Lvso birthday concert: R. wagner. ''parsifal''

Although the idea for the work came to R. Wagner as early as 1857, he only finished the score 25 years later, in 1882. That same year, the premiere of "Parsifal" took place on the stage of the Bayreuth Festival Opera House, for which this work was intended. For the first three decades, "Parsifal" was performed exclusively in Bayreuth – such was R. Wagner's will, wanting the work not to be turned into everyday entertainment and to be experienced as the composer had imagined. Due to the desire to maintain a sacred atmosphere, a unique tradition formed and continues: in many theaters, the audience still does not applaud after the first act, which ends with the mystical scene of the Grail ritual.

In "Parsifal," R. Wagner returns to the theme of the Holy Grail, which had already been explored in the composer's opera "Lohengrin." The libretto, written by R. Wagner himself, is based on the 12th-century French trouvère Chrétien de Troyes' poem "Perceval, the Story of the Grail" and the 13th-century German minnesinger Wolfram von Eschenbach's knightly romance "Parzival." The plot tells of the knight Parsifal, who, guided by various trials, grows from a naive, innocent young man into a spiritually mature personality. Eventually, he becomes a savior destined to rescue the brotherhood of the Holy Grail knights. Due to its multifaceted mythical, psychological, and spiritual layers, this work stands out for its special sacred atmosphere and is considered one of R. Wagner's most unique works.

The composer himself emphasized the uniqueness of "Parsifal" by describing it not as an opera, but as a "festival play for the consecration of the stage" (Ger. Ein Bühnenweihfestspiel), highlighting its philosophical and ritualistic nature. Later, the French composer Claude Debussy spoke similarly about the work, stating that it is "one of the most majestic works immortalizing the glory of music ever created in sound form."