Album

Most of the familiar orchestral versions of Richard Wagner's operatic music were arranged either by him or his followers in the 19th century, so the Overture and Venusberg Music from Tannhäuser and the Prelude to Act III from Lohengrin have long been performed in these special concert formats. But the main work of this SACD is the 1993 suite arranged by Henk de Vlieger, Parsifal, an Orchestral Quest, which is a fresh adaptation of the key moments from Wagner's final music drama. The work was commissioned by the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, after de Vlieger, the ensemble's percussionist, had successfully arranged music from Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen into a similar orchestral vehicle for them. Parsifal, an Orchestral Quest was premiered on RCA in 1997 by Edo de Waart, and Neeme Järvi leads the second recorded performance on this 2010 release on Chandos. Since the music is faithfully adapted from the original score and arranged into a coherent instrumental version that still communicates the broad outlines of the drama, there is little to debate over de Vlieger's choices, and Järvi's performance with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra is fully satisfying. This album provides a balanced program of Wagner's orchestral music, from the somber meditations of Parsifal to the lascivious passions of the bacchanalia from Tannhäuser and the stirring emotions in the Prelude to Act III from Lohengrin, so listeners can expect a captivating listening experience that may also inspire them to seek out the full operas.

© Blair Sanderson, Rovi

CD 1
Henk de Vlieger Composer Parsifal, an Orchestral Quest, for orchestra (after Wagner) Work 45:55 Neeme Järvi Conductor, William Chandler Orchestra Leader, Royal Scottish National Orchestra Orchestra
1	1.Vorspiel. Sehr langsam -	9:21			$1.49
2	2.Parsifal. Mäßig belebt - Schnell - Immer langsamer -	2:41			$0.99
3	3.Die Gralsritter 1. Langsam und feierlich -	7:50			$1.49
4	4.Die Blumenmädchen. Lebhaft - Ruhiger - Wieder lebhaft - Leicht bewegt - Nicht eilen! - Sehr lang	6:59			$0.99
5	4.Karfreitagszauber. Feierlich bewegt - Nicht schleppen - Sehr langsam - Sehr ruhig. ohne Dehnung	9:31			$1.49
6	6.Die Gralsritter 2. [ ] - Immer feierlich das Zeitmaß zurückhaltend -	3:05			$0.99
7	7.Nachspiel. Breit - Sehr langsam und feierlich	6:28			$0.99
Richard Wagner Composer Tannhäuser (opera), WWV 70...Scene 1 Work 19:52 Neeme Järvi Conductor, William Chandler Orchestra Leader, Royal Scottish National Orchestra Orchestra
8	1.Overture	4:00			$0.99
9	2.Bacchanale; Venusberg Music	5:15			$0.99
10	2.Bacchanale; Venusberg Music	10:37			$1.99
Richard Wagner Composer Lohengrin (opera), WWV 75...Act 3 Work Neeme Järvi Conductor, William Chandler Orchestra Leader, Royal Scottish National Orchestra Orchestra
11	1.Vorspiel (Prelude)	3:28			$0.99