Parsifal is especially dear to the Müpa Budapest audience, as it was this work that launched the series of Budapest Wagner Days productions in 2006. This opera, which Wagner defined with an untranslatable term meaning "festival play for the stage", relates the story of a "pure fool". For many years, the composer's family refused to permit it to be performed outside of Bayreuth. Combining in its spirituality Christian and Buddhist teachings together with elements of Schopenhauerian philosophy, it generates sharply different views on how it is to be interpreted. And no wonder, as so many people - from Nietzsche and Hitler to Thomas Mann and Theodor Adorno - have taken a stand on the piece. Müpa Budapest's latest production reveals the details of the masterpiece in concert format, highlighting the details of the music, especially the choruses. The remarkable Australian tenor Stuart Skelton, who sings the title role, is also a returning guest at Müpa Budapest: his convincingly credible Siegfried found its way into many viewer's hearts. In the role of the wise Gurnemanz is an Austrian singer whose formidable appearance puts athletes to shame: the highly versatile Günther Groissböck has all the important bass roles in his repertoire, from Sarastro and Baron Ochs to King Marke and King Philip. Adam Fischer's pure and unrestrainedly natural conducting corresponds to the work itself.

Presented by: Müpa Budapest