Music for today: Richard Wagner's Parsifal.
Music with video
Libretto Click for the libretto.
Parsifal, Richard Wagner's final opera, is a deeply spiritual and symbolic work that explores themes of redemption, compassion, and the quest for purity. Set in the mythical realm of Montsalvat, it tells the story of Parsifal, a "pure fool" destined to restore the sacred order of the Knights of the Holy Grail.
Synopsis
Act I
The opera begins in Montsalvat, where the Knights of the Holy Grail guard two sacred relics: the Holy Grail (the chalice used by Christ at the Last Supper) and the Holy Spear (which pierced Christ’s side). Amfortas, their leader, suffers from an eternal wound inflicted by Klingsor, a former knight turned dark sorcerer who stole the Holy Spear. Only a pure and compassionate being can heal him.Parsifal, a young and naïve wanderer, arrives after killing a sacred swan. Gurnemanz, an elder knight, scolds him but wonders if Parsifal might be the prophesied savior. Parsifal witnesses a Grail ceremony but fails to understand its significance. Disappointed, Gurnemanz sends him away.
Act II
In Klingsor's enchanted castle, Kundry—a mysterious woman cursed for mocking Christ—attempts to seduce Parsifal under Klingsor’s orders. Kundry reveals Parsifal’s past, including his mother’s death from grief after he abandoned her. She kisses him passionately, but this awakens Parsifal’s empathy for Amfortas’s suffering. He resists her temptations and realizes that compassion is key to redemption.Klingsor hurls the Holy Spear at Parsifal, but he catches it and uses it to destroy Klingsor’s castle and his dark magic. Parsifal leaves with the spear, vowing to return to Montsalvat.
Act III
Years later, on Good Friday, Gurnemanz—now an old hermit—finds Kundry in a subdued state and encounters Parsifal again. Parsifal recounts his long journey and is anointed as the new leader of the Grail knights. Kundry washes his feet in an act of penitence.At Montsalvat, Amfortas refuses to unveil the Grail due to his agony and begs for death. Parsifal arrives with the Holy Spear and heals Amfortas by touching his wound. He restores harmony to the knights and reveals the Grail for all to see. Kundry dies in peace, redeemed at last.The opera ends with a vision of spiritual renewal as Parsifal assumes his role as guardian of the Grail.
Themes
"Parsifal" intertwines Christian and Buddhist ideas of suffering, compassion, and redemption. It emphasizes renunciation of sin and spiritual enlightenment through selflessness and purity. Wagner’s majestic music enhances its profound narrative with motifs symbolizing characters and spiritual ideals.This work remains one of Wagner's most complex operas, celebrated for its philosophical depth and transcendent beauty.