Richard Wagner - Parsifal - Weikl, Moll, Salminen - Kubelik 1980Performer: Bernd Weikl, Kurt Moll, Matti Salminen, James King, Franz Mazura, Yvonne Minton
Conductor: Rafael Kubelik
Orchestra/Ensemble: Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Bavarian Radio Chorus
Kurt Moll, with his big cavernous sound, keeps it in check for all but the most extroverted, extravagant moments (recognizing Parsifal in Act 3, etc.), and if he never quite sounds as weary in Act 3 as Hans Hotter does, he certainly sings the role more beautifully than anyone else in memory. He also exudes true authority and a type of cosmic calm when he must--his voice is in perfect condition and his pianissimos are beautiful. In all, no complaints about his excellent performance.
Yvonne Minton's Kundry is a mixed bag: she's brilliantly insightful and expressive, and at low volume (most of the role, the way Kubelik plays it) she's remarkable. But in the rare forays into forte and above the staff, the tone is hard and unhappy. She's no Christa Ludwig (perfect for Solti) or Waltraud Meier (her only decent recorded performance, for Barenboim) or Mödl (loony but irresistible for Knappertsbusch in '51) or Jessye Norman (gorgeous, with Levine), but she certainly is not a problem and uses her undersized voice with blazing passion. Matti Salminen's vibrato-free sound as Titurel is oddly commanding, and Bernd Weikl is a suitably agonized Amfortas. Franz Mazura's Klinsor is a nasty, snarling piece of work, wonderfully corrupt. The rest are very good, with Lucia Popp's First Flower Maiden particularly seductive. The chorus is just about perfect, as is the orchestra; they sing and play with luster and at times a type of dreaminess I've never encountered before.
Find more at Arkivmusic, listen to the tracks at Amazon
