Lauritz Melchior - Parsifal - "Nur eine Waffe taugt"

Aria from Richard Wagner's opera, Parsifal.
Parsifal - Lauritz Melchior
Eugene Ormandy conducts the Philadelphia Orchestra, recorded in 1938

[@prgynt]

Well, there's nobody like Lauritz Melchior!... When you hear him you would really like to travel back in time, just to hear him live. It's simply a marvel that such a man really existed.

[@augustoa.8415]

This is really marvelous. One cannot avoid thrilling at the end. Bravo!!!

[@BritinIsrael]

I've never heard Melchior singing Parsifal. It's amazing!!!!

[@adriantinti6369]

Ever than I listen the end of aria, I can feel an extraordinary sensation of mysticism. Awesome!

[@Jacob-ry3lu]

Melchior has the most interesting voice. His voice just intrigues me so much, its like an ongoing mystery everytime I listen to him. The opposite of a borin voice

[@MuscleDaddyCMH]

Just today, on Met Opera Radio on Sirius XM, - I heard him doing Lohengrin from an old broadcast. I could barely believe what I was hearing...amazing

[@gringewilp]

dziady1, I really do not understand your take on this. Melchior's performance is sublime. He said that he never sang at full volume, even in the loudest passages, and this is borne out by the fact that when he returned from retirement at the age of 70 to sing Siegmund one last time, almost all of his supreme attributes were still apparent and intact. He was NOT like "most Wagnerian tenors", and he never yelled, because he never needed to. His was one of the greatest voices in recorded history.

[@65attila]

Thank you for the video. It is marvelous.

[@RosaRuizMartin66]

great, great, great!!!!!

[@jhb134]

@BritinIsrael - Simply, the greatest Heldentenor that we know. The exultant RING, to the voice, was never overshadowed by certain, minor, technical concerns. It's sure, that we won't see his like, again.

[@LauritzMelchior]

maravilloso

[@arturolopez-portillo4452]

Melchior!

[@Madman2759]

Wasn't it Rossini who said that? And I believe he was referring to all of Wagner's operas. I agree with your second point. Melchior is awesome!

[@gringewilp]

Further to my post yesterday, I find I have a cd with Melchior & Flagstad with over 30 mins. of Act 2. of Parsifal- Naxos Historical 8.110723. The sound is superb for the period- a commercial recording from 1940 remastered by the brilliant Ward Marston. Also has excerpts from Lohengrin, Tristan, and Gotterdammerung. Melchior my idol for more than 50 years! I have so many of his records I don't know what I HAVE got!

[@ALICEinWAGNERLAND]

Even Wagner himself has to be happy after this!

[@giorgiozo]

100%

[@violinthief]

This video has been subjected to a phony copyright claim by "Rebeat Digital GmbH". This is a public domain recording. Please do not click on any links below the video. This criminal conduct by Rebeat Digital should not be rewarded.

[@jhb134]

Thanks to "violinthief", and the warning, about false/phony copyright claims. .... Thanks, also, to David Campbell, and his comments about the "extant" recordings (CD) of the Dane, Melchior. There was hardly anyone who could rival Melchior, in the great days of recordings/performances, and there's hardly anyone ... nowadays or future ... who could accomplish the same.

[@gringewilp]

There has been a Met performance released on cd, in very poor sound, allegedly. It doesn't seem to be available now, from what I can find. There has been a cd of the same performance as the Met, in much better sound, but, sadly, only of the second act.

[@orovalleydude]

@dziady1 Out of respect for your age, you are only telling us what you think of Melchior, you are not saying anything of substance about singing. "Just one dreadful ffff..." LIke fignewtonist noted, there is no other "Wagnerian Tenor" like Melchior, EVER... Vickers came close, but no one even gets close to what Melchior did, not Heppner, not Jerusalem, not Domingo, not Vinay, nor Windgassen,