Mahler Players: Parsifal
Inverness Cathedral, 21/9/25
Parsifal Act 2 arranged by Matthew King
Klingor - Sir John Tomlinson
Kundry - Magdalena Anna Hoffman
Flower Maidens - Catriona Clark, Jessica Leary, Laura Margaret Smith
Parsifal - Julian Hubbard
Three times now this year I have been privileged to hear The Mahler Players come close to - even reach - perfection. With their and their guest singers’ sublime performance of the 2nd Act of Parsifal, I have run out of superlatives as a reviewer. I feel I am in grave danger of becoming repetitive, or have EMR readers thinking I must be taking a wee bung from Tomas Leakey and his magnificent crew, to 'big them up".
What can I say? To be able to hear such music, at the difficult end of the repertoire, played and sung so beautifully and powerfully and professionally in a Highlands setting, feels like being a Barca FC ticketholder when Messi, Xavi and Iniesta were playing. You don't know exactly what you are going to get, but you are in safe hands - and the chances are better than good that it will be something very special indeed.
Wagner referred to his works not as operas, but as 'music-dramas'. The poetry of the text and its symbolism, the acting of the singers, and the clash of ideas and desires are central. Drama was very much in evidence in this performance. This was not just an orchestral performance of the notes, it was a bringing to life of Act 2 in all of its complexity as a music drama.
The arrangement for chamber orchestra by long-time Mahler Players collaborator, Matthew King, was spot on acoustically in the Cathedral setting, and the close proximity of the singers to the audience made this listener feel like he was almost in the 'Gesamtkunstwerk'.
The veteran Sir John Tomlinson's veins bulged from neck and forehead as he put every ounce of sly malevolence into his portrayal of Klingor. To hear that mighty voice from only 10 feet or so away was an experience indeed. Magdalena Anna Hoffman as Kundry run the range of plaintive softness, just a whisper, to high C’s that almost split the Cathedral ceiling and cut deep to the soul. All of the singers were excellent and the Flower Maidens‘ coy, sexy turn raised smiles and chuckles as relief in what was otherwise full on power drama and psychological intensity. Julian Hubbard's innocent Knight, the 'Holy Fool' of the title, was more than convincing and ran the revelatory emotional gamut of this central act with integrity and skill.
Throughout - and this is meant only in the most positive and complimentary sense - were the perfect pit orchestra. They were there first and foremost for the singers and the drama, providing all that was needed for a seamless performance, unique soundscape and unforgettable evening.
The players opened with two short pieces. ‘Initiale’, a piece for brass by Pierre Boulez, and a delightful arrangement, again by Mathew King, of a Wagner piano piece, 'for Frau Betty Schott'. A well thought through and gentle introduction to the fiery feast that was to follow.
(This review is dedicated to the memory of my comrade and great friend, Bruce Wallace. Marxist revolutionary, Freudian social practitioner and lover of great music. Disputatious, as a real thinkers are, but also generous to a fault. You are missed, my friend.)