Glad you liked the recording, Ted. I was also pleasantly surprised by it, not being that familiar with Thielemann as a conductor. I'd agree with you about the swishing swords in the grail scene, but otherwise, stage and audience noise is refreshingly absent.
I've heard Thielemann variously described as a 'conservative' and a 'right-winger', a man very much in the Karajan tradition. His musical outlook is certainly conservative and so, apparently, are his political beliefs. About five years ago, there was an ugly episode in the German press, I believe, when a critic referred to Berlin being a musically divided kingdom between 'the German Thielemann and the Jew Barenboim'. Thielemann himself was reported to have made a disparaging reference to Barenboim, apparently along these lines, though the statement has never been corroborated and Thielemann in any case, apologised for any perceived offence.
I can remember someone on these boards commenting that Thielemann might show his true colours if Germany ever gets another 'really nasty government.'
As I say, there's lots of rumour-mongering and little substantial. Best to judge musicians by their day jobs, I reckon!
