Wagner’s last opera, Parsifal, which the composer declared to be his “farewell to the world” has been described as being in many ways the most “total” of all his “total art works”. His spiritual swansong unfurls as a slow-moving, ritualistic drama, and is arguably the best-suited of all his operas to the style of concert staging offered here. Recorded live at the Royal Albert Hall, London at the 2013 BBC Proms, featuring dramatic spatial placing of off-stage choruses and musicians and featuring soloists of the highest calibre, including leading Wagnerians. The recording is released on the occasion of Sir Mark Elder’s 70th birthday.

The audio has been re-mastered by Hallé’s award winning engineer Steve Portnoi: the original multitrack recordings of both rehearsals and concert were edited to eliminate audience noise whilst retaining the sense of place and the staged nature of the performance. The edited multitrack was then remixed to achieve a sound in keeping with Hallé label releases.

Conductor
Sir Mark Elder

Soloists/Artists
Lars Cleveman tenor, Parsifal
Katarina Dalayman soprano, Kundry
Sir John Tomlinson bass, Gurnemanz
Detlef Roth baritone, Amfortas
Tom Fox baritone, Klingsor
Reinhard Hagen bass, Titurel
Robert Murray tenor, Knight 1
Andrew Greenan bass-baritone, Knight 2
Sarah Castle mezzo-soprano, Squire 1/Flower Maiden 3
Madeleine Shaw mezzo-soprano, Squire 2/Flower Maiden 6/Voice from Above
Joshua Ellicott tenor, Squire 3
Andrew Rees tenor, Squire 4
Elizabeth Cragg soprano, Flower Maiden 1
Anita Watson soprano, Flower Maiden 2
Ana James soprano, Flower Maiden 4
Anna Devin soprano, Flower Maiden 5

Chorus
Hallé Youth Choir
Royal Opera Chorus
Trinity Boys Choir

Catalogue number CD HLD 7539

Preview: https://orcd.co/dk1l68x