Any performance of “Parsifal” is an event, and was never meant to be anything less. Filmmaker François Girard (Thirty-two Short Films About Glenn Gould, The Red Violin ) returns to the stage with this new production of Richard Wagner’s Bühnenweihfestspiel, (or “stage consecrating festival play”), hoping to bring a sense of urgency in his new Met production. Renewal, of course, is the central theme of “Parsifal”, which tells the story of a young man who knows little about who he is. A “pure fool,” as a prophecy has described him, he encounters an ailing brotherhood of knights and an enigmatic woman living out an ancient curse. His path through suffering to enlightenment eventually leads him to the fulfillment of his destiny: he will become king of the knights of the Holy Grail, reinvigorating this mystical order, which has fallen into an encrusted impotence.
Tenor Jonas Kaufmann stars in the title role of the innocent who finds wisdom. His fellow Wagnerian luminaries include soprano Katarina Dalayman as the mysterious Kundry, baritone Peter Mattei as the ailing Amfortas, bass-baritone Evgeny Nikitin as the wicked Klingsor, and world-renowned Wagnerian bass René Pape as the noble knight Gurnemanz. Daniele Gatti conducts.
The Grand is pleased to partner with H&R Block with financial services in Bucksport and Ellsworth; and with Bar Harbor Bank and Trust, your home town bank for over 125 years.
It is LIVE high-definition opera on the big screen at The Grand, with “Parsifal” on Saturday, March 2nd at 12 noon and an encore on Thursday March 28th at 6pm. Bring a friend, share the experience at downtown Ellsworth’s historic theatre. The running time is 5 hours and 35 min, with 2 intermissions.
Tickets are $26 Reserved Seating for Adults, $24 Reserved Seating for Seniors and $17 Reserved Seating for Children 12 and under. Call The Grand box office for tickets, or purchase online at www.grandonline.org.
The Grand is pleased to present high-definition simulcast productions of The New York Metropolitan Opera, a series which continues with David McVicar’s lively production of Handel’s “Giulio Cesare” on Saturday, April 27th at 1pm.
A full schedule can be found online at www.grandonline.org. Or find The Grand on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Grand-Auditorium/112755987339.
