Rating: 
Summary: Magnificent performance
Review: After hearing both the Von Karajan and the Kna performances, but never seeing the Opera in person I bought this DVD after reading the varying reviews listed here. While it is true that both the Von Karajan and the Kna performances are utterly magnificent, they are both different. THIS performance is also magnificent, but again, different from the other 2. Regarding the tempi, I do not find the tempi too slow, but rather find it a very creatve interpretation and courageous.
The second half of the first act is magnificent musically. True, Jerusalem sort of just stands there, but I prefer to accent the outstanding musical interpretation and ignore the flaws in the acting. The Second Act is breathtaking. Franz Mazura (Klingsor) is marvelous and the whole scene is just magnificent. The spontaneous clapping at the end does not bother me since I wanted to stand up and cheer too after that act. I guess the New York audience is less conservative than a typical European audience, but I found it wonderful to see an audience reacting with such excitement. I find the beginning of the Third Act a bit slow after the excitement in the Second Act, but this is personal. The end of the Third act is stunning.
Jerusalem is a wonderful Parsifal and manages to portray the "child" image well. Weikl is a great Amfortas. While he didn't sing like he is in pain, but looking closely his watering mouth and sweating face, he portrays his condition well. Moll is fantastic as Gurnemanz, and of course Meier is a an outstanding Kundry. The sound and the sets are really fabulous. Perhaps some of the other reviewer have already seen a performance of Parsifal. I never had that experience. I wat not disappointed and I constantly watch sections that I especially enjoy over and over. I highly recommend this DVD set. If you have heard another performance, you might need to keep an open mind because this performance is different and does not try to be Von Karajan or Kna. However, this performance holds its own as being no less magnificent then the other 2.
Rating: 
Summary: ABSOLUTELY STUNNING - An Exerience of Music and the Sacred
Review: For me anyhow - this is Wagner's greatest gift - even better than the the Nibelung. Having played excerpts form the opera in amauture orchestral venues -- I can say that this work is "Erlebnis" (Experience). At once Wagner captures the piety of medieval Europe (now but a dim memory in an almost completely secular place), the foundational reverence of the Holy Sacrament, and essence of Christian grace. All of this with combined with was has to be one of the most moving musical scores of German romanticism. And thank you Met. Opera and James Levine for both re-igniting TRADITIONAL Wagnerian vision/stagings (and not those rancid "revisionist" directions), and making such respectable again.
Rating:
Summary: ABSOLUTELY STUNNING - An Exerience of Music and the Sacred
Review: For me anyhow - this is Wagner's greatest gift - even better than the the Nibelung. Having played excerpts form the opera in amauture orchestral venues -- I can say that this work is "Erlebnis" (Experience). At once Wagner captures the piety of medieval Europe (now but a dim memory in an almost completely secular place), the foundational reverence of the Holy Sacrament, and essence of Christian grace. All of this with combined with was has to be one of the most moving musical scores of German romanticism. And thank you Met. Opera and James Levine for both re-igniting TRADITIONAL Wagnerian vision/stagings (and not those rancid "revisionist" directions), and making such respectable again.
Rating: 
Summary: Painful tempi
Review: I cannot agree with the previous reviewer on this DVD. I had anticipated an enthralling experience watching this production on DVD, but the first few minutes into the overture, I already knew I'd be disappointed. 1) The Tempi by Levine is excruciatingly slow, sometime you would wonder whether the music is frozen. Into the drama the tempi got better but his generic approach makes it hard for singers to follow sometimes, especially for Weikl's prince role. But the slow tempi seem to be effective allowing buildup of dynamics. 2) It's surprising that an 1992 production on DVD would have less than ideal visual quality. Images are not crisp enough, and overall lighting is dark (as often happens with Met production, except for some recent ones such as Cosi, Tristan und Isode). The singing by the first three leading roles, Meier, Jerusalem, and Moll is all very good. Especially with Moll. This is a fair production and poor DVD work. Considering that not many Parsifal productions available on DVD, I have no better choice.
Rating:
Summary: The ring it's not but still very good
Review: I feel in love with opera after seeing Wagner's ring; the power held in opera and it's ability to communicate our human condition is rearly matched. Parsifal, like the Ring, was taken by Wagner from German lore; yet, the Ring is very much a pagan tale, with gods, elves and enchanments, while Parsifal has its roots in christian mythology and grail lore. I purchesed Parsifal and, at first, had trobule getting into it (The way Albrich cursed love in Das Rhinegold can spoil you). As the opera went on though, its message and strength became more clear and potent. the essence of the story is the nature of the christan detity and the belief and hope of redemption from past sin. Amfortas, the one who must care for the grail, is a "spotted sheep" like Lancelot in the questa del grail. smote with a wound that will not heal (the Fisher king), he is the dammned man that can only be saved by grace and the deeds of an "innocent fool". The plot of the wizard is purely medevil, yet the villan is given depth in that he is a fallen knight who tempts others with a sin he himself has not commited. He is 2nd to the temptresses that the knights face and the condemed woman saved by Parsifal. It is refreshing to see that, at one time, chasty and honor were in vouge. Of course, there are many views on the meaning of the grail-one need look no farther than the mondern Da Vinic code, Indian Jones, or the ancient Quest de Grail (and who can forget the indepth research of Monty Python in to Grail lore?). But what I got from Wagner was the dualism of Christiany: the same God that can damn men to endless suffering-Amforas through his wound-also is their only hope of salvation-the grail and the spear. The death that saves (Christ) is symbolically the spear; it can give and take life. Notable in Wagner's works is the child like heroes-Sigfired,Parsifal- caught up in a complex world of evil. An enjoyable work, I gave it only four stars because I felt that the subtitles were somewhat lacking in clarity. This, like most great art explores how man falls, suffers, and is either redemed-through some heroic act or intervention- or destroyed by his own devices.
Rating:
Summary: Why does the Met insist on filming with an audience?
Review: Overall, I was pleased with this production of Parsifal. I did have a few issues with this DVD though. The first is the audience. Having been to the Met a few times and having seen several of their video productions, I must say they have the single most obnoxious audience of any I know of (except maybe the Cleveland Orchestra's). Why anyone would choose to film in front of any audience, let alone the Met audience, is beyond me. The coughing never ends, and what's more disturbing is the applause before the end of the second act. Do Met audiences not understand that Wagner intended us to hear the last bar of the act? Something I found interesting is that the audio is immediately cut at the last note of the first act. This is a great move for editing, since even today Bayreuth audiences hold applause until the second act, giving the first act the feel of a religious sacrament. The second complaint I have is Bernd Weikl as Amfortas. His singing is simply beautiful, which is exactly the problem. In order to be an effective Amfortas, one must sing not beautifully, but instead painfully. Amfortas is suffering personified, and his suffering should be heard in the voice. Weikl acts the part very well, and always looks the part, but his singing simply does not convey the character the way I've heard it by others. Waltraud Meier is wonderful as Kundry, and her makeup and costuming wonderfully displays her transformations from the "wild woman" to the sexy temptress in the second act. Her singing is standard. Kurt Moll gives an exceptional Gurnemanz, which is always important seeing as how he has more lines than anyone else in the opera. The only other complaint I had was the makeup on Siegfried Jerusalem. He looks like porcelain in the close-ups. True, a lot more makeup is needed when performing in front of an audience than on camera, which is yet another reason that operas, especially one as sacred as Parsifal, should not be filmed in front of audiences. Overall I enjoyed the film. Much of my criticism is simply a matter of personal preference, but there are several things I would like to change about his production.
Rating:
Summary: Why does the Met insist on filming with an audience?
Review: Overall, I was pleased with this production of Parsifal. I did have a few issues with this DVD though. The first is the audience. Having been to the Met a few times and having seen several of their video productions, I must say they have the single most obnoxious audience of any I know of (except maybe the Cleveland Orchestra's). Why anyone would choose to film in front of any audience, let alone the Met audience, is beyond me. The coughing never ends, and what's more disturbing is the applause before the end of the second act. Do Met audiences not understand that Wagner intended us to hear the last bar of the act? Something I found interesting is that the audio is immediately cut at the last note of the first act. This is a great move for editing, since even today Bayreuth audiences hold applause until the second act, giving the first act the feel of a religious sacrament. The second complaint I have is Bernd Weikl as Amfortas. His singing is simply beautiful, which is exactly the problem. In order to be an effective Amfortas, one must sing not beautifully, but instead painfully. Amfortas is suffering personified, and his suffering should be heard in the voice. Weikl acts the part very well, and always looks the part, but his singing simply does not convey the character the way I've heard it by others. Waltraud Meier is wonderful as Kundry, and her makeup and costuming wonderfully displays her transformations from the "wild woman" to the sexy temptress in the second act. Her singing is standard. Kurt Moll gives an exceptional Gurnemanz, which is always important seeing as how he has more lines than anyone else in the opera. The only other complaint I had was the makeup on Siegfried Jerusalem. He looks like porcelain in the close-ups. True, a lot more makeup is needed when performing in front of an audience than on camera, which is yet another reason that operas, especially one as sacred as Parsifal, should not be filmed in front of audiences. Overall I enjoyed the film. Much of my criticism is simply a matter of personal preference, but there are several things I would like to change about his production.
Rating:
Summary: Onward and Upward!
Review: Some years back,a popular PBS crime series "Inspector Morse" ended. The inspector in question was a lover of opera and classical music. He suffered a sudden fatal heart attack. As he lay at peace in the hospital bed, the opening bars of the prelude to Wagner's Parsifal played. Momentarily,I was transcended. This ethereal music always has this effect on me.
I find only 2 problems with the acting in this drama. Vocally,the production is a masterpiece. Waltraud Mier's Kundry wasn't wild enough and Franz Mazura's Klingsor wasn't menacing enough.That said,on to the good stuff!
The great Kurt Moll as Gurnemanz is the standout here.His voice is so perfect and beautiful.I wish he had recorded a Wotan.
He is a fantastic Sarastro in DG "The Magic Flute".
ActIII is the one I most enjoyed. The healing of Amfortas and the ascension of the former "fool" Parsifal to power were breathtaking. With Wagner,it's so much more about the music than the vocals. This music is glorious. The Met Opera orchestra deserves special thanks for this tremendous achievement.
Rating:
Summary: Onward and Upward!
Review: Some years back,a popular PBS crime series "Inspector Morse" ended. The inspector in question was a lover of opera and classical music. He suffered a sudden fatal heart attack. As he lay at peace in the hospital bed, the opening bars of the prelude to Wagner's Parsifal played. Momentarily,I was transcended. This ethereal music always has this effect on me.
I find only 2 problems with the acting in this drama. Vocally,the production is a masterpiece. Waltraud Mier's Kundry wasn't wild enough and Franz Mazura's Klingsor wasn't menacing enough.That said,on to the good stuff!
The great Kurt Moll as Gurnemanz is the standout here.His voice is so perfect and beautiful.I wish he had recorded a Wotan.
He is a fantastic Sarastro in DG "The Magic Flute".
ActIII is the one I most enjoyed. The healing of Amfortas and the ascension of the former "fool" Parsifal to power were breathtaking. With Wagner,it's so much more about the music than the vocals. This music is glorious. The Met Opera orchestra deserves special thanks for this tremendous achievement.
Rating:
Summary: The Parsifal DVD to have
Review: There are currently only two versions of Parsifal available on DVD and this video of a Metropolitan Opera production is better musically than Hans-Jürgen Syberberg's movie version which is lip-synched by actors as well as opera singers. While Syberberg's movie is more politically and sexually charged (the flower maidens are naked) and his sets are quite imaginative, the Prague Philharmonic doesn't match the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra nor do the singers come up to the Met's cast. This video is of a March 1992 production at the MET. The sets are naturalistic and conservative but very impressive. Having seen the production live I can say that the video does a good job of capturing it. Audience noise is minimal but the crowd insists on clapping before the music stops at the end of Act II - a regular, if annoying, ritual at the MET. Some portions of the orchestral shots appear to have been made without an audience present - the spectacular camera angles taken from a boom hovering over the orchestra could never haven been filmed during an actual performance. A minor quibble - the offstage chorus at the end of Act I sounds off the beat and out of tune. They are better at the end of Act III. The SOUND on this DVD is superb. It is offered in PCM stereo, DOLBY DIGITAL, and DTS. Playback in DOLBY DIGITAL is natural with deep but not obtrusive bass; also there is no artifically distracting audio coming from the rear speakers. Presumably DTS is even better but I don't have it. The picture is free of video artifacts, colors natural, and the image is especially detailed in scenes where the cameras were precisely in focus (quite a feat during a live opera production). Annoying was a break in the audio along with a jump in the picture in the middle of Act I on disc 1 and near the end of the orchestral prelude to Act III on disc 2. I believe this is indicative of the laser beam moving from one layer of the disc to another and may not be noticeable on newer DVD players. But the one in Act III could have been more judiciously placed. The big question is LASER DISC versus DVD. Comparing the two with an S-video connection activated (I don't have component video) the DVD version is sharper (you can clearly see the notes on the music sheets in the orchestra) and MOST IMPORTANT, free of video noise - little white and colored dots that show up in particularly dark scenes. Sonically the DOLBY DIGITAL is not that noticable a difference over the LASER sound - if it were it would probably create too obtrusive a bass response. If you own the LASER you probably spent $60 for it several years ago and are wondering if the DVD is worth it. If you want a artifact-free picture, it definitely is.
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