Richard Wagner’s opera Parsifal premiered in 1882.
The first performance took place on 26 July 1882 at the Bayreuth Festival Theatre in Bayreuth, Germany. Wagner wrote both the music and the libretto, drawing heavily on Wolfram von Eschenbach’s medieval romance Parzival while reshaping its religious and philosophical themes.
Parsifal follows the title character’s path toward spiritual understanding and his relationship with the Grail community. The opera includes the wounded king Amfortas, the Grail knight community, and the sacred spear associated with Christ’s Passion.
Wagner regarded Parsifal as a festival drama particularly connected with Bayreuth. For many years, performances outside Bayreuth were restricted by legal and institutional claims, although the work eventually entered the international operatic repertory.