Number 201: APRIL 2011 - Wagner Society of England

THE WAY TO THE GRAIL
Parsifal at English National Opera on 16th, 19th and 24th February 2011
Review by KATIE BARNES
On its first showing in 1999 Nicklaus Lehnhoff’s production was criticised for its
ugliness, yet I recall Philippe Monnet reviewing it in Wagner News and praising it for its
beauty. This Monsalvat is T.S. Eliot’s Waste Land, terribly bare and bleak. Despite the
abundant references to nature in the text, all we see on the stage are grim whites and greys,
unrelieved by so much as a blade of grass. The theft of the spear has caused the Grail’s
domain to decay to the point of total ruin.
In the first scene only the front half of the stage is visible. A section of the flooring is
raised, revealing a trap filled with stones and at the left is a chute with a pile of stones at its
foot. The floor is scattered with small stones and a couple of chairs stand at odd angles. The
back wall is peppered with bullet holes and studded with nails. The harsh white lighting falls
across the stage at an angle, making the nails cast long shadows and throwing huge,
intimidating shadows of the singers onto the back wall. A gigantic stone protrudes through a
huge, irregular hole in the back wall. It is the barrier which keeps all comers from
approaching the Grail unbidden. As the Squires intone the prophecy “Made wise through
pity, the purest fool” the stone moves backwards a little, creating a space through which
Parsifal climbs, clutching his bow and arrow.
Gurnemanz, Amfortas and all the Knights and Squires wear grey, with very pale,
grey-white makeup. Their costumes recall those of the Terracotta Army, with the Squires in
three-quarter length coats and pantaloons, the Knights in long, loose robes and skull caps (the
two solo Knights have coats fastened at one shoulder in Chinese fashion), and Gurnemanz,
his hair drawn back in a bun, in a massive overcoat with a huge, turned-over collar and central
fastening. The Chinese influence in the costumes recalls how Wagner’s interest in Buddhism
influenced the creation of the opera. Amfortas also wears a long robe with a golden crown,
and his upper body is bound in layers of ragged grey bandages. The whole effect is as though
the members of the Grail community have become dehumanised and are slowly turning to
stone. With the exception of Gurnemanz, they are certainly hard-hearted: the Knights and
Squires shrink from Kundry in terror when he is watching, but when his back is turned the
Third and Fourth Squires are menacing thugs who torment her mercilessly and later menace
Parsifal.
Parsifal and Kundry by contrast are both children of nature who wear rich russets and
browns. Kundry’s costume is especially effective: a long, close-fitting squirrel-red garment,
cream at the front, made of rough fabric which could be taken to resemble either fur or
feathers. Her hair is a mass of wild reddish-brown locks and she carries two great wings, one
of which falls from her in her headlong rush as she enters, and the other is later torn from
her by the Squires. Parsifal wears a brown jerkin and breeches, with an animal skin girded
about his waist and a rough battle jacket, apparently made from twigs. His hair is a mass of
brown dreadlocks roughly tied back and his face is covered with brown and white war paint
which looks effective but makes it hard for the singer to convey emotion.
The direction of the scene between Parsifal, Kundry and Gurnemanz is especially
good, bringing out the parallels with their scene in Act III, especially when Kundry brings
water to revive the fainting Parsifal. At “Who is good?” the three are standing in a diagonal
line, with equal spaces between them, and the deep connection between them could not be
shown more clearly. It was uncharacteristic, though, for the usually alert Gurnemanz not to
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