A knight’s tale: Brindley Sherratt on the stamina and storytelling of Wagner’s Parsifal

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explore further some of the many great minds who have pondered its wider and deeper meanings. The role I’m singing is the old knight Gurnemanz.

Bizarrely, despite being the longest role of the opera by a clear hour, in terms of notes sung, he is not one of the main characters of the story.

He is, in effect, the narrator, but one who is actively involved in the events and carries all in his head and heart. It’s a bucket list role for an operatic bass and I’ve wanted to sing it ever since I first heard it performed at the Royal Opera House several years ago.

What is so great about it then? It is so multifaceted and gives the singer lots of opportunities to show what he can do, and you need all the tools in the box to do it.