• Go Based on 141 reviews
    Breakdown:
  • Must Go!
    Written March 3, 2013

    Incredibly beautiful and powerful

    by Norman Brock

    One of the most extraordinary performances I've seen. The starting point is the divine music. But then add in a dream cast, the Met orchestra and chorus, and the very powerful new production, and you have the makings for a "perfect moment," when all the factors come together to make something that is transformative. The time flew by and I felt a sense of loss when it was done. The new production and direction really helped to underscore the story of Parsifal's journey, and the backstage glimpses during intermission were fascination.

    • 4 out of 4 found this review helpful.
    • Was this helpful to you? 
    • Yes
    • No
  • Must Go!
    Written March 4, 2013

    Glorious.

    by lakeclifftexas

    Kaufmann was amazing, and Dalayman and Mattei were outstanding. Pape was marvelous, and nearly stole the show. The production, including sets, projections and costumes, were very effective. As usual, the intermission interviews were interesting and informative.

    • 4 out of 4 found this review helpful.
    • Was this helpful to you? 
    • Yes
    • No
  • Go
    Written March 13, 2013

    Wagner's PARSIFAL Live at the MET

    by cvanarsd

    This was an experience that is hard to explain. The orchestral score was overwhelming and the singing superb! I thought the staging missed the mark entirely particularly in the third act.

    • 4 out of 4 found this review helpful.
    • Was this helpful to you? 
    • Yes
    • No
  • Must Go!
    Written March 3, 2013

    Amazing performance

    by Pierrette_Francis

    Quite the most beautiful Parsifal I have ever seen ... this broadcast could only have been better if I had been at the met ... the singers are outstanding and Maestro Galli one of the best Parsifal conductors of today.

    • 4 out of 4 found this review helpful.
    • Was this helpful to you? 
    • Yes
    • No
  • Go
    Written March 3, 2013

    A Wonderful Parsifal

    by eschapker

    Although one could quarrel with some of the artistic choices -- people sloshing around in pools of blood, for example -- overall this was a wonderful experience. The singing was magnificent. A great day at the opera.

    • 4 out of 4 found this review helpful.
    • Was this helpful to you? 
    • Yes
    • No
  • Oh No!
    Written March 3, 2013

    Mixed Met-aphor

    by paul.m.wortman

    The Met's Parsifal tries unsuccessfully to take the myth into a modern or post-modern world. Unfortunately, to do that you have to also change the very clear Christian wording in the libretto. Moreover, the new sets are just plain awful--dark, depressing--the VERY antithesis of the uplifting, spiritual message that the myth portrays. How about a soaring cathedral-like (or mosque-like or synagogue-like) structure with luminous windows in Act I rather than a drab, dark field with men in white shirts. How about white robes? The blood bath sert in Hell in Act II is equally unimpressive and sounds the wrong note. How about a modern corporate office with its temptations? The dissonance these false sets with archaic language create makes for an uncomfortable viewing experiencing despite the vocal quality of the cast. I left after the second act!!

    • 4 out of 5 found this review helpful.
    • Was this helpful to you? 
    • Yes
    • No
  • Go
    Written March 3, 2013

    Great Performance of a Mixed Bag

    by

    Let's face it. By the time he composed and wrote the lyrics for "Parsifal," Richard Wagner was full of himself and way over-the-top in his love for pagan mysticism, ambiguity, and the horn section of major orchestras. The music he composed for his final opera is outstanding. The singers in this Met production were great. The direction, by the man who gave us the fine film "32 Short Films Abour Glenn Gould," was excellent, if a bit too much like Harry Potter Meets Darth Vader at times. The orchestra was the best. The videography of this HD perfiormance was very, very good -- amazing close ups. The sound reproduction, while not quite high fidelity, was pretty good; at least the volume level was appropriate for a change.

    But the story, if that's what we call it here, is the pits. What are we to make of Wagner's melange of Catholicism, sexism (women replace Jews as foils), relic veneration, and downright stupidity in plot creation?

    Go for the music. Ignore the rest.

    • 4 out of 6 found this review helpful.
    • Was this helpful to you? 
    • Yes
    • No
  • I'm In
    Written February 27, 2013
    by

    • Was this helpful to you? 
    • Yes
    • No
  • Go
    Written March 3, 2013

    Long and a little slow

    by barbhelm

    Acts 1 and 3 are so slow; Act 2 is wonderful.

    • 2 out of 2 found this review helpful.
    • Was this helpful to you? 
    • Yes
    • No
  • Must Go!
    Written March 3, 2013
    by pfeiring

    • Was this helpful to you? 
    • Yes
    • No
  • I'm In
    Written February 27, 2013
    by

    • Was this helpful to you? 
    • Yes
    • No
  • Must Go!
    Written March 3, 2013
    by metencore

    • Was this helpful to you? 
    • Yes
    • No
  • Must Go!
    Written March 3, 2013
    by bonnie_ruth

    • Was this helpful to you? 
    • Yes
    • No
  • Must Go!
    Written March 3, 2013

    I finally get Wagner!

    by pamelajoyking

    What an awesome opera! I've been going for twenty years now and I'm a Handel and Verdi and Mozart and Donizetti lady usually, but Parsifal was spectacular. And the hourly rate makes it more affordable! ;) Go to the encore. Deep story. Great singing.

    • Was this helpful to you? 
    • Yes
    • No
  • I'm In
    Written February 27, 2013
    by lucindajefferson

    • Was this helpful to you? 
    • Yes
    • No

The Metropolitan Opera: Parsifal Movie Reviews + Ratings

Fans say

Go
141 fan reviews