Parsifal Suite.
WAGNER:
PARSIFAL SUITE
CONSTRUCTED BY ANDREW GOURLAY
INCLUDES
I Prelude to Act 1
II Good Friday Music (Act 3)
III Transformation Music (Act 3)
IV Prelude to Act 3
V Prelude to Act 2
VI Transformation Music (Act 1)
VII Finale (Act 3)
Publisher and hire: Schott Music: Parsifal Suite
Info: ian.mylett@schott-music.com
View Score: Peruse the score
Duration: 45 minutes
Instrumentation: 3.4(3+cor).4(3+bass).4(3+contra) - 4.3.3.1 - T+1 (very deep field drum, bells*) - 2hp - str.
*Bells rental: A sampler is available for hire for the Parsifal Bells, playable by the percussionist.
PERFORMANCE — 5*, RECORDING — 5*
“This recording makes a glorious 45 minutes, with immaculately seductive playing from the London Philharmonic Orchestra, and perfect segues from piece to piece – it all slips deliciously down.”
—BBC Music Magazine
“This suite should find a permanent place in the orchestra repertoire.”
—Bachtrack
“…the music is absolutely gorgeous… I enjoyed this very much, and if you like Parsifal as much as I do, you might want to give it a try, preferably just before bedtime with the beverage of your choice.”
—American Record Review
“To condense such a lengthy epic into a single continuous piece of music is impressive enough, yet to effectively lose nothing in the abridged retelling nothing short of miraculous.”
—Elementary Whatson
“…a 47-minute suite that allows us to luxuriate in some of Wagner’s most luminous and lovingly crafted orchestral music, played with a breadth and radiance that matches it wonderfully well.”
—Radio 3: Record Review
“Gourlay's London Philharmonic play like gods... This is Wagner dripping with soul... The "Prelude" unwinds like a Bruckner adagio and there's some sublime string playing at the start of the Act 3 transformation music. Lower brass roar in the Act 2 prelude, and Gourlay's digitally created church bells are highly effective in the second section. It flows beautifully.”
“Do investigate - this is a beautiful disc.”
—TheArtsDesk.com
PROGRAMME NOTE
“Parsifal surely contains some of Wagner’s greatest orchestral writing, yet for long there has been little orchestral-only material available for concert performance. I therefore set about constructing a suite that would give us more time to settle into the music of Parsifal. The result is 45 minutes of continuous music from the opera, containing all of the great orchestral set-pieces: the three preludes, both of the scene transformations, the Good Friday Music and the Finale. My priority was to stitch the music together using original Wagner.
From the opening prelude, we move to the grandeur of Act 3 Scene 1, the Good Friday Music, during which Parsifal is anointed King of the Grail. A solo oboe guides us through the following passage for gentle strings and woodwinds, accompanying Parsifal as he admires the beauty of the woods and meadow, which are glowing in the morning light. The sound of midday bells begins Wagner’s own transition to Scene 2, as the forest scene dramatically transforms into the mighty hall of the castle of the Grail. The knights process in from both sides, carrying the wounded Amfortas and the coffin of Titurel. We move to the Act 3 prelude, followed by the prelude to Act 2, ‘Klingsor’s Magic Castle’. Next, the scene change from Act 1, in which Gurnemanz leads Parsifal through the rocky walls and (as in Act 3) the forest magically transforms into the great hall of the Grail. We return to Act 3 for a brief bridge passage (for timpani, hushed brass, and pizzicato strings), which accompanies the ominous figure of Parsifal as he emerges from the forest fully covered in black armour. This passage navigates us to the final scene, and the opera’s natural conclusion. Parsifal holds aloft his holy spear, with which he has healed Amfortas. He takes the Grail, which glows brighter and brighter, and swings it in blessing. ‘Miracle of supreme salvation!’
This project has been a labour of love, and I sincerely hope that it might be a useful addition to the orchestral repertoire.”