In Parsifal, his final music drama, Wagner embeds fear of the temptations of the world and sinful desires into a tale of redemption. The work is indeed a festival play for the stage rather than an opera. Many viewers – perhaps out of their own fears – criticised Wagner, who wrote both the libretto and the music, for what could be called the piece’s virtue and remarkable complexity, which is the personal tone with which he portrayed a religious theme combining notions of sacred and profane love. Designing the visual world of this new production directed by artistic director András Almási-Tóth will be Sebastian Hannak, who was also behind the look of Porgy and Bess and The Fairy Queen.
AUTHORS
Librettist: Richard Wagner
Director: András Almási-Tóth
Set designer: Sebastian Hannak
Costume designer: Lili Izsák
Choreographer: Dóra Barta
Video designer: András Juhász
Lighting: Tamás Pillinger
Dramaturg, Hungarian surtitles: Enikő Perczel
English surtitles: Arthur Roger Crane
Chorus director: Gábor Csiki
Head of the Children’s Chorus: Nikolett Hajzer
CASTConductor: Balázs Kocsár
Amfortas: Michele Kalmandy
Parsifal: István Kovácsházi
First page: Eszter Zavaros
Second page: Laura Topolánszky
Fourth page: Barna Bartos
I/1st flower-maiden: Lilla Horti
I/2nd flower-maiden: Ildikó Megyimórecz
I/3rd flower-maiden: Klára Vincze
II/1st flower-maiden: Beatrix Fodor
II/2nd flower-maiden: Andrea Brassői-Jőrös
II/3rd flower-maiden: Melinda Heiter
Mother of Parsifal / Voice from Above: Judit Németh
First Grail knight: József Mukk
Second Grail knight: András Káldi Kiss
The young Parsifal: Benjámin Taba