Janos Gereben writes:

>The designer crosses the line to excess in the amazing set for the Flower
>Maidens' garden, but it WORKS very well.  On an undulating surface, a dozen
>large monitors show the transformation of flowers into women (and back
>again) while the unseen chorus sings offstage.  Leave it to Kupfer to give
>an already risky concept the shove that kills it.  He directed Parsifal to
>hit a monitor when it goes blank, much as one would slap a recalcitrant TV
>set.  Up to that point, the bizarre set engages audience attention along
>with the text.  When Kupfer interferes, there is laughter, and attention
>is no longer on the work - it's on the clever director. . .  which might
>have been the reason for that shtick in the first place.  The "old Kupfer"
>rarely did that, but apparently, he has grown lazy and vain ...

On the other hand, perhaps he realised that the Flower Maidens are intended
to be funny - teasing, flippant and seductive.  Laughter is very much in
order in this extraordinarily brilliant scene, one of Wagner's most
delightful scherzo-intermezzos, and it sounds from Mr Gereben's vivid
DEScription as if Kupfer got it absolutely right.  His attention was,
after all, on the work.

The scene's also about falsity, image and virtual reality, which makes the
designer's image and Parsifal's reaction to it perfectly conceived.

Christopher Webber,  Blackheath, London,  UK.
http://www.nashwan.demon.co.uk/zarzuela.htm
"ZARZUELA!"