Kaufmann lives up to his reputation for burnished tenor sound, musicality and good sense...Most impressive of all is Elina Garanča’s Kundry, wondrously luminous and seductive of voice, fully immersed in this unfathomably deep character.

This is not conducting that draws attention to itself by means of extremes of tempo or hyper-refined textures. For a Parsifal to be led so vividly by the personalities on stage makes a welcome change.

Kaufmann’s performance in the title role will doubtless be regarded as its main selling point...but it’s Elīna Garanča as Kundry, in her first Wagnerian role, whose performance is perhaps the most extraordinary...the orchestral playing is as intense as anyone could want, and the closing pages are suitably transcendent.

Happily, most of the singing is marvellous...Kaufmann’s finest stretches as Parsifal comes in later acts, when his passions fly, top notes ping, and dark timbres shake the rafters, alongside strong competition from Garanca’s bloodcurdling screams….[Jordan is] a masterful Wagnerian who knows instinctively when to move forward or how long to pause, sometimes more than Wagner himself.