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"Parsifal" at Glyndebourne: A Review Roundup from Press and Blogs

Written By The Wagnerian on Thursday, July 3, 2025 | 6:03:00 PM


A little late. Our apologies. 

Glyndebourne's inaugural production of Wagner's "Parsifal" has stirred considerable discussion among critics, largely due to Jetske Mijnssen's unconventional and new staging. While musical performances have garnered widespread acclaim, the production's interpretative choices have divided opinions.


The Guardian

Overall Impression: The Guardian describes Mijnssen's production as "sincere, serious and beautiful" and "moving and musically very special," despite its deliberate departures from traditional interpretations. It was found to be "gripping" and likely to "stimulate continuing debate."

Production (Jetske Mijnssen): The staging takes a "dour approach," largely bypassing religious mysticism and magic in favor of a "Chekhovian family relationship drama." The setting is a "handsome" 19th-century mansion, decaying by Act Three. Central to this interpretation is the portrayal of Amfortas and Klingsor as "long-lost brothers," with the "real wound" being their familial rift rather than a physical one. Traditional symbols like the Grail and spear are minimized (the spear becomes a "whittling knife"), and Kundry is presented as a "glorified housemaid" rather than a wild spirit. The Production focuses on "reconciliation rather than redemption," which the reviewer felt was a "more slender story" than Wagner's original. Some choices, like the absence of the Good Friday meadow and snow at Titurel's funeral, were noted as departures.

Music & Performances: The London Philharmonic Orchestra, under Robin Ticciati, delivered "orchestral playing of quite extraordinary beauty," described as "musically incandescent" with "miracles of ever-moving textures" and "glorious, vibrant colour." John Relyea (Gurnemanz) gave a "velvet-toned tour de force." Audun Iversen (Amfortas) was "profoundly affecting," while Kristina Stanek (Kundry) impressed with her "rich-toned, lithe-voiced" portrayal. Ryan Speedo Green (Klingsor) was "energised," and Daniel Johansson (Parsifal) was "innocent but incisive." John Tomlinson (Titurel) was "as magnetic as ever," a silent yet "major figure" for much of Act One.

OperaWire

Overall Impression: OperaWire called the musical performance "incandescent" and the production "thoroughly absorbing and distinctive," despite acknowledging it might be polarizing for Wagner purists due to "narrative tinkering."

Production: Mijnssen's vision is described as bold, tailored to Glyndebourne's intimacy, providing a familial and domestic rather than cosmic frame for the music drama. Compassion is central, and Mijnssen has an "unconventional approach to realizing it," which is deeply compelling and profoundly moving. While Wagner purists might disagree with Mijnssen's narrative tinkering, the interventionist approach makes a mystifying work hard to read for first-timers. Some decisions remained puzzling, and a couple of key moments fell flat.

Music & Performances: Vocally, the cast was well-matched to the venue, and the London Philharmonic Orchestra under Robin Ticciati showed "meticulous dynamic control," emphasizing transparency and detail. Daniel Johansson (Parsifal) displayed a "superb balance of power, control, heft, and line." John Relyea (Gurnemanz) delivered his narration with "crisp diction and mobile phrasing." John Tomlinson gave an "astonishing physical performance." Ticciati's conducting, while less electric than his "Tristan," was never ponderous, excelling in balance and detail, especially from the LPO strings. The offstage chorus created a "haunting effect" with "lustrous male voices" and "gilt-edged, nimble Flower Maidens."



The Arts Desk

Overall Impression: The review noted the music "flies up" while the drama "remains below," criticizing the production for rewriting the story.

Production: Jetske Mijnssen's staging, Glyndebourne's first "Parsifal," used "strong tableaux" that kept Wagner's score grounded in the physical world. It overlaid a Cain and Abel narrative, with the "wonder-working spear" reimagined as a knife. Characters were depicted with both young and old actors. The set remained a consistent grail room, internalizing forest scenes. Act Two had striking ideas, though Klingsor was not a sorcerer, and Kundry was never in a trance, with Flower-Maidens as multiple versions of her.

Music & Performances: Robin Ticciati and the London Philharmonic Orchestra delivered a "gleaming score" with "incredible sonorities" and immediate emotional impact. Kristina Stanek (Kundry) was a "lustrous mezzo." Daniel Johansson (Parsifal) had the necessary "heft" for his role. John Relyea's "magnificent delivery" of the Good Friday narrative perfectly aligned with Ticciati's tender conducting. Audun Iversen (Amfortas) excelled in his anguished monologues.

Opera Today

Overall Impression: The production received a "mixed reception with audible disapproval at curtain calls," but was musically "gripping."

Production: Mijnssen's interpretation, influenced by Chekhov, framed Wagner's mysticism as a Victorian family drama, with Amfortas and Klingsor as siblings and Parsifal as an outsider in a dysfunctional household. The focus was on "Blood, sex, magic and redemption," but the ending's reconciliation was seen to defuse genuine redemption through directorial intervention. Kundry was transformed from a "promiscuous wild beast to a demure housemaid." The spear's reduction to a "penknife" undermined its mystery. Ben Baur's set was a "huge drawing room." Act 2's red-headed Flower-Maidens (multiple Kundrys) were striking, and Act 3 featured a "deathbed tableau" and "magnificent candle-lit funeral procession."

Music & Performances: The production was "blessed with outstanding singer-actors." Daniel Johansson (Parsifal) was vocally uneven but "compelling." Kristina Stanek (Kundry) was convincing and reached the role's extremities, particularly in her interactions with Johansson and Ryan Speedo Green (Klingsor). John Relyea brought "depth and authority" to Gurnemanz. Audun Iversen (Amfortas) was suitably "angst-ridden." The chorus excelled. Robin Ticciati "coaxes superbly detailed and supportive playing" from the London Philharmonic Orchestra, with "beguiling woodwind."

iNews.co.uk

Overall Impression: Described as a "dark and glorious experience," with "blazing music" that had to fight an "increasingly incoherent production." The reviewer highlights the strong individual performances despite the production's flaws and found the lengthy opera engrossing.

Production (Jetske Mijnssen): Mijnssen's new production creates a "weirdly dysfunctional family." The setting is "provincial Russia in Chekhov’s day," which is noted as "not an obvious fit." The reviewer notes that while the choreography for Il Barbiere di Siviglia (mentioned as the first night's show) may be overblown, for Parsifal, the review implies the setting choice doesn't always align. Kundry's wildness, as demanded by the text, is found to be shortchanged, with Mijnssen opting for a "desperate waif" alternative. The reviewer suggests that despite the challenging landscape and oddball characters of the opera, "no setting could ever seem 'right'."

Music & Performances: The "great strength" of the production lies in the soloists' ability to make their characters "pulsatingly real." Audun Iversen (Amfortas) is a "haunting invalid" with "querulous complaint and heart-rending pathos." Daniel Johansson brings "wide-eyed innocence" to the title role. Kristina Stanek (Kundry) has a "voice to pin you back in your seat" and copes brilliantly with directorial demands. The cast is "firmly grounded" by two "majestic basses": John Tomlinson as the "ghostly patriarch" and John Relyea as the "warmly ever-present narrator." Under the direction of Robin Ticciati, "singers and orchestra combine to produce a definitively resplendent account of this glorious music." Despite its four-and-a-half-hour length and slow gravity, the reviewer "wasn’t bored for a moment."

WheresRunnicles.com

Overall Impression: Titled "Blazing Music Fights Increasingly Incoherent Production," this review highlights a significant contrast between the high musical standard and a production that becomes "increasingly confused and at war with the text" by Act Three.

Production (Jetske Mijnssen): The production is described as "overall coherent, if... flawed, in Act One," but "goes off the rails in Act Two, and by Act Three was increasingly confused." Initial dumb show and a projection of the Cain and Abel story (recasting Amfortas and Klingsor as brothers) were found confusing. Act One's set was a dimly lit, columned space resembling a "rundown Oxbridge college." A successful idea was keeping Titurel on stage throughout Act One, bringing out tensions in the Titurel-Amfortas relationship. However, other elements like the swan business and the Act 1 transformation staging were unsuccessful or insufficient. The Grail Knights' ritual was illogical, and Gurnemanz's reaction to Parsifal's beating was unconvincing. Act Two worsens by using the same "dismal environment" set as Act One, lacking color, with "sets of curtains" revealing a "blasted heath with dead trees" and Herzeleide's bed. The Kundry-Parsifal-Herzeleide scene was "weakly directed." Act Three introduces "tiresome dumb show" with old versions of Klingsor and Kundry, and an "aged man in striped pyjamas" (possibly older Titurel), which rendered Gurnemanz's explanations silly as much was visible. Processional failings were repeated, and the presence and role of dumb show characters or doubles were unclear. The treatment of the Spear, suddenly embodied by Klingsor in Act Three without prior setup, was highly problematic, conflicting with the continued presence of the "flick knife." The production has "too many ill thought out ideas that fail to cohere" and "too many places where one feels Mijnssen simply doesn't know what to do with the actual text." The reviewer noted they were oblivious to any "Chekhov influenced" intent until told in the interval.

Music & Performances: Musically performed to a "very high standard." John Relyea (Gurnemanz) is at the center, offering a "warm, dramatic, deeply felt" performance, radiating conviction despite directorial incoherence. Ryan Speedo Green (Klingsor) impressed with "sheer energy and vocal force," committing fully to Mijnssen's Act Three vision. Daniel Johansson (Parsifal) was "hugely impressed," particularly in Act Two, delivering "Amfortas, die Wunde!" with "heroic, anguished ring." Kristina Stanek (Kundry) has a "voice to pin you back in your seat" but her Act 2 scene suffers from directorial demands. Audun Iversen's (Amfortas) singing was "strongly and movingly." John Tomlinson's (Titurel) presence was largely persuasive despite vocal shortcomings, and Mijnssen's additions for him were mostly effective. Supporting roles made "fine contributions." In the pit, Robin Ticciati "shaped a convincing account," and the London Philharmonic Orchestra played superbly, delivering "real emotional punch." Two musical shortcomings were noted: Ticciati's slower tempos sometimes combined with staging issues to reduce dramatic momentum, and the "unsatisfactory" placing of offstage voices, which sounded "piped in."

Liberta Books (A Writer's Life Blog)

Overall Impression: The author, revisiting "Parsifal" as a long-time fan of the prelude, found the production "beautifully staged" but admitted to still not fully understanding the opera's story. The reviewer explicitly states they are "not a Wagnerian" and still don't "fully know" the opera.

Production: Described as "beautifully staged with striking tableaux and much use of stillness," set in the late 19th century. It opened with a "Jane Eyre" figure by a "steel hostel-type bed" with a suffering man, watched by a cleric, creating a "Gothic horror" atmosphere.

Music & Performances: The London Philharmonic conducted by Robin Ticciati played the Prelude with "great flow and lyricism," featuring a "haunting horn call." Act 1's story structure was found "appalling," repetitive, and confusing, even with surtitles.


Posted by The Wagnerian at 6:03:00 PM