"All concerned with this issue have done a magnificent piece of work, but my last word of praise must be for Hans Knappertsbusch whose superb musicianship and deep insight into the opera must have inspired the whole of the cast—in which there is not a weak member—and the orchestra to give of their best." - The Gramophone, 1952
Knappertsbusch would continue to be closely associated with Wagner's Parsifal for the rest of his life, but this 1951 version is particularly special, surely one of the greatest cast recordings ever from Bayreuth. Drawn from a near-pristine set of Decca LPs - all ten sides! - the application of XR remastering and Ambient Stereo processing has only served to further enhance what was already a masterpiece of early-fifties Decca engineering. An unmissable treat for Wagnerians everywhere.
STOKOWSKI PROMOTION: From 3pm Paris time, Friday 15 April, and for exactly one week, we mark the 140th birthday of LEOPOLD STOKOWSKI with a 20% discount on all our recordings of his, in download or CD format - the discount is automatic and will be applied at the checkout.