Transformation Scenes
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arsifal contains a number of special effects, such as the suspension of the Spear in the second act and the
transformation scenes between the forest and the temple in the outer
acts. For the latter in the first production of Parsifal, the composer required that a
backdrop on rollers, the Wandeldekoration, should move across the stage, producing the
illusion that the figures on stage were moving. Apparently such devices were in use in Paris in
the 1830s, where Wagner might have encountered one during his stay there from 1839 to 1842. The
stage technician who was commissioned to produce the various effects and illusions was, as in
1876, Karl Brandt. Unfortunately, Brandt died a few months before
the start of the festival, and the stage effects became the responsibility of his son Fritz.
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Wandeldekoration covered an area of more than 2500 square metres, weighed some 700 kilograms
and cost 17,694 marks. During rehearsals, it was discovered that the transformation music of
the first and third acts did not last long enough to allow the Wandeldekoration to be fully
revealed. This presented something of a problem and little time remained to find a solution.
Only on one point had we to make a tiresome compromise, on this
occasion: by a still inexplicable misreckoning, the highly-gifted man to whom I owe the whole
stage-mounting of Parsifal, as formerly of the Nibelung pieces -- and who was torn
from us by sudden death before the full completion of his work -- had calculated the speed of
the so-called Wandeldekoration (moving scenery) in the first and third acts at more than
twice as fast as was dictated in the interest of the dramatic action. In this interest I had
never meant the passing of a changing scene to act as a decorative effect, however
artistically carried out; but, at the hand of the accompanying music, we were to be led quite
imperceptibly, as if in dream, along the 'pathless' adits to the Gralsberg; whose legendary
inaccessibility to the non-elect was thus, withal, to be brought within the bounds of
dramatic portrayal. 
When we discovered the mistake, it was too late to so alter the
unusually complicated mechanism as to reduce the scenes to half their length; for this time I
had to decide not only on repeating the orchestral interlude [Act I] in full, but also upon
introducing tedious retardations in its tempo; the painful effect was felt by us all, yet the
mounting itself was so admirably executed that the entranced spectator was compelled to shut
one eye to criticism. For the third act, however -- though the moving scene had been carried
out by the artists in an almost more delightful and quite a different manner from the first
-- we all agreed that the danger of an ill effect must be obviated by complete omission ...
he above
account is not, of course, the entire story.
You now expect me to compose by the metre!", the Master exclaimed,
horrified. Well, there was no other way round it, [Fritz] Brandt
replied, the machine couldn't be operated any quicker, and the sets couldn't be altered -- it
would cost a kings' ransom, and in any case, there wasn't enough time. Wagner was beside
himself and kept on swearing that he would have nothing more to with the rehearsals and
performances, and stormed out in high dudgeon.
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Dismayed, we watched him go. What was to be done? It was
simply not possible to risk the whole production, with all its attendant difficulties,
merely because of a stupid miscalculation. And it wasn't as bad as all that, Levi thought; just as cuts can be made, so it was possible to
repeat the odd phrase. I thought the matter over. To expect the already overburdened
Master to undertake such a thoroughgoing revision at the eleventh hour was out of the
question. I preferred to try my own solution. I ran home, quickly sketched out a few
transitional bars, orchestrated them and incorporated them into the original score.
Then, filled with anxious expectancy, I took the original to the Master. He look
through the leaves, nodding affably, then said, 'Well, why not? It should work! Be off
with you to the Chancellery and copy out the parts, so that we can get on.' No sooner
said than done. The sets and music were now in glorious accord and no one in the
audience had the least suspicion at any of the performances that the score had been
patched together by a back street cobbler plying his modest trade. Of course, the sets
were altered in time for the following year's performances; the interpolated passage,
dignified by Levi with the conscientious note 'H. ipse
fecit', was removed and the original music reinstated.
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© Derrick Everett 1996-2004. This page last updated (minor adjustment to layout)
---19.07.04 00:43:27---.
