Knowledge, pity, redemption: Richard Wagner took up these major themes in “Parsifal”, the music drama that he completed 13 months before his death and referred to as his “most conciliatory work”. Already celebrated for its compositional technique and mystical sonorities at the premiere, its world of ideas has stimulated new debates and interpretations over and over again to the present day.

Wagner wrote the autograph score almost entirely in violet ink, a colour he preferred to use in the final years of his life. He meticulously planned the layout of the pages and finally gave the autograph to his wife Cosima - it always remained in the family's possession as a guarded treasure.

The facsimile edition in high-quality four-colour printing reproduces the extensive score in its original size. Act and bar numbers on every page facilitate its use without diminishing the overall bibliophile appearance.

In an accompanying essay (Ger/Eng), Ulrich Konrad elucidates the special features of the work and the manuscript.

This autograph score of Parsifal has received the “Presto Sheet Music Award 2020” for the best deluxe publication 2020.

Facsimile: Parsifal WWV 111
Act I
Act II
Act III

Appendix: First draft score of the Prelude

Commentary
“Through compassion, knowing: the pure fool":
Gestation. The literary context of the Grail
King Ludwig II and Parzival
Starting work I. Poem and full-length drafts
The première in the Festival Theatre in Bayreuth
Venetian finale
"Has Wagner ever done anything better?"
The autograph
Notes

Kommentar
"Durch Mitleid wissend, der reine Tor":
Vorgeschichte. Die literarische Welt des Grals
König Ludwig II. und Parzival
Ans Werk I. Dichtung und Gesamtentwürfe
Ans Werk II. Die Partitur
Uraufführung im Bayreuther Festspielhaus
Venezianisches Finale
"Hat Wagner je etwas besser gemacht?"
Das Autograph
Anmerkungen