In Wagner's final opera Parsifal, the title character played in this Houston Grand Opera production by tenor Russell Thomas (in a role debut) undertakes a quest to reclaim a Holy Spear. Parsifal, who initially doesn't even know his own name, is perfect for the task because he's the "pure fool" called for by legends.

"Naive, sort of brash," Thomas responds when asked to describe his character. "He has the most growth  of anybody in the opera. He sort of has an awakening in the middle of the second act and everything sort of changes. He matures right before our eyes. This is unlike any other character I've ever sung before."

In allegory heaped upon allegory with a hefty dash of religion, fantasy and redemption, Parsifal is not a tale of knightly daring do as far as blood and guts battles go, but the journey of a central character who learns to develop compassion and understanding.

By the end  of the epic tale (estimated to run four hours and 45 minutes with two intermissions) he is able to use the reclaimed spear to heal King Amfortas (bass Ryan McKinny) of the incurable wound in his side.  A happy ending concludes the opus.

Over three acts, the story is stuffed with all manner of plotlines, mythology and characters. There's an evil nemesis named Klingsor (Andrea Silvestrelli) who despairing of not being without sin castrates himself — which doesn't work out well for anyone. There's a horde of women on the prowl whose mission is to lead the knights of the Holy Grail astray. There's Kundry (Russian soprano Elena Pankratova)  an apparently ageless woman who attempts to seduce Parcifal and ends up being baptized by him.

The role of the senior knight Gurnemanz will be sung by South Korean bass Kwangchul Youn making his HGO debut. The production will be directed by John Caird with HGO Principal Guest Conductor Eun Sun Kim at the podium.

This is only the second time that HGO is presenting this opera (1992 was the first) which while part of the Wagner canon, isn't produced too many times around the world. According to HGO, only two U.S. opera houses have mounted a production of it in the last 10 years.

Wagner spent years off and on writing this before bringing it to fruition. No matter how attentive they are, audience members seeking a straightforward plot will have to console themselves with the music that Wagner composed. Over the years, Parsifal has been argued about endlessly — whether or not it is anti-Semitic, a religious opera or an opera with religion in it and whether that religion includes Buddhism as well as Christianity.

“Parsifal is one of those operas that people have very strong opinions about. And even as I’m learning it I have some strong opinions of my own so I’m learning that too," said Thomas.  In terms of its music, however, there is agreement that Parsifal was ground breaking as far as music of the late 1800s  and influenced many of the operas that followed, he said..

When he was 8 years old, Thomas heard opera on the radio for the first time. "And then I kept coming home every day to listen to the radio to listen to that station, to hear that classic music," he said. "I already sang but I sang in church."

The first in his family to be involved in music, he saw his first opera — Carmen — when he was 12. He joined the Children's Chorus in Miami and as a result got to see the dress rehearsals for lot of opera there. He got his undergrad degree from the New World School of the Arts in Miami and immediately started working right out of college. He likes to sing Verdi but has done a lot of modern work as well —  with John Adams (Nixon in China) for instance — and commissioned an entire recital of African American composers that he premiered in 2023 in Los Angeles.

He is based in Atlanta, but is in Los Angeles a lot where he is artist-in-residence at the LA Opera.   He also is in Bloomington, IN frequently where he is on faculty at the University of Indiana.

In his entrance, Parsifal confesses he has shot and killed a swan that falls to earth. "He means no harm even when there's harm done." He doesn't yet understand why this might be considered wrong.

"This opera makes people think about purity and good versus evil and what that means. How it's not always so black and white." And he predicts, that despite its substantial running time, it will not feel long at all.

Performances are scheduled for January 19 through  February 4 at 6 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Wednesday and 2 p.m. Sundays at the Wortham Center, 501 Texas. Sung in German with projected English subtitles. For more information, call 713-228-6737 or visit houstongrandopera.org. $25-$280.