After 140 years, Wagner’s final opera, Parsifal, first performed at the second Bayreuth Festival in 1882, made its Mexican premiere in April this year. Though not strictly an opera—Wagner defined it as a ‘Bühnenweihfestspiel,’ or ‘stage festival play’ with a sacred focus—Wagner’s last work reflects his profound understanding of opera as both a performative and transformative experience, integrating mind, body, and soul in the pursuit of the divine. The performance, part of the Wagner-focused Liber Festival at the Guanajuato Cultural Forum in Mexico City, was accompanied by other exhibitions of Mexican culture and classical works by influential 19th-century composers like Liszt. The significance of staging Wagner’s 13th completed opera—his 25th if including smaller or unfinished projects such as the draft precursor Die Sieger (1856-58)—is notable in the broader context of Wagnerian opera in Mexico, a phenomenon both ongoing and sparse.
Wagnerian operas began appearing in Mexico in the late 19th century, with Die Walküre premiering in 1891. Mexico has a long tradition of domestic opera composition that rivals Wagner’s output. The premiere of Parsifal in Mexico is a significant milestone in the country’s operatic legacy, which, while influenced by European opera, is not solely defined by it. The production is a revised version of its 2013 presentation at the Amazonas Opera Festival in Brazil, a location with its own distinct connection to Wagner’s operas. The opening of the Bayreuth Festspielhaus in 1876 was attended by many dignitaries and artists, including Brazil’s last monarch, Pedro II, an abolitionist and patron of the arts.
As staging designer Sergio Vela noted, Wagner’s works have been rare in Mexico: Tannhäuser has not been performed since 1947, Lohengrin since 1980 or 1981, and Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg only in 1963. The 1996 recording of Tristan und Isolde with Jon West and Luana DeVol was another important event. The presentation of Parsifal in Mexico continues a long-standing but often neglected trajectory, adding to Wagner’s posthumous legacy. Capturing the event in documentary form by Jaime Casanova Amar, founder of the nonprofit TV project MERIDA1 TV, is a significant artistic statement. Amar’s documentary, discussed with Opera Wire, reflects his experiences and contributions.
Opera Wire: Can you share a bit about the documentary?
OW: Can you tell me a bit about your nonprofit television project?
JCA: I founded MERIDA1 TV in 2013. Over the past 11 years, we have produced documentaries on a range of topics: social causes, public figures, festivals, artists, and more. Classical music and opera have been part of our work, including documentaries about two major orchestras in Yucatan, the opera workshop of Yucatan, a women-only orchestra in Campeche, and a series of interviews related to Wagner, recorded in Bayreuth. We have also created documentaries in Canada, the United States, Argentina, Spain, Italy, France, Austria, and Germany.
OW: How did you get into Wagner in the first place?
OW: What was the creation process of the documentary like for you?
JCA: From the start, this production was exceptionally special. Sergio Vela, the stage director of Parsifal, also directed the first complete Ring Cycle in Mexico and numerous other operas. An important aspect was the indirect connection to the Bayreuth Festspielhaus: the music director of the Parsifal premiere, Maestro Guido Maria Guida, had been an assistant to the great Giuseppe Sinopoli during his time as a regular director at Wagner’s festival until his passing in the early 2000s. For a devoted Wagnerian, this is significant. As Sergio Vela told the production crew at the final performance, the experience of being part of this important production will remain deeply ingrained in our hearts and souls forever.
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