Richard Wagner‘s ‘Parsifal’ at the Goetheanum – with eurythmy

With its production of ‘Parsifal’, the opera referred to by its composer as a ‘sacred stage festival’, the team around Jasmin Solfaghari (general and opera director) and Stefan Hasler (eurythmy director) have created something special: many scenes are shaped by singers and eurythmists together.

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It is thanks to Alexander von Glenck that ‘Parsifal’ is produced at the Goetheanum. In Jasmin Solfaghari (general and opera director), Walter Schütze (set and costume design) and Roland Fister (musical director) he found a professional team with Wagner experience. From the Goetheanum, Stefan Hasler is responsible for the eurythmy and Klaus Suppan for the light design; Felix Lindenmaier found subtly nuanced soul stirrings for the eurythmy in the characters and their relationships in Richard Wagner‘s score. “The grail story unfolds within us,” says Jasmin Solfaghari, “it is an internal process.”

The inclusion of eurythmy opens up new creative possibilities: central objects such as Grail, spear and swan, which also have symbolic character, can be presented in eurythmy. This approach has implications for the production: the set has to do justice to the needs of both eurythmy and singers (including the choir); the costumes of the different performer groups need to match, and the combination of eurythmy and opera brings special tasks for the lighting design.

The singers are of international renown and they are supported by the Baden-Baden Philharmonic Orchestra (Germany), and Vokalwerk der Opernfestspiele Heidenheim (Germany), a professional opera choir. For the eurythmy, the Goetheanum Eurythmy Ensemble and the Eurythmeum Stuttgart are joined by further eurythmists.

Operas have been performed before at the Goetheanum but never such a comprehensive work.

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English by Margot M. Saar

Performances (sold out) ‘Parsifal’ by Richard Wagner, 2, 7 and 9 April 2023

Image At the rehearsel of ‹Parsifal›, Goetheanum 2023. Foto: François Croissant