[Met Performance] CID:144500
Parsifal {171} Metropolitan Opera House: 04/2/1947.
(Review)
Metropolitan Opera House
April 2, 1947
PARSIFAL {171}
Parsifal................Set Svanholm
Kundry..................Rose Bampton
Amfortas................Herbert Janssen
Gurnemanz...............Joel Berglund
Klingsor................Gerhard Pechner
Titurel.................Dezsö Ernster
Voice...................Margaret Harshaw
First Esquire...........Marita Farell
Second Esquire..........Irene Jordan
Third Esquire...........John Garris
Fourth Esquire..........Leslie Chabay
First Knight............Emery Darcy
Second Knight...........Osie Hawkins
Flower Maidens: Lucielle Browning, Marita Farell, Mary Henderson [Last performance],
Irene Jordan, Florence Quartararo, Maxine Stellman
Conductor...............Fritz Stiedry
Review of Francis D. Perkins in the Herald Tribune
Svanholm Sings Parsifal and Janssen Is Amfortas
Wagner's "Parsifal," which had a single performance last month in the regular season at the Metropolitan Opera House, was repeated there in the Holy Week post-season series last night, when Set Svanholm sang the title role for the first time here. Vocally expressive, his impersonation gave an impression of persuasive sincerity and understanding from the dramatic point of view and proved emotionally revealing when Parsifal's contribution to the development of the music-drama was silent as well as when he was singing. This was not achieved through obviousness of gesture.
Herbert Janssen, singing Amfortas for the first time this season, gave a commendable interpretation of the role, while not in the first act realizing all of its possible poignance. Rose Bampton again was a vividly dramatic and convincing Kundry and Joel Berglund sang Gurnemanz with memorable eloquence. Gerhard Pechner fared very creditably as Klingsor, and Deszo Ernster presented Titurel's lines expressively. As in the previous performance, the standard of the orchestral playing and of the musical interpretation as a whole was high under Fritz Stiedry's conductorship.
Photograph of Set Svanholm as the title role in Parsifal.