★ 日本唱片藝術首獎。

★ 庫納貝布許6個同曲錄音中之最佳版本。

庫納貝布許先後留下6次「帕西法爾」的錄音史料，本次1962年拜魯特音樂節錄音，網羅了最堅強的歌手陣容，男高音Jess Thomas在此有極為精采的詮釋。樂團庫納貝布許指揮棒的催促下，發出排山倒海之雄偉樂音，所散發出的宗教儀式氛圍也最為濃厚，不啻為肯氏同曲之最佳錄音版本。同時本片也是樂迷心中不可獲缺的荒島唱片。

Jess Thomas, George London, Martti Talvela, Hans Hotter, Irene Dalis, Gustav Neidlinger and other soloists

Chorus and Orchestra of the Bayreuth Festival conducted by Hans Knappertsbusch

By the end of the evening, anyone who has sat on the hard chairs in Bayreuth to be immersed in Wagner’s surging waves knows that this hardship has been well worth it. The special acoustics of the Festspielhaus (for the building of which Wagner bled the Bavarian King Ludwig II like the Knights of the Grail bled Amfortas) are not purely a delight for pilgrims to the Grüner Hügel: record collectors will instantly recognise why music recorded in Bayreuth is not simply labelled 'Live Recording' but presented as an 'Original Recording'.

And indeed, the artistic excellence of the present "Parsifal" also contributes to the myths surrounding the Festival. Jess Thomas portrays the title role ideally, singing with an intense, heroic sound and clear articulation. George London, who personally suffered tragedy, creates a monument for himself as the wounded Amfortas, while Hans Hotter sings with the powerful baritone of an erudite but by no means antiquated Gurnemanz.

No less legendary is Hans Knappertsbusch’s musical direction: a 'high priest' of slower tempos, his conducting was miraculously never felt to be sluggish. Gurnemanz’s mystic words "Zum Raum wird hier die Zeit" (Time here becomes space) take on a programmatic meaning for both the music and sound of this recording.

Recording: July and August 1962 at Festspielhaus Bayreuth, Germany, by Volker Straus
Production: Hans Lauterslager