Don’t we have to wonder what an opera critic is really like, when they make a statement such as JK “paced himself cautiously and acted blankly”? I wonder how many of them have tried to sing along with Parsifal for the better part of six hours? Who wouldn’t ‘pace themself?’ As far as ‘acting blankly’, has it occurred to this critic that acting like a fool is part of the early character of Parsifal? 
I look forward to hearing Mr Ventris sing Parsifal some day. But for now, I feel that I have waited a long time for this Met production, and it was worth the wait. All the main characters came to life, and the staging was generally sufficiently minimalistic to keep our focus on the music rather than a clutter of costumes and backdrops.
I don’t know what Wagner would have thought of this Met production, but it does seem to me that it touches a wide audience with a universal tone.
I experienced the HD live stream of the Met’s new production of Parsifal by Richard Wagner today in the Twin Cities. (Because of solar interference, passes were given for the encore performance March 20.) It was an amazing experience for me, and a welcome change from the more traditional productions. The characters came to life, the voices were mellow and golden…still basking in the glow a few hours laster…
Le Chant du Rossignol...(song of the nightingale) 