Jazzed Up Classical home
Parsifal album cover

Album guide

Parsifal

Dieter Ilg

Composers
Wagner; Beethoven
Released
2013
Label
ACT
Forces
Piano, Bass, Trio
Personnel
Dieter Ilg bass, Rainer Böhm piano, Patrice Héral drums

After Otello, the trio turned to an opera whose score can seem almost immovable in its scale and ritual.

Ilg’s answer was to reduce Parsifal to recurring characters, phrases and sonic images, leaving double bass, piano and drums to connect them without an orchestra or singer.

Hear both

The classical side contains only the source pieces used on the album, in album order. The jazz side presents the complete album whenever a dependable copy can be embedded.

The originalsWagner, Beethoven · classical source works

Six of the thirteen tracks have a classical recording beside them: tracks 1, 2, 4, 6, 8 and 13. Tracks 1 and 2 share the same video, since the Grail bells named by track 2 first sound during the Transformation Music named by track 1.

Jazzed upDieter Ilg · 2013
Open full album in Spotify

Spotify’s player is here for convenience; the full track listing below remains available to everyone.

Source works

The album’s complete track listing, with each classical source identified and original compositions marked plainly.

  1. Zum Raum Wird Hier Die ZeitWagner: Parsifal, Act I: the Verwandlungsmusik (Transformation Music), Gurnemanz’s “Du siehst, mein Sohn, zum Raum wird hier die Zeit”
  2. GlockenWagner: Parsifal, Act I: the Grail bells, which first sound within the Verwandlungsmusik
  3. ParsifalWagner: material from Parsifal, no single number named on the release
  4. MorgengebetWagner: Parsifal, Act I: the Morgengebet, the morning prayer at the opening scene
  5. Ich Bin Ein Reiner TorWagner: Parsifal, the Grail prophecy “durch Mitleid wissend, der reine Tor” and its recurring motif
  6. ZaubergartenWagner: Parsifal, Act II: the music of Klingsor’s magic garden
  7. AmfortasWagner: material associated with Amfortas in Parsifal
  8. UnerhörtesWagner: Parsifal, Act I: Gurnemanz’s rebuke “Unerhörtes Werk!” in the swan scene
  9. HerzeleidWagner: material associated with Herzeleide in Parsifal
  10. KundryWagner: material associated with Kundry in Parsifal
  11. Von Welt Zu WeltWagner: material from Parsifal, the track title is Ilg’s own and is not in the libretto
  12. KlagerufWagner: Parsifal, the Klageruf
  13. SehnsuchtBeethoven: Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125: IV. Finale, “Freude, schöner Götterfunken”