GILLESDENIZOT

Traditions have a sweet way to structure, to rythm your life. There are a few traditions, almost rituals I would say, that I observe every year. Listening to Wagner’s Parsifal is my Good Friday one. Today is the day, Mittag. – Die Stund’ ist da.

May I invite you to pause for a while, and listen or watch? This is Karfreitagszauber, the “Good Friday Spell” scene of Act III.

Weisst du, was du sahst? “Do you know what you have seen?”, asks Gurnemanz at the end of Act I. Although Parsifal cannot explain what he has seen, his heart knows, and his journey of compassion begins. What you just saw is the moment when Parsifal returns home. The young Parsifal of Act I, not understanding the value of life, proudly killed a swan. Gurnemanz showed Parsifal the suffering in the animal’s glazed eyes. Parsifal immediately connected with the concept of universal suffering, and consequently, with the concept of compassion. Through the realization of the animal’s pain (a revolting sight of evil for many humans), we connect, feel compassion and pity. This pity reveals to us the notion of “unity”, that all beings are indeed connected, despite the apparent diversity. Parsifal breaks his bow and his remaining arrows. Durch Mitleid wissend, der reine Tor… “Enlightened through compassion, the innocent fool…”. Mitleid, to “suffer with” or sympathy, from the Greek συμπάθεια (sympatheia), from σύν (syn) “together” and πάθος (pathos) “passion”. This is the first main theme enclosed in Parsifal: the teaching of compassion.

What happened right before what you saw in the video (apart from at least 3 hours of incredible music…)? Parsifal returns to the forest, where he once killed the swan: “through error and the path of suffering I came; An evil curse drove me about in trackless wandering, never to find the way to healing; numberless dangers, battles, and conflicts forced me from my path even when I thought I knew it.” And then Parsifal says “everything seems changed”. Enlightenment through many cycles, many experiences, many births and deaths, that everyone is able to become better, no matter how long and tedious the way may be… This is the second theme: the teaching of perfectibility.

Parsifal is not the only one who transforms himself over time. As a matter of fact, Kundry is the very symbol of “Saṃsāra”. In each act, she returns, yet under a different identity. In Act III, she is sometimes seen as Mary of Magdala. This is a most significant and touching scene: as Kundry bathes Parsifal’s feet, the full consciousness of his task awakens in him. Once the purification and cleansing have been carried out, Gurnemanz proceeds to anoint his head. This scene oozes Grace, and Parsifal, now a King, accomplishes his first royal and compassionate act: Kundry’s baptism.

Parsifal’s journey of compassion, his transformation to a more perfect being, and the sharing of the Grace with – the apparently less perfect – Kundry, subsequently allows him to see the beauty of nature. Beauties he never understood, never really felt. Doch sah ich nie so mild und zart (“But never did I see so fresh and charming”). This is the third theme: the teaching of gratitude.

In Gurnemanz’s words: “Thus all creation gives thanks, all that here blooms and soon fades, now the nature, absolved from sin, today gains its day of innocence.” Das ist Karfreitagszauber, Herr! (“That is the enchantment of Good Friday, my lord!)

I simply could not do without the sweet, comforting rythm of some of my traditions… and I enjoyed sharing this one with you today…