Metropolitan Opera Archives

Wagner's "Parsifal" received its first performance of the season last night at the Metropolitan Opera House. The large audience present heard a reverent and carefully detailed presentation of the work and one definitely surpassing that accorded it last season. The chief reason for the marked improvement was the increased efficiency displayed by Emil Cooper at the conductor's desk. Although he still left much unsaid in the introductory prelude and the Transformation music and permitted many slovenly attacks in the first act, he managed to invest the orchestral support with far more mood and atmosphere than previously, especially from the second scene on. His treatment of the first Grail scene had gained greatly in impressiveness, while his handling of the entire garden scene was decidedly more eloquent and effective.

Singers Enter Into Spirit

Spurred on by this bettered direction, the singers on stage were enabled to enter more fully into the spirit of the consecration drama than had been the case last season. This was especially true of Kerstin Thorborg, whose vocalism as the Kundry of the cast took on complete new values, and who imbued her work in the big duet with Parsifal with marked dramatic forcefulness. Her interpretation was filled with niceties of detail, and the singing of the "Herzeleide" episode proved particularly admirable and moving. It was only in the final part of the duet, where the voice was pushed, and in the two high B's attempted, that her tones failed to maintain the excellent quality of the rest of her vocal contributions.

Emery Darcy, who had won encomiums for his initial Parsifal last season, again made a deeply favorable impression in the exacting part. His singing was not quite up to that of his earlier appearance in the role, some of the lower passages in particular having less resonance than before, but again his performance had intensity, power and sensitiveness and he made much of his main opportunity, the "Amfortas, die Wunde" passage in the second act, given with somewhat less poetry than last season, but with equal depth of feeling.

Janssen in Amfortas Role

Herbert Janssen delivered Amfortas' music with his accustomed richness of tone and keen understanding of the needs of the role and Alexander Kipnis was a noble and dignified Gurnemanz. If the Flower Maidens' singing was thin and their costumes more diaphanous than attractive, they had the merit of youthful looks and slenderness for the first time one can remember. The Grail choruses were ably delivered. Staging and lighting were up to the company's usual high standard in this work and the performance must go on record as one of the more worthy of those offered this season.

Search by season: 1944-45

Search by title: Parsifal,

Met careers