. Circular structures, interacting – sometimes in motion – with the stationary circular structures on the stage, were projected onto that gauze, broad lines reminiscent of the traces of aeroplanes in the sky, porous yet intact in the first act, though later distorted and no longer depicting circles. Instead, the deterioration of the world of the Grail Knights was mirrored by what looked like disjointed scribbles. The characters, or creatures that inhabited this imaginary space were similarly not of this human world, but members of a different species, with heavy facial make-up and extraordinary headgear and hairstyles. Indeed, Irène Theorin’s face as Kundry was visible only when she pushed aside the material of her wig that had covered her face throughout the performance during the curtain call. The world created by Freyer for Parsifal was consistent in its own right, on its own terms, dark, certainly not conventionally beautiful, and by the same token intriguing, with an abundance of detail and nuance, adding visual spectacle to the abundance of the music.
The orchestra played with considerable inward energy under the baton of Patrick Hahn, which is quite an achievement for music that can become tedious without such energy. Kwangchul Youn led the cast as Gurnemanz with a lesson in the art of singing at its best. Breath control, vocal technique, and many years of experience allowed him to mould his voice with nuanced detail of every note, particularly in terms of volume. Such attention to detail also allowed him to keep the sonorous flow of the rich voice active at all times, and within a few seconds he was able to stop the tendency for any vibrato to become just a little too much. Christian Pohl sang Amfortas with steely power while never resorting to shouting, even in the character’s most agonising moments. Mark Stone’s voice contrasted well as Klingsor. Benjamin Bruns was a good Parsifal, rather lyrical across much of the role and with sufficient heft for the more dramatic passages without having to strain the voice. The top register was open, bright and ringing.
The role of Kundry doesn’t get much attention from Freyer. She was crouching, or lying around, hardly ever standing, let alone standing upright, for the entire time she was on the stage. I repeat – as performed by Irène Theorin – we never saw her face, which was covered by her hair intertwined with what looks like weed, or moss, or wire, or whatever association popped up in the viewer’s mind. It is much to her credit that she put up with that directorial choice in the first place, and even more so that she sang as well as she did against all odds. This included the impact of the posture forced on her in relation to the physical aspects of singing (making sure that breath can flow as freely as needed even if lying or crouching for extended periods of time). Theorin’s singing made this shapeless heap of a Kundry into the moving creature she was.
Some of the Knights and Esquires were rather weak, surprising in view of Hamburg’s usual attention to casting supporting roles on a par with the major singers. Such weakness was compensated well by the range of Flowermaidens, and above all Ira Aldrian, who also sang the Voice from above with much clarity and beauty.
Daniel Meyer-Dinkgräfe