In Parsifal,
Wagner recounts one of the central stories of the Holy
Grail. The Knights of Montsalvat have been entrusted with
the Grail, the vessel from which Jesus drank at the last
supper, and with the Sacred Spear, with which a Roman
soldier wounded Christ on the Cross. The Spear has been
lost to a magician, Klingsor, and the ceremony of the Grail
has been disrupted ever since. Because he is pure and
innocent, Parsifal is destined to recover the Spear, bring
it back to the Knights and heal the ailing king, Amfortas.
Three excerpts from the opera will be performed in
continuity: the transformation of the forest of Montsalvat
into the Hall of the Grail; the Eucharistic celebration of
the Grail; and the return of Parsifal with the Speer. (The
first two excerpts are at the end of the first act, the
third is at the very end of the opera, in the third act.)
In the first excerpt, Gurnemanz, the old and wise knight,
invites Parsifal to the Hall of the Grail. A prophesy says
that a young and chaste fool will recover the Spear from
Klingsor, and cure the shameful wound of Amfortas.
Gurnemanz wonders if Parsifal might be that person. He
invites Parsifal to witness the Holy Rite of the Grail. The
scenery gradually changes. Parsifal marvels at the fact
that he barely walks, and yet seems to have come so far.
Gurnemanz replies that in Montsalvat, time becomes space.
The trombones and the bells of the ceremony become
prominent and we are ushered into the Hall of the Grail.
Its architecture and acoustics are grandiose: Amfortas and
the knights are seated in the center front, adolescents
sing from the gallery, and high above is a mystical chorus
of children. The ceremony begins. The Grail is unveiled and
twice it glows, irradiating hope and bliss. In a slow
procession, the knights are invited to share the bread and
wine from the Sacred Cup. They sing with increasing
strength and joy. While they walk away, however, we are
reminded that Amfortas bled and suffered throughout the
ceremony: he can only be healed by the missing Spear.
Parsifal watches, mesmerized and silent.
We skip almost two acts, and many years. Parsifal has
vanquished Klingsor, the magician, and resisted Kundry, the
magician's seductress. For years, he has wandered with the
Spear without understanding its importance. But Gurnemanz
brings him again to the Hall of the Grail. Parsifal
presents the Spear to the knights, and heals Amfortas by
touching his wound. Amfortas dies, transfigured, and
Parsifal takes his mantel as king. Mystical choruses praise
the fulfillment of the prophecy. The opera ends in mixtures
of different slow meters (four and six) that suggest the
return of perfect harmony to Montsalvat and to the
world.