Neither hope nor salvation: a sombre Parsifal with much to say

Daniel Frank (Parsifal) and Elīna Garanča (Kundry)

Elīna Garanča (Kundry) and Nikolay Sidorenko (Young Parsifal)

Günther Groissböck (Gurnemanz) and Michael Nagy (Amfortas)

Werner Van Mechelen (Klingsor) and Elīna Garanča (Kundry)

Daniel Frank (Parsifal) and Elīna Garanča (Kundry)

By Orsolya Gyárfás, 02 April 2024

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“Serebrennikov offers no transcendent meaning, only bleakness beyond measure”

Reviewed at Wiener Staatsoper, Vienna on 1 April 2024

Wagner, Parsifal

Vienna State Opera

Alexander Soddy, Conductor

Kirill Serebrennikov, Director, Set Designer, Costume Designer

Franck Evin, Lighting Designer

Orchestra of the Vienna State Opera

Concert Association Vienna State Opera Chorus

Olga Pavliuk, Mitarbeit Bühne

Tatyana Dolmatovskaya, Mitarbeit Kostüm

Aleksei Fokin, Video

Yurii Karih, Video

Sergio Morabito, Dramaturgy

Daniel Frank, Parsifal

Elīna Garanča, Kundry

Michael Nagy, Amfortas

Günther Groissböck, Gurnemanz

Werner Van Mechelen, Klingsor

Wolfgang Bankl, Titurel

Evgeny Kulagin, Ko-Regie

Ran Arthur Braun, Fight Director

Nikolay Sidorenko, Actor

At half mast: Simon Boccanegra revived in Vienna

Orsolya Gyárfás, 19th April

Marco Armiliato’s conducting thrills and Federica Lombardi's radiant Amelia stands out in the Wiener Staatsoper’s latest revival of Simon Boccanegra.

***11

Anna Netrebko shines in Vienna’s timeless Tosca

Laura Servidei, 18th April

In a world where opera productions often stray into the abstract, the Wiener Staatsoper’s Tosca offers a refreshing return to tradition – and Anna Netrebko delivers a splendid performance.

****1

Tragedy in the mirror: Minghella’s Madama Butterfly in Vienna

Laura Servidei, 14th March

Ermonela Jaho returns to one of her signature roles as Cio-Cio-San, delivering a searing and deeply nuanced portrayal.

****1

Too much and too little: Jan Lauwers’ restless Clemenza in Vienna

Chanda VanderHart, 12th March

The creative team behind the new Staatsoper Clemenza is unwilling to trust that Mozart’s opera is interesting enough to stand on its own.

***11

An Idomeneo shattered to pieces at the Wiener Staatsoper

Orsolya Gyárfás, 23rd January

A committed cast struggles to lend a spark of life to Kasper Holten's static staging of Mozart's first mature opera.

**111

A holiday Bohème: Puccini, Zeffirelli and tradition in Vienna

Laura Servidei, 21st December

Giacomo Sagripanti conducts a luxuriant reading with a cast anchored by Juan Diego Flórez and Nicole Car, in Zeffirelli’s familiar, generous, unabashedly emotional production.

***11

More reviews...

Orsolya Gyárfás

A university student in Budapest, currently pursuing a degree in Aesthetics, Orsolya is an opera fan, particularly interested in the works of Mozart and Wagner.

Neither hope nor salvation: a sombre Parsifal with much to say in Vienna