Somewhere in a forgotten corner of the world, a group of men have locked themselves away—denying desire, ignoring the past, and devoting themselves fully to a sacred mission.
So begins Dmitri Tcherniakov’s Parsifal at Staatsoper Unter den Linden: a clinical, cult-like setting where the Grail Knights live in isolation, convinced that holiness (and maybe even immortality?!) can be achieved through rules, rituals, and absolute obedience.
Photo: Ruth Walz.
The Music: A Slow Build With Some Bi Bangs Along the Way
Philippe Jordan guided the orchestra like a high priest of patience—never in a hurry, never letting go of the tension. Parsifal is all about long lines and slow revelations, and Jordan knew very well when to let things simmer and when to let them surge. The score didn’t explode often—but when it did, it hit like a vision. Most of the time, the music glowed, pulsed, and breathed, like something sacred stirring beneath the surface.
Photo: Ruth Walz.
The Grail Squad
And onstage? A cast that knew exactly how to carry all that heavy Wagnerian weight without sinking. Andreas Schager, as Parsifal, delivered his usual vocal firepower—maybe with an extra shot of boom this time? His voice blazed through the hall but softened in all the strange and tender places, especially in that surreal seduction scene with Kundry.
Speaking of Kundry—Tanja Ariane Baumgartner jumped in for Elīna Garanča—and she more than held her own! Her voice had serious volume and that glorious kind of depth you can swim around in.
Photo: Ruth Walz.
I’d come across this production already, with Anja Kampe in the role, and couldn’t help but picture her from time to time. It was a bit like watching a film and recognizing the character’s coat from another movie—not the actor, but the role itself coming back in costume.
In this tight-lipped cult of men, one figure had all ears from the moment he opened his mouth: René Pape as Gurnemanz! I’d only heard his take on the role online before, but live? A revelation. His voice didn’t just project—it painted the air. He delivered his long monologues with such natural phrasing and sly shifts in emphasis that it felt less like storytelling and more like being gently hypnotized by a bass-baritone with very strong opinions about time…
Photo: Ruth Walz.
Lauri Vasar’s Amfortas was compelling in both voice and body: unsteady on his feet, tense with pain, and yet vocally controlled. You could almost feel the wound pulsing through his phrasing. And then there was Klingsor—Tómas Tómasson—half villain, half eccentric uncle at a séance. Constantly smoothing his scattered grey hair, flailing his limbs like a goth marionette, he added a bizarre comic twist to the madness.
Photo: Ruth Walz.
A Sneaky Trick in Act II
A particularly effective moment in Tcherniakov’s staging comes in Act II, when Kundry recounts the story of Parsifal’s mother. Rather than leaving it as a spoken memory, a younger, silent Parsifal appears onstage and starts living the words as she speaks. The scene gains both emotional immediacy and theatrical clarity. Watching it, I couldn’t help but wonder: what if someone tried the same trick during Gurnemanz’s marathon monologue in Act I? (Directors, take notes—this one’s on the house!)
The Finale
And just when you think the final chorale will lift us into the light—bam. Tcherniakov hits us with one last twist… If you want to know what just happened, you’ll have to grab a ticket and find out for yourself!
Fun Fact:
Parsifal was originally only allowed to be performed at Bayreuth. But in 1903 the exclusive rights expired and the opera escaped into the wider world—leaving Cosima Wagner fuming in her festspiel seat.
Trailer:
The Cast:
- Conductor: Philippe Jordan
- Director and Stage Designer: Dmitri Tcherniakov
- Costume Designer: Elena Zaytseva
- Lighting Designer: Gleb Filshtinsky
- Amfortas: Lauri Vasar
- Gurnemanz: René Pape
- Parsifal: Andreas Schager
- Klingsor: Tómas Tómasson
- Kundry: Tanja Ariane Baumgartner
- Titurel: Stefan Cerny
- Knappen: Maria Kokareva, Sandra Laagus, Florian Hoffmann, Junho Hwang
- Erster Gralsritter: Johan Krogius
- Zweiter Gralsritter: Manuel Winckhler
- Blumenmädchen: Evelin Novak, Adriane Queiroz, Sandra Laagus, Sonja Herranen, Clara Nadeshdin, Natalia Skrycka
- Stimme aus der Höhe: Anna Kissjudit
Staatsopernchor, Staatskapelle Berlin
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