Parsifal

They say you can email straight to your blog - so this is what I am doing. It is a test to see if it works.

One of the operas I will be seeing in Bayreuth in August is 'Parsifal'. It is so much more interesting watching Wagner's operas when you know the story and the music, so between packing and organising I am listening to Parsifal and reading the libretto (the text). Wagner was
interested in Buddhism when he wrote Parsifal and there is a lot of Buddhist thought in the text disguised in a Christian wrapping.

At one point Parsifal says that although he is hardly walking, he seems to be going fast. He is told that time is space.

"Du siehst, mein Sohn,
zum Raum wird hier die Zeit."

Hello Einstein!

The story is about attaining enlightenment (if you take the Buddhist view of it). It is unexpectedly moving and I found myself weeping at the end of the libretto. And that was before I had even heard the music, which is even more emotional! Judging by my reactions so far I think Bayreuth will be a memorable experience.