Wagner - Der Ring des Nibelungen (Ring Cycle) / Sir Georg Solti [Box set]

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com essential recording
Modern storage media (CD/DVD) offer both high fidelity and great reliability in the playback of music. Yet only a bit more than a generation ago, the possibilities inherent in the long-playing record inspired John Culshaw, a young producer for Decca, to attempt the most ambitious recording project ever contemplated up to that time--a complete studio recording of the Ring. Though other Rings were issued after this landmark enterprise, none have equaled the Decca Ring in popularity. There are those who prefer live performances, or who feel that the sound and theatrical effects in this recording are overdone; nonetheless this remains the benchmark Ring, as shown by its seemingly endless rerelease schedule. The Ring effort was high profile at the time and helped nail down Sir Georg Solti's status as a "superstar" conductor and authoritative interpreter of the Wagnerian repertory. Another key contributor to the success of the project was the uniform excellence in the casting. Definitive performances given include Neidlinger's nietzschean Alberich, Stolze's whining Mime, Boehme's rumbling Fafnir, along with Nilsson in her prime-more a force of nature than a human voice. The care lavished on the capture of the music was unmatched at the time of the recording, and still leaves this as one of the best sounding Rings even today, when the oldest part (Rheingold) has reached its 40th anniversary. --Christian C. Rix

Wagner - Der Ring des Nibelungen (Ring Cycle) / Sir Georg Solti, Music, Richard Wagner, Sir Georg Solt, Birgit Nilsson, Kirsten Flagstad, Wiener Philharmoniker, Vienna State Opera Choir, Paul Kuen, George London, Jean Madeira, Ira Malaniuk, Gustav Neidlinger, Hetty Plumacher, Berit Lindholm, Régine Crespin, Helga Dernesch, Gottlob Frick, Claudia Hellmann, Hans Hotter, James King, Vera Little, Christa Ludwig, Joan Sutherland, Marga Hoffgen, Kurt Bohme, Gerhard Stolze, Waldemar Kmentt, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Maureen Guy, Grace Hoffmann, Gwyneth Jones, Claire Watson, Brigitte Fassbaender, Wolfgang Windgassen, Lucia Popp, Box Sets (Audio Only), Classical, Classical Music, German/Austrian Romantic Opera, Opera, Opera / Operetta / Oratorio
An Introduction to Der Ring des Nibelungen
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Ring introduction critique
  • FASCINATING STUDY FOR NOVICES AND AFFICIONADOS ALIKE
  • Welcome back to a classic analysis
  • Essential for Understanding Wagner's Ring Cycle
  • Very Functional
 An Introduction to Der Ring des Nibelungen
Deryck Cooke , Georg Solti , Wiener Philharmoniker , Anita Valkki , Berit Lindholm , Birgit Nilsson , Brigitte Fassbaender , Christa Ludwig , Claire Watson , Claudia Hellmann , Dame Gwyneth Jones , Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau , Eberhard Wächter , George London , Gerhard Stolze , Gottlob Frick , Grace Hoffmann , Gustav Neidlinger , Hans Hotter , Helen Watts , Helga Dernesch , Hetty Plumacher , Ira Malaniuk , James King , Jean Madeira , Joan Sutherland , Kirsten Flagstad , Kurt Böhme , Lucia Popp , Marga Höffgen , Marilyn Tyler , Maureen Guy , Oda Balsborg , Paul Kuen , Régine Crespin , Set Svanholm , Vera Little , Vera Schlosser , Waldemar Kmentt , Walter Kreppel , and Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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  1. Wagner's Ring: Turning the Sky Round
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ASIN: B00000424H
Release Date: 2005-09-13

Tracks:

  1. Of All Great Musical Compositions... (Examples 1-4)
  2. The Fundamental Symbol... (Examples 5-11)
  3. Returning Now To The Nature Motive... (Examples 6, 12-16)
  4. A Number Of Further Motives... (Examples 5, 17-21)
  5. A Second, Much Smaller Family... (Examples 22-25)
  6. So Much For Nature. (Examples 26-38)
  7. The Cause Of The Deterioration... (Examples 39-44)
  8. The Other Transformation... (Examples 45-48)
  9. Several Other Motives... (Examples 49-52)
  10. Two Further Motives... (Examples 41, 53-61)
  11. The Basic Motive Associated With The Spear... (Examples 62-68)
  12. Along Another, More Complex Line... (Examples 69-72)
  13. In Act Two Of Walkure... (Examples 69, 73-75)
  14. Returning Now To Act Two Of Walkure... (Examples 76-79)
  15. Love Is Another Of The Central Symbols... (Examples 80-83)
  16. Later In The Same Scene... (Examples 84-87)
  17. Freia's Motive Has Two Independent Segments... (Examples 88-91)
  18. The Label 'Flight'... (Example 92)
  19. When Fasolt, In Scene Two Of Rhinegold... (Examples 93-98)
  20. A Little Later In The Interlude... (Examples 99-103)

Tracks:

  1. The Other New Motive... (Examples 104-109)
  2. There Are Several Independent Love-Motives... (Examples 110-114)
  3. The Characters In Whose Lives... (Examples 115-120)
  4. One Further Motive Belongs... (Example 121)
  5. The Sword Motive Recurs... (Examples 122-130)
  6. Ironically, This Phrase... (Examples 131-135)
  7. Closely Associated With Gutrune's Motive... (Examples 136-140)
  8. Here We Come To The End... (Examples 141-146)
  9. Complemtary To This Symbol... (Examples 147-149)
  10. One Last Central Symbol... (Examples 150-157)
  11. One Further Motive Connected... (Examples 158-161)
  12. There Are One Or Two Motives... (Examples 162-168)
  13. These Motives Of Alberich And Mime... (Examples 169-171)
  14. Quite A Number Of The Subsidiary Motives... (Examples 172-176)
  15. Besides This Family Of Motives... (Examples 177-180)
  16. Our Final Example... (Examples 10, 181, 182)
  17. In The Final Scene Of Gotterdammerung... (Examples 181-183)
  18. Even More Masterly... (Examples 184-188)
  19. Now If We Return... (Examples 189-191)
  20. This Masterly Way... (Examples 192, 193)

Amazon.com

When Wagner set the Ring to music, he intended the orchestra to act in the fashion of a chorus from a classic Greek tragedy--setting the mood and commenting on the action. In order to allow a nonverbal musical line to reflect on the plot, Wagner developed a psychologically and musically complex symbology to communicate his thoughts to the listener. From the beginning the Ring has spawned numerous written commentaries on the relationships of the motif structure, but by using examples from the Decca Ring recording, Deryck Cooke's thoughtful spoken commentary is by far the most accessible guide for either the fledgling Ring enthusiast or the seasoned veteran. --Christian C. Rix

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Ring introduction critique.......2006-11-04

This is very worthwhile, at the same time it requires time, patience and attention, but it does provide some keys to better enjoyment of a sensational piece of music.

5 out of 5 stars FASCINATING STUDY FOR NOVICES AND AFFICIONADOS ALIKE.......2006-08-16

This may look an intimidating, daunting and dull prospect - a 2+ hour lecture on the motifs in the Ring. Don't be put off. Whether you're a relative novice to the Ring and want to find out what it's all about, more experienced with a desire to understand the composer's methods better or an afficionado who thinks he knows it all inside out, there is great pleasure as well as elucidation to be had from this set. Originally made to accompany the Decca Solti Ring, it contains a multitude of musical illustrations taken from those recordings as well as some specially recorded by Solti just for this Introduction.

It wasn't the first time this has been tried. The famous HMV sets from the late 20's also included recorded examples of over 100 motifs. (These, by the way, are available as part of the Pearl reissue of those wonderful HMV recordings). What that set lacked was the wonderful insights as well as the approachability of the talk by Deryck Cooke. Cooke was a great and much missed musicologist - a Mahler expert responsible for the performing edition of the Tenth Symphony still most played today, a fascinating explorer into the nature of music's basic building-blocks in his excellent book, The Language of Music, and an inspiring and elucidating critic of Wagner's work as shown by the fascinating book he left unfinished at his death, I Saw the World End.

On these CDs he does much more than list the leitmotifs and identify them as calling-cards. He shows the amazingly integrated and organic growth of the musical material that Wagner uses throughout his vast work. He demonstrates how motifs can change their sense and meaning as they evolve through the drama. And he shows how the complex combinations of motifs can radically advance both the musical and the dramatic narrative of the piece. There are even places where he corrects the misinterpretation of some of the motifs that had become ingrained from early commentators' false labels.

This set should engage and enlighten anyone with an interest in Wagner's huge and inexhaustible tetralogy. Do give it a try - no matter how far down the road to Wagnerianism you are.

4 out of 5 stars Welcome back to a classic analysis.......2006-05-28

Deryck Cooke's lecture series upon THE RING is almost as much a classic by now as the Solti RING cycle, with which it was originally issued on LP, and from which it derives its musical examples. The difference is that whereas the Solti RING has been continuously in print ever since it was completed, and was among the first opera sets to benefit from the CD revolution, the Cooke analysis was for long almost totally unobtainable. Now we have it back. It should be welcomed: it is a classic. Cooke's mellow, deep voice with the hint of a Celtic burr - which made him ideal on BBC radio - patiently explains Wagner's melodic, rhythmic, and harmonic metamorphoses to such good effect that if you own this recording, you really require no other RING analysis. (A pity about the abrupt beginnings and endings of too many vocal and orchestral illustrations, though.) Musicology lost a fine, sensitive thinker with Cooke's premature death in 1976.

If all you want is dilettantish baby food, there are plenty of dumbed-down Wagner commentaries on the market, stretching from Anna Russell's famous monologue (which doesn't pretend to be anything other than a parody aimed at morons) to the latest standard-issue "Wagner-was-a-Nazi-boo-hiss" feuilleton (which, unfortunately, does). Without reasonable score-reading skill you will find Cooke useless, however diligently you have ploughed through Marx, Jung, Freud, or other gurus purportedly relevant to THE RING. Cooke expects you to use your brains and your musical sense. Quelle horreur. At today's BBC his "elitism" would render him unemployable.

5 out of 5 stars Essential for Understanding Wagner's Ring Cycle.......2006-05-15

I originally bought this set on vinyl in the early 70s when I discovered the Ring in college. I studied the records and booklet assiduously, and after about three run-throughs I finally started getting it. Wow! Thirty-five years later, I still remember Mr. Cooke's analyses of various motive families, and I don't know how I could have mastered and loved the Ring without him. I now own this set on CD and listen again on the rare occasion of attending a Ring performance. My wife calls me a "Ring nut," but of course I'm nuts about many other things as well.

Bottom line, buy this set and study it if the Ring has captivated you as it has countless others. The presentation is dry, but sticking with it brings measureless and longlasting rewards.

4 out of 5 stars Very Functional.......2006-03-19

This CD set is excellent for what it sets out to do: present the leitmotives of the Ring according to their relationship to one another and their role in developing both characters and plotlines. Deryck Cooke's lectures on each motive are very insightful, very helpful at cueing the listener into the semantic aspect of Wagner's orchestral writing. The one drawback is that the musical examples are a bit jarring. Without fade-ins or -outs, the engineering is quite barbaric. And though the orchestra was, I believe, conducted by Solti, and is beautifully done, the vocal performances can be quite unpleasant. Point being: this is not background music, but in accomplishing what it sets out to do, it is very successful, and I don't know of anything else like it.
Wagner - Der Ring des Nibelungen (Ring Cycle) / Sir Georg Solti
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • "Leb wohl, Siegmund, seligster Held!"
  • Easily the best investment I've ever made!!!
  • Possibly the greatest recording of the century
  • Wonderful recording - GLARING TECHNICAL ISSUE
  • LORD OF THE RINGS
 Wagner - Der Ring des Nibelungen (Ring Cycle) / Sir Georg Solti
Sir Georg Solti , Wiener Philharmoniker , Vienna State Opera Choir , Kirsten Flagstad , Paul Kuen , George London , Jean Madeira , Ira Malaniuk , Gustav Neidlinger , and Hetty Plumacher
Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0000042H4
Release Date: 1997-10-14

Tracks:

  1. Das Rheingold: Erste Szene: Vorspiel - Prelude
  2. Das Rheingold: Erste Szene: Weila! Waga! Woge, du Welle!
  3. Das Rheingold: Erste Szene: Garstig glatter glitschriger Glimmer!
  4. Das Rheingold: Erste Szene: Wallala! Lalaleia!
  5. Das Rheingold: Erste Szene: Lugt, Schwestern!
  6. Das Rheingold: Erste Szene: Der Welt Erbe gewann' ich zu eigen durch dich?
  7. Das Rheingold: Zweite Szene: Wotan! Gernahl! Erwache!
  8. Das Rheingold: Zweite Szene: Sanft schloss Schlaf dein Aug'
  9. Das Rheingold: Zweite Szene: Zu mir, Freia! Meide sie, Frecher!
  10. Das Rheingold: Zweite Szene: Endlich Loge!
  11. Das Rheingold: Zweite Szene: Immer ist Undank Loges Lohn!
  12. Das Rheingold: Zweite Szene: Ein Runenzauber zwingt das Gold zum Reif
  13. Das Rheingold: Zweite Szene: Hor', Wotan, der Harrenden Wort!
  14. Das Rheingold: Zweite Szene: Was sinnt nun Wotan so wild?
  15. Das Rheingold: Zweite Szene: Auf, Loge, hinab mit mir! - Dritte Szene: Hehe! hehe! hieher!

Tracks:

  1. Die Walkure: Dritte Szene: Schau, du Schelm!
  2. Die Walkure: Dritte Szene: Nibelheim hier: durch bleiche Nebel was blitzen dort
  3. Die Walkure: Dritte Szene: Nehmt euch in acht! Alberich naht - Sein harren wir hier
  4. Die Walkure: Dritte Szene: Vergeh, frevelnder Gauch! - Was sagt der? - Sei doch bei Sinnen!
  5. Die Walkure: Dritte Szene: Ohe! Hahaha! Ohe! Hahaha! Schreckliche Schlange
  6. Die Walkure: Vierte Szene: Da, Vetter, sitze du fest!
  7. Die Walkure: Vierte Szene: Gezahlt hab' ich, nun lasst mich zieh'n!
  8. Die Walkure: Vierte Szene: Bin ich nun frei? Wirklich frei?
  9. Die Walkure: Vierte Szene: Fasolt und Fafner nahen von fern
  10. Die Walkure: Vierte Szene: Gepflanzt sind die Pfahle
  11. Die Walkure: Vierte Szene: Weiche, Wotan, weiche!
  12. Die Walkure: Vierte Szene: Hort, ihr Riesen! Zuruck, und harret!...Halt, du Gieriger!
  13. Die Walkure: Vierte Szene: Schwules Gedunst...Zur Burg fuhrt die Brucke
  14. Die Walkure: Vierte Szene: Abendlich strahlt der Sonne Auge
  15. Die Walkure: Vierte Szene: Rheingold! Rheingold! Reines Gold! Wie lauter und hell

Tracks:

  1. Die Walkure: Erster Aufzug: Prelude
  2. Die Walkure: Erster Aufzug, Erste Szene: Wes Herd dies auch sei
  3. Die Walkure: Erster Aufzug, Erste Szene: Kuhlende Labung gab mir der Queil!
  4. Die Walkure: Erster Aufzug, Zweite Szene: Mud am Herd fand ich den Mann
  5. Die Walkure: Erster Aufzug, Zweite Szene: Friedmund darf ich nicht heissen
  6. Die Walkure: Erster Aufzug, Zweite Szene: Aus dem Wald trieb es mich fort
  7. Die Walkure: Erster Aufzug, Zweite Szene: Ich weiss ein wildes Geschlecht
  8. Die Walkure: Erster Aufzug, Dritte Szene: Ein Schwert verhiess mir der Vater
  9. Die Walkure: Erster Aufzug, Dritte Szene: Schlafst du, Gast?
  10. Die Walkure: Erster Aufzug, Dritte Szene: Wintersturme wichen dem Wonnemond
  11. Die Walkure: Erster Aufzug, Dritte Szene: Du bist der Lenz, nach dem ich verlangte
  12. Die Walkure: Erster Aufzug, Dritte Szene: Wehwalt heisst du furwahr? - Siegmund heiss ich

Tracks:

  1. Die Walkure: Zweiter Aufzug: Prelude
  2. Die Walkure: Zweiter Aufzug, Erste Szene: Nun zaume dein Ross, reisige Maid
  3. Die Walkure: Zweiter Aufzug, Erste Szene: Der alte Sturm, die alte Muh'!
  4. Die Walkure: Zweiter Aufzug, Erste Szene: So ist es denn aus mit den ewigen Gottern
  5. Die Walkure: Zweiter Aufzug, Erste Szene: Nichts lerntest du
  6. Die Walkure: Zweiter Aufzug, Erste Szene: Was verlangst du?
  7. Die Walkure: Zweiter Aufzug, Zweite Szene: Schlimm, fucht ich, schloss der Streit
  8. Die Walkure: Zweiter Aufzug, Zweite Szene: Was keinem in Worten ich kunde
  9. Die Walkure: Zweiter Aufzug, Zweite Szene: Ein andres ist's: achte es wohl
  10. Die Walkure: Zweiter Aufzug, Zweite Szene: O sag, kunde, was soll nun dein Kind?
  11. Die Walkure: Zweiter Aufzug, Dritte Szene: Raste nun hier, gonne dir Ruh!
  12. Die Walkure: Zweiter Aufzug, Dritte Szene: Hinweg! Hinweg! Flieh die Entweihte!

Tracks:

  1. Die Walkure: Zweiter Aufzug, Vierte Szene: Siegmund! Sieh auf mich!
  2. Die Walkure: Zweiter Aufzug, Vierte Szene: Hehr bist du, und heilig
  3. Die Walkure: Zweiter Aufzug, Vierte Szene: So wenig achtest du ewige Wonne?
  4. Die Walkure: Zweiter Aufzug, Funfte Szene: Zauberfest bezahmt ein Schlaf der Holden Schmerz und Harm
  5. Die Walkure: Zweiter Aufzug, Funfte Szene: Kehrte der Vater nur heim!

Tracks:

  1. Die Walkure: Dritter Aufzug, Erste Szene: Vorspiel - Hojotoho! Hojotoho! Heiaha! Heiaha!
  2. Die Walkure: Dritter Aufzug, Erste Szene: Schutzt mich und helft in hochster Not!
  3. Die Walkure: Dritter Aufzug, Erste Szene: Nicht sehre dich Sorge um mich
  4. Die Walkure: Dritter Aufzug, Erste Szene: Steh, Brunnhild'!
  5. Die Walkure: Dritter Aufzug, Zweite Szene: Wo ist Brunnhild', wo die Verbrecherin?
  6. Die Walkure: Dritter Aufzug, Zweite Szene: Hier bin ich Vater: gebiete die Strafe!
  7. Die Walkure: Dritter Aufzug, Zweite Szene: Wehe! Weh! Schwester, ach Schwester!
  8. Die Walkure: Dritter Aufzug, Dritte Szene: War es so schmahlich, was ich verbrach
  9. Die Walkure: Dritter Aufzug, Dritte Szene: Nicht weise bin ich, doch wusst' ich das eine
  10. Die Walkure: Dritter Aufzug, Dritte Szene: So tatest du, was so gern zu tun ich begehrt
  11. Die Walkure: Dritter Aufzug, Dritte Szene: Du zeugtest ein edles Geschlecht
  12. Die Walkure: Dritter Aufzug, Dritte Szene: Leb wohl, du kuhnes, herrliches Kind!
  13. Die Walkure: Dritter Aufzug, Dritte Szene: Denn einer nur freie die Braut
  14. Die Walkure: Dritter Aufzug, Dritte Szene: Loge, hor! Lausche hierher!

Tracks:

  1. Siegfried: Erster Aufzug: Vorspiel
  2. Siegfried: Erster Aufzug, Erste Szene: Zwangvolle Plage! Mueh ohne Zweck!
  3. Siegfried: Erster Aufzug, Erste Szene: Hoiho! Hoiho! Hau ein! Hau ein!
  4. Siegfried: Erster Aufzug, Erste Szene: Da hast du die Stucken, schandlicher Stumper
  5. Siegfried: Erster Aufzug, Erste Szene: Ais zullendes Kind zog ich dich auf
  6. Siegfried: Erster Aufzug, Erste Szene: Vieles lehrtest du, Mime
  7. Siegfried: Erster Aufzug, Erste Szene: Einst lag wimmernd ein Weib
  8. Siegfried: Erster Aufzug, Erste Szene: Und diese Stucken sollst du mir schmieden
  9. Siegfried: Erster Aufzug, Erste Szene: Da sturmt er hin!
  10. Siegfried: Erster Aufzug, Zweite Szene: Heil dir, weiser Schmied!
  11. Siegfried: Erster Aufzug, Zweite Szene: Hier sitz' ich am Herd und setze mein Haupt
  12. Siegfried: Erster Aufzug, Zweite Szene: Was zu wissen dir frommt, solltest du fragen
  13. Siegfried: Erster Aufzug, Zweite Szene: Die Stucken! Das Schwert! O weh! Mir schwindelt!
  14. Siegfried: Erster Aufzug, Dritte Szene: Verfluchtes Licht!
  15. Siegfried: Erster Aufzug, Dritte Szene: Heda! Du Fauler!

Tracks:

  1. Siegfried: Erster Aufzug, Dritte Szene: Bist du es, Kind?
  2. Siegfried: Erster Aufzug, Dritte Szene: Fuhltest du nie im finstren Wald
  3. Siegfried: Erster Aufzug, Dritte Szene: Her mit den Stucken, fort mit dem Stumper!
  4. Siegfried: Erster Aufzug, Dritte Szene: Notung! Notung! Neidliches Schwert!
  5. Siegfried: Erster Aufzug, Dritte Szene: Hoho! Hoho! Hahei!
  6. Siegfried: Zweiter Aufzug: Vorspiel
  7. Siegfried: Zweiter Aufzug, Erste Szene: In Wald und Nacht
  8. Siegfried: Zweiter Aufzug, Erste Szene: Zur Neidhohle fuhr ich bei Nacht
  9. Siegfried: Zweiter Aufzug, Erste Szene: Mit mir nicht, hadre mit Mime
  10. Siegfried: Zweiter Aufzug, Erste Szene: Fafner! Fafner! Erwache, Wurm!
  11. Siegfried: Zweiter Aufzug, Erste Szene: Nun, Alberich, das schlug fehl
  12. Siegfried: Zweiter Aufzug, Zweite Szene: Wir sind zur Stelle!
  13. Siegfried: Zweiter Aufzug, Erste Szene: Dass der mein Vater nicht ist

Tracks:

  1. Siegfried: Zweiter Aufzug, Zweite Szene: Aber wie sah meine Mutter wohl aus?
  2. Siegfried: Zweiter Aufzug, Zweite Szene: Meine Mutter, ein Menschenweib!
  3. Siegfried: Zweiter Aufzug, Zweite Szene: Haha! Da hatte mein Lied mir was Liebes erblasen!
  4. Siegfried: Zweiter Aufzug, Zweite Szene: Wer bist du, kuhner Knabe, der das Herz mir traf?
  5. Siegfried: Zweiter Aufzug, Zweite Szene: Zur Kunde taugt kein Toter
  6. Siegfried: Zweiter Aufzug, Dritte Szene: Wohin schleichst du eilig und schlau
  7. Siegfried: Zweiter Aufzug, Dritte Szene: Was ihr mir nutzt, weiss ich nicht
  8. Siegfried: Zweiter Aufzug, Dritte Szene: Wilkommen, Siegfried!
  9. Siegfried: Zweiter Aufzug, Dritte Szene: Da lieg auch du, dunkler Wurm!
  10. Siegfried: Dritter Aufzug: Vorspiel
  11. Siegfried: Dritter Aufzug, Erste Szene: Wache, Wala! Wala! Erwach
  12. Siegfried: Dritter Aufzug, Erste Szene: Stark ruft das Lied

Tracks:

  1. Siegfried: Dritter Aufzug, Erste Szene: Dir Unweisen ruf' ich ins Ohr
  2. Siegfried: Dritter Aufzug, Zweite Szene: Mein Voglein schwebte mir fort!
  3. Siegfried: Dritter Aufzug, Zweite Szene: Wohin, Knabe, heisst dich dein Weg?
  4. Siegfried: Dritter Aufzug, Zweite Szene: Kenntest du mich, kuhner Spross
  5. Siegfried: Dritter Aufzug, Zweite Szene: Mit zerfochtner Waffe wich mir der Feige?
  6. Siegfried: Dritter Aufzug, Dritte Szene: Selige Ode auf sonniger Hoh!
  7. Siegfried: Dritter Aufzug, Dritte Szene: Das ist kein Mann!
  8. Siegfried: Dritter Aufzug, Dritte Szene: Heil dir, Sonne! Heil dir, Licht!
  9. Siegfried: Dritter Aufzug, Dritte Szene: O Siegfried! Siegfried! Seliger Held!
  10. Siegfried: Dritter Aufzug, Dritte Szene: Dort seh' ich Grane
  11. Siegfried: Dritter Aufzug, Dritte Szene: Ewig war ich, ewig bin ich

Tracks:

  1. Gotterdammerung: Prolog: Welch Licht leuchtet dort
  2. Gotterdammerung: Prolog: Treu beratner Vertrage Runen
  3. Gotterdammerung: Prolog: Es ragt die Burg, von Riesen gebaut
  4. Gotterdammerung: Prolog: Zu neuen Taten, teurer Helde
  5. Gotterdammerung: Prolog: Willst du mir Minne schenken
  6. Gotterdammerung: Prolog: O heilige Gotter!
  7. Gotterdammerung: Prolog: Siegfrieds Rheinfahrt
  8. Gotterdammerung: Erster Aufzug, Erste Szene: Nun hor, Hagen
  9. Gotterdammerung: Erster Aufzug, Erste Szene: Wen ratst du nun zu frein
  10. Gotterdammerung: Erster Aufzug, Erste Szene: Jagt er auf Taten wonnig umher
  11. Gotterdammerung: Erster Aufzug, Zweite Szene: Wer ist Gibichs Sohn?
  12. Gotterdammerung: Erster Aufzug, Zweite Szene: Begrusse froh, o Held
  13. Gotterdammerung: Erster Aufzug, Zweite Szene: Willkommen, Gast, in Gibichs Haus!

Tracks:

  1. Gotterdammerung: Erster Aufzug, Zweite Szene: Deinem Bruder bot ich mich zum Mann
  2. Gotterdammerung: Erster Aufzug, Zweite Szene: Bluhenden Lebens labendes Blut
  3. Gotterdammerung: Erster Aufzug, Zweite Szene: Frisch auf die Fahrt!
  4. Gotterdammerung: Erster Aufzug, Zweite Szene: Hier sitz' ich zur Wacht
  5. Gotterdammerung: Erster Aufzug, Dritte Szene: Altgewohntes Gerausch
  6. Gotterdammerung: Erster Aufzug, Dritte Szene:Hore mit Sinn, was ich dir sage!
  7. Gotterdammerung: Erster Aufzug, Dritte Szene: Welch banger Traume Maren
  8. Gotterdammerung: Erster Aufzug, Dritte Szene: Was leckt so wutend
  9. Gotterdammerung: Erster Aufzug, Dritte Szene: Brunnhild'! Ein Freier kam

Tracks:

  1. Gotterdammerung: Zweiter Aufzug: Vorspiel
  2. Gotterdammerung: Zweiter Aufzug, Erste Szene: Schlafst du, Hagen, mein Sohn?
  3. Gotterdammerung: Zweiter Aufzug, Zweite Szene: Hoiho, Hagen! Muder Mann!
  4. Gotterdammerung: Zweiter Aufzug, Zweite Szene: Heiss mich willkommen, Gibichskind!
  5. Gotterdammerung: Zweiter Aufzug, Dritte Szene: Hoiho! Hoihohoho!
  6. Gotterdammerung: Zweiter Aufzug, Vierte Szene: Heil dir, Gunther!
  7. Gotterdammerung: Zweiter Aufzug, Vierte Szene: Gegrusst sei, teurer Held
  8. Gotterdammerung: Zweiter Aufzug, Vierte Szene: Einen Ring sah ich an deiner Hand
  9. Gotterdammerung: Zweiter Aufzug, Vierte Szene: Heil'ge Gotter, himmlische Lenker!
  10. Gotterdammerung: Zweiter Aufzug, Vierte Szene: Helle Wehr! Heilige Waffe!
  11. Gotterdammerung: Zweiter Aufzug, Vierte Szene: Gunther, wehr deinem Weibe
  12. Gotterdammerung: Zweiter Aufzug, Funfte Szene: Welches Unholds List liegt hier verhohlen?
  13. Gotterdammerung: Zweiter Aufzug, Funfte Szene: Vertraue mir, betrogne Frau!
  14. Gotterdammerung: Zweiter Aufzug, Funfte Szene: Auf, Gunther, edler Gibichung!

Tracks:

  1. Gotterdammerung: Dritter Aufzug: Vorspiel
  2. Gotterdammerung: Dritter Aufzug, Erste Szene: Frau Sonne sendet lichte Strahlen
  3. Gotterdammerung: Dritter Aufzug, Erste Szene: Ein Albe fuhrte mich irr
  4. Gotterdammerung: Dritter Aufzug, Erste Szene: Was leid' ich doch das karge Lob?
  5. Gotterdammerung: Dritter Aufzug, Erste Szene: Siegfried! Siegfried! Siegfried!
  6. Gotterdammerung: Dritter Aufzug, Zweite Szene: Hoiho!
  7. Gotterdammerung: Dritter Aufzug, Zweite Szene: Trink, Guenther, trink!
  8. Gotterdammerung: Dritter Aufzug, Zweite Szene: Mime hiess ein murrischer Zwerg
  9. Gotterdammerung: Dritter Aufzug, Zweite Szene: In Leid zu dem Wipfel lauscht' ich hinauf
  10. Gotterdammerung: Dritter Aufzug, Zweite Szene: Brunnhilde, heilige Braut!
  11. Gotterdammerung: Dritter Aufzug, Zweite Szene: Trauermusik beim Tode Siegfrieds
  12. Gotterdammerung: Dritter Aufzug, Dritte Szene: War das sein Horn?
  13. Gotterdammerung: Dritter Aufzug, Dritte Szene: Hoiho! Hoiho!
  14. Gotterdammerung: Dritter Aufzug, Dritte Szene: Nicht klage wider mich!
  15. Gotterdammerung: Dritter Aufzug, Dritte Szene: Schweigt eures Jammers
  16. Gotterdammerung: Dritter Aufzug, Dritte Szene: Starke Scheite schichtet mir dort
  17. Gotterdammerung: Dritter Aufzug, Dritte Szene: Mein Erbe nun nehm' ich zu eigen
  18. Gotterdammerung: Dritter Aufzug, Dritte Szene: Fliegt heim, ihr Raben!

Amazon.com essential recording

Modern storage media (CD/DVD) offer both high fidelity and great reliability in the playback of music. Yet only a bit more than a generation ago, the possibilities inherent in the long-playing record inspired John Culshaw, a young producer for Decca, to attempt the most ambitious recording project ever contemplated up to that time--a complete studio recording of the Ring. Though other Rings were issued after this landmark enterprise, none have equaled the Decca Ring in popularity. There are those who prefer live performances, or who feel that the sound and theatrical effects in this recording are overdone; nonetheless this remains the benchmark Ring, as shown by its seemingly endless rerelease schedule. The Ring effort was high profile at the time and helped nail down Sir Georg Solti's status as a "superstar" conductor and authoritative interpreter of the Wagnerian repertory. Another key contributor to the success of the project was the uniform excellence in the casting. Definitive performances given include Neidlinger's nietzschean Alberich, Stolze's whining Mime, Boehme's rumbling Fafnir, along with Nilsson in her prime-more a force of nature than a human voice. The care lavished on the capture of the music was unmatched at the time of the recording, and still leaves this as one of the best sounding Rings even today, when the oldest part (Rheingold) has reached its 40th anniversary. --Christian C. Rix

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars "Leb wohl, Siegmund, seligster Held!".......2007-05-15

Okay, so we have the Solti, Bohm, Karajan, Levine, Janowski, Goodall, and Sawallisch Rings on the market (I haven't listened to the other Ring recordings yet, sorry to say). And all of these leave me to one conclusion: the many differences lead me to believe that all of these ring sets have their own authenticities and setbacks. And here they are:

TIMING (Estimate):
Solti's Ring: 14 hours, 30 minutes
Bohm's Ring: 13 hours, 30 minutes
Karajan's Ring: 14 hours, 50 minutes
Goodall's Ring: 16 hours, 50 minutes
Janowski's Ring: 14 hours, 0 minutes
Levine's Ring: 15 hours, 20 minutes
Sawallisch's Ring: 14 hours, 0 minutes

CONDUCTING:
Solti: Solti's conducting is driven with sheer muscle, but sometimes he makes the Ring overemotional. His Walkure & Gotterdammerung Preludes are clear examples: they're annoyingly bombastic. Nonetheless he almost seldom loses control with anything. His clear focus on the drama is astonishing.

Bohm: I must say his live Bayreuth recording brings out some of the best. He puts more faith in the orchestral score, but he also gives it more intensity. His tempi are some of the quickest, but they still don't seem rushed at all (except maybe "Wohin schleich'st du eilig und schlau"). I especially like his "Forging Scene" & "Hagen Summons the Vassals"; both are the most energetic on disc.

Karajan: Karajan's chamber approach is very interesting. Instead of going for the drama or the energy, the conductor goes for the beauty. Almost everything in his Ring sounds very ethereal because of his excessive use of lyricism. His orchestral preludes (except Walkure Act 1) sound more beautiful than others, and much of the soft parts (such as Siegfried Act Three Scene Three) are controlled nicely. His "Funeral March" and "Immolation" are recommendable. Siegfried Act Three Scene Two could have improved with more tension.

Goodall: Oh, boy. While I do praise Goodall with his amazing attention to detail, his ridiculously sluggish tempi will tick some Wagnerites off: everything is slower than adagio moderato. But I did enjoy listening to the slow beauty of his "Wotan's Farewell/Magic Fire Music". This was recorded live and sung in English.

Janowski: This is a very classical Ring. Instead of bombast, spacious, or lyrical passion, maestro Janowski gives us the straightforward approach. He goes straight for Wagner's original intentions (precise tempi, dynamics, flow of leitmotivs, etc.), which makes this another exquisite Ring. "Hagen Summons the Vassals" is probably the fastest I've ever heard (along with Sawallisch's). Rheingold Scene Four can be best described as "sensational".

Levine: While he does stay true to the score like Bohm, this conductor makes for a somewhat dull Ring. His handling of the orchestra is nice, but the moderately slow tempi he chooses is flawed. It should be more animated. His beautiful "Funeral March" and "Erda's Warning" are two of the few flawless features.

Sawallisch: I guess you can say that Sawallisch is half-Karajan, half-Janowski. While he does stay true to the orchestral score like Janowski, he also puts in a little Karajan-like lyricism. At some points he loses track with orchestra and singers (as does every live recording) but Bohm has more control. This was also recorded live.

ORCHESTRA:
Solti's Vienna Philharmonic: The woodwinds are the most beautiful in Solti's Ring (the "Forest Murmurs" is clear evidence of that). French horns and Wagner tubas make this a recommended listening. The strings in "Heda Heda Hedo" could've added a bit more work, but they are strikingly spectacular everywhere else. The orchestra gives it their all in Siegfried Act Two & Three, but they are at their weakest in Walkure Act One & Three (Bohm's Bayreuth does it better). Overall, it's the loudest and certainly most bombastic out of all the Ring orchestras combined.

Bohm's Bayreuth Festival: The ultimate Wagnerian orchestra gives it their all. The brass both high and low are the most powerful, while the woodwinds are the most delicate. The strings are muffled only a few times, otherwise the eighteen anvils are perfectly loud and clear. Erda's scenes aren't as effective as Janowski's, but the entire Walkure is more successful than Janowski's when it comes to tone & technique. Overall, this orchestra is the most dramatic.

Karajan's Berlin Philharmonic: The entire orchestra sounds polished, not to say that it is bad. Indeed the drama is still there, but much of the suspense is lacking (the scenes with Fasolt and Fafner come to mind). The brass sometimes overpowers the strings, which can be a serious problem. Gotterdammerung "Three Norns" Scene sounds very mysterious, very eerie.

Goodall's English National Opera: This orchestra sounds nice, even if the sluggishness can bring them down at times. The Flight of the Valkyries doesn't sound too good in a slow tempo, but the entire orchestra does sound lucid here. Siegfried Act One Prelude is the creepiest. All of the leitmotivs are heard loud and clear, just like in Janowski's version.

Janowski's Staatskapelle Dresden: This orchestra has the same force & flair as does Bohm's Bayreuth Festival, only Dresden sounds much clearer due to the fantastic digital sound. Even minor details are found in this Ring. I can hear harps in Flight of the Valkyries! The strings imitate the Siegfried forest very well, while the woodwinds representing the songbird are wonderful (but not as wonderful as Solti's songbird). Dresden's "Magic Fire Music" (along with Berlin's) is the most extravagant.

Levine's Metropolitan Opera: The brass and woodwinds are the true stars. The strings sound too tired to continue on in Siegfried & Gotterdammerung. The Finale to Rheingold is absolutely stunning (the trumpets and trombones will not disappoint), and the Second Act of Walkure is the most impressive, the most refined.

Sawallisch's Bavarian State: Wrong notes in this live recording won't matter, as the entire orchestra gets everything going in all four nights at the opera. The strings never surrender to imperfection, and the winds are marvelously aligned. I just wish that some of the singers would keep up with the orchestra.

SINGERS:
-Wotan
Solti: Hans Hotter is the superior Wotan. He sounds powerful throughout the Ring (except Rheingold, in which a less stellar George London performs).

Bohm and Janowski: Theo Adam in Bohm's live recording is another treat. While he is not as equally impressive as Hotter, he can certainly conjure up everlasting emotions. Adam sounds weaker in Janowski's studio recording, but he still doesn't disappoint.

Karajan: Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau plays Wotan in "Rheingold," while Thomas Stewart replaces Fischer-Dieskau in "Walkure" and "Siegfried". I don't think Fischer-Dieskau was a good choice; he sounds too humane and too light. Stewart makes an astounding improvement in both "Walkure" and "Siegfried".

Goodall: Norman Bailey has that divine spark that Hotter used to cherish. He's heavy and unblemished, and he handles the English text with flair and sheen.

Levine: James Morris is a notch below Hotter, Adam, and Bailey, but he overpowers Fischer-Dieskau pretty much throughout the Levine's Ring.

Sawallisch: I may be biased, but Robert Hale just didn't do it for me. He sounded dull and tedious, and his Wotan's Farewell wasn't enough to sadden me.

-Brunnhilde
Solti and Bohm: Birgit Nilsson is the best Brunnhilde on the market. Her Valkyrie cry is delightful, and her final scene in Gotterdammerung is brilliant beyond belief.

Karajan: Regine Crespin is without a doubt one of the finest Brunnhildes after Nilsson. She's fantastic in Walkure Act Three. I just wish she stayed on as the Valkyrie later on in the Ring (Helga Dernesch is no good in Gotterdammerung, sorry to say).

Goodall: Rita Hunter is at her strongest in Walkure and Siegfried. She is at her weakest in Gotterdammerung. What may have caused her downfall in the fourth installment? "The world may never know."

Janowski: Jeannine Altmeyer is basically the most controversial Brunnhilde on CD. Some people say that she's too light and weak, while others say she sounds young and very enchanting. I'm with those who think Altmeyer was a good choice, but you yourself (the shopper) are going to have to decide whether she's good or not.

Levine and Sawallisch: Hildegard Behrens is just like Nilsson and Crespin: while she's not the best, she is definitely another perfect Brunnhilde of choice. She's at her most dazzling when she performs Walkure (Levine) and Siegfried (Sawallisch).

-Siegmund & Sieglinde
Let's see. For the Siegmunds, we have James King for Solti and Bohm. Jon Vickers for Karajan, Alberto Remedios for Goodall, Siegfried Jerusalem for Janowski, Gary Lakes for Levine, and Robert Schunk for Sawallisch. For the Sieglindes, we have Regine Crespin for Solti, Leonie Rysanek for Bohm, Gundula Janowitz for Karajan, Margaret Curphy for Goodall, Jessye Norman for both Janowski and Levine, and Julia Varady for Sawallisch. Hmm . . . Jerusalem is good . . . and so is Vickers . . . Janowitz is charming, and so is . . . Oh, what the heck? All the singers for Siegmund and Sieglinde are fantastic. Two exceptions, though: Robert Schunk doesn't sound heroic enough, and Jessye Norman for Levine's Ring doesn't sound young and innocent enough.

-Siegfried
Solti and Bohm: Wolfgang Windgassen may very well be the best Siegfried for the ages. His `Forging Scene" in both renditions are defiantly inspiring. His last scene in Gotterdammerung is celestial and overwhelming.

Karajan: Jess Thomas (Siegfried) and Helge Brilioth (Gotterdammerung) may not be as ideal as Windgassen, but they do know how to be a magnificent heldentenor. Thomas pulls it off with Act One and Three.

Goodall: Wow! What a singer that Alberto Remedios! He never drags in either of the last two installments, and he uses the correct emotions in every scene that he is in.

Janowski and Sawallisch: Rene Kollo's Siegfried is a poetically expressive one. In Janowski's version he sounds playful when he's in Mime's home, and he sounds willed when he's in the Gibich Hall. He is not good enough in Sawallisch's version, however. His tiresome "Forging Scene" is obvious evidence of that.

Levine: Oh, Reiner Goldberg. At least you tried. Seriously, he sounds too tedious (especially in Gotterdammerung Act Three Scene Two) and too old. I don't know Levine should've chose Kollo when he recorded his Ring.

-Alberich
Solti and Bohm: Gustav Niedlinger has a heaviness that overwhelms a few other baritones. When he sings his only sequence in Gotterdammerung Act Two Scene One, his emotion is so pure that his son Hagen would've drowned himself in tears (Too melodramatic? Sorry about that.). The only problem is that his character sounds too one-dimensional. Alberich isn't just some cardboard-cutout bad guy. He has a very good reason why he wants to take revenge on the world. Overall, Niedlinger is amazing throughout Wagner's Ring (He deserves many awards for "Bin ich nun frei?").

Karajan: I guess you can say that Zoltan Kelemen tries his best throughout. He is not good in Rheingold, but he gets better in Siegfried and Gotterdammerung.

Goodall: Derek Hammond-Stroud is three-dimensional, but not that much. Still, he can sound very demanding in Rheingold Scene One and Siegfried Act Two Scene One.

Janowski: Siegmund Nimsgern may be the most humane Alberich yet, but it's all good. He sings with more passion than Kelemen and more robustness than Hammond-Stroud. Niedlinger's ferociousness puts him below, however. "Schaf'st du, Hagen, mein sohn?" is noteworthy.

Levine and Sawallisch: Ekkehard Wlaschiha is one hell of a vigorous Alberich. I praise him in Rheingold Scene One and Three. His performance in Siegfried (both versions) could've improved with more distrustfulness towards Mime and the Wanderer.

-Mime
Solti and Karajan: Gerhard Stolze is the creepiest Mime ever known to humankind. This dwarf outsings other Mimes on the market. When he sings "Die stucken! Das Schwert!" his anger and fear is the most effective to almost all Ring listeners.

Bohm: Erwin Wohlfahrt wins second place. He gives a first-rate performance in Siegfried Act One, but loses some of his edge in Act Two. He is an exceptional Mime nonetheless. Look for him in Karajan's Rheingold, also.

Goodall: Gregory Dempsey isn't emotional enough. He doesn't sound fearful or depressed at all, which makes him the dullest Mime for the Ring.

Janowski: Peter Schreier is for Siegfried, while Christian Vogel is for Rheingold. Vogel is less than perfect, while Schreier is way beyond outstanding. Schreier is less ghoulish and more benevolent, more three-dimensional than Stolze and Wohlfahrt. The only flaw I can find is his handling of "Die stucken! Das Schwert!" He could've added a bit more fear in that sequence.

Levine: Heinz Zednik is yet another excellent mime. He is equal to Schreier when it comes to humaneness and lyricism. His performance in Rheingold Scene Three is pure gold, while his performance in Siegfried (particularly "Willkommen, Siegfried!") is a stunning achievement.

Sawallisch: Helmut Pampuch is just like Schreier and Zednik: he's very VERY good. Nuff said.

-Loge
Solti: Set Svanholm may be the weakest Loge. He is not very ominous throughout all of his scenes, and his lack of a sinister atmosphere is greatly affects the entire Rheingold. But he'll soon be forgotten later on in the Ring.

Bohm: Why the heck would the conductor have Wolfgang Windgassen play both Siegfried AND Loge? The demi-god needs to sound different from a son of a Walsung. Still, it's satisfactory, and his "Ihrem ende eilen sie zu" gives great foreshadowing.

Karajan: Gerhard Stolze is easily the most entertaining Loge to listen to. His scenes in Scene Three are delightful.

Goodall: Emile Belcourt isn't as good as Stolze, but he certainly can make some of the best of an English-speaking Loge.

Janowski: Peter Schreier is the most eccentric out of all of them, and that's a fact. Much of his singing involves imagination, peril, vengeance, and deviousness. Belcourt depends only on imagination and deviousness, Stolze only vengeance and deviousness, and Windgassen only peril. His odd conversations with Alberich and the gods/goddesses are classic.

Levine: Siegfried Jerusalem doesn't seem like a good choice for Loge. He's better off playing Siegmund or Siegfried, but not a demi-god.

Sawallisch: Robert Tear is on par with Stolze and Schreier. Sometimes he takes things too low, but all is forgiven with his management of character development.

-Everyone Else
Uh-huh, what can I say? Everyone else does a good job in all Ring recordings (maybe not in Swarowsky's version). Matti Salminen is the perfect Hagen (Janowski, Levine, and Sawallisch), while Kirsten Flagstad is the most brilliant Fricka (Solti). The Norns and Rheinmaidens do a splendid job in Solti, Janowski, and Levine. The Vassals (male choir) are at their unsurpassed in Bohm and Goodall. The only flawed Erda is Anne Collins (Goodall), maybe too light and too heavy at times. All in all, no one here is graded C or lower.

CONCLUSION: I have yet to listen to Barenboim's Bayreuth presentation and the essential mono recordings (Furtwangler, Krauss), but I'm pretty sure that have their advantages and disadvantages. So there you have it. We have the histrionic Solti, the energetic Bohm, the otherworldly Karajan, the spacious Goodall, the calculated Janowski, the relaxed Levine, and the serious Sawallisch Rings. They have their own authenticities and setbacks, and they certainly have their own significances for Ring listeners everywhere.


Karl Bohm: Wagner: Der Ring des Nibelungen

Herbert von Karajan: Der Ring des Nibelungen / Karajan / Berlin Philharmonic

Reginall Goodall: Wagner: The Ring Cycle (Box Set)

Marek Janowski: Wagner: Der Ring des Nibelungen

James Levine: Der Ring Des Nibelungen

Wolfgang Sawallisch: Wagner - Der Ring des Nibelungen (Ring Cycle) / Sawallisch, Bayerischer Staatsoper

5 out of 5 stars Easily the best investment I've ever made!!!.......2006-09-07

Solti is a true Wagnerian!!! There is truly no one better! In every single Wagner recording under his baton (under the fantastic engineering of the Decca label), there is a power, intensity, and ethereal quality that rings true from first note to last. This studio recording of the Ring Cycle is probably his strongest effort. Virtually every nuance that Wagner desired is apparent, from echoes, to characterizations, to instruments used (the steer-horns in Gotterdammerung). All of his singers are nothing short of the best, especially Hotter, Windgassen, and Nilsson (all of whom are sadly not around any longer). They do everything they can to help Solti bring Wagner's deepest conceptions to life. It's a shame that this performance wasn't filmed. The only thing missing is the visual aspect, but that's a very minute matter, when dealing with a top-notch recording like this one. It pulls the listener in, like he's there, experiencing the story with the likes of Wotan, Siegmund, Siegfried, and Brunnhilde. The package is also an excellent bonus, full of very informative liner notes, as well as set designs and beautiful drawings by the great Arthur Rackham. I paid $120 for this box set, brand new, but I would've gladly paid double that, if necessary. I don't know what I would do without this recording. (If you're feeling dangerous, as I have, try listening to the whole thing, with a nice comfortable set of headphones, with only the occasional bathroom breaks and eating/drinking to stay alive. If you can endure such an intense task, you will not regret it, but make sure you follow every word. Everything counts.) 100 stars!!!

5 out of 5 stars Possibly the greatest recording of the century.......2006-08-17

Ever since the reopening of the Bayreuth Festival in 1951, the operatic world has been blessed with many Ring recordings that are brimming with life and searing in interpretation. The work is certainly the most ambitious and fascinating musical epic ever set on paper, and due to its intricate music and magnificent and poetic text, it has influenced the way music making has been done ever since the Master presented it to the world in 1876. Now, 130 years after that first Ring cycle, the market abounds with hordes of Ring recordings raging from magnificent to deplorable, and with the cost of having to contain such a grand epic in recordable media for the listener to enjoy at home, the pricetags for these Rings are always going to be astounding.

A Ring cycle in the recording studio, of course, is no longer a foreseeable possibility today. The recent Tristan by EMI alone took a good month in the recoring studio, and with the increasingly high wages in the musician's union and the expensive fees needed to pay competent and artistic Wagnerian singers, another Ring in the studio would probably be a Herculean task at best. And, to add to that, the world is sorely lackiing of hochdramatische sopranos, true heldentenors, and great bass-baritones to sing the parts of the cycle's most difficult roles--Brunnhilde, Siegfried, and Wotan. The dearth of these species of voices, plus the scarcity of conductors who can masterfully lead an orchestra into playing one of the most complicated scores ever written in the true Wagnerian style, makes these matters more complicated. In my opinion, only Christian Thielemann can possibly execute this vision effectively today. Due to this, in order to be able to experience this monumental opus, you must turn to the recordings of the past to sample the greatness of Richard Wagner.

I personally feel that the greatest Rings come from the postwar Wieland Wagner Bayreuth festivals. Under his leadership, a calibre of Wagner singing was formed and has been unmatched ever since his premature death from lung cancer. With a team that consisted of chorus master Wilhelm Pitz, singers Astrid Varnay, Hans Hotter, Wolfgang Windgassen, Ramon Vinay, Gustav Neidlinger, Gre Brouwenstijn, Martha Modl, and later Birgit Nilsson, Martti Talvela, James King, Leonie Rysanek, and other singers who owned these roles in the Theatre on the Green Hill, plus a plethora of conductors that consisted of Herbert von Karajan, Hans Knappertsbusch, Clemens Krauss, Joseph Keilberth, and Rudolf Kempe (all conductors who by some divine intervention all had last names beginning with "K"), Wieland Wagner unveiled a new and fresh way of Wagner interpretation along with a team of singers and musicians who made this great music sing.

Some people though, would much prefer the music in the undisturbed, almost pristine conditions achieved by the recording studio. While there are several Der Ring des Nibelungen that have come out of recording halls following this one, none of them have matched it in popularity. And there is a reason for that of course. Solti leads the Wiener Philharmoniker in a recording that brings the theatrical values of Wagner's operas to the comfort of the living room without the stage noises and other distractions that some listeners seem to detest. In addition to that, the care put into immortalizing this Ring in recording media has made it one of the most "real"-sounding performances on disc. Here, you get the steerhorns and tuned anvils and metal bars that Wagner personally requested to be put into the score, in addition to other sound effects that would be impossible to realize in the theater. You can hear the violent thunder in the opening of Act III of Siegfried and the closing scene of Rheingold. I could go on about all these little details, but I leave that for you to witness yourself.

That said about its realistic audio qualities, I would like to discuss the merits of Solti's conducting. It is true that while Solti had a heavy hand in this recording in comparison with conductors such as Karajan, Krauss, Bohm, and Boulez who exuded transparency in their readings, he brings everything in the score to life. He understands Wagner's score well, and his reading is closer to Knappertsbusch on a good day, a method that harkens the traditional way of conducting Wagner. He also has good judgment as to where tempi changes must be made, as can be heard from the closing scene of Das Rheingold. The orchestration during Donner's "Heda Hedo!" is simply ravishing, and the tempi that Solti uses and adjusts to sounds dramatically right. Wagner himself would have been proud. His understanding of the more complex and post-Tristan scores of Siegfried and Gotterdammerung are still unparalleled today. From the Mime Wanderer riddle scene to the Forging song to the Wotan Erda confrontation and the glorious love duet that ends the opera, Solti gets all the orchestral nuances perfectly. His Siegfried is so alive, that any recording after that can be considered below par. But if there was ever one recording that deserved the praise this Ring receives, it has to be Solti's Gotterdammerung. From the haziness of the Norn scene to the Dawn love duet and the Gibichung hall music, and the Waltraute Brunnhilde dialogue, I think Solti captures this Act perfectly. Act 2 is done well too, with Gottlob Frick's menacing Hagen and Neidlinger's definitive Alberich creating a most sinister mood accompanied by Solti's masterly conducting. The revenge trio that caps the act is perfectly executed by the Vienna Philharmonic, and I think that if it were not for the presence of Knappertsbusch's recent Testament release with Varnay and Uhde, this would also probably be the best Act II on disc. Then we have Act III, the culmination of the Ring cycle. From the chattering of the Rhinemaidens to Siegfried's death and funeral march to the glorious Immolation Scene, I think this Act III represents Wagner's music at its greatest, and no other recording captures the essence of the final moments of the Ring with all its synthesis of the various leitmotifs in such a moving manner. This is, perhaps, the best conducted Ring of the studios, and on a good day, I would feel exceeds that of the Bayreuth rings. (Hey! I have my Wagner whims too, and on some days, I if tend to have a preference for Krauss, Karajan, Knappertsbusch, or Bohm...that is my preference! Chacun a son gout!)

Now for the cast. I have never seen such a glorious cast assembled in the recording studio such as this, and everything from Neidlinger's Alberich, Nilsson's Brunnhilde, Hotter and London's Wotans, Windgassens's Siegfried, Flagstad's Rheingold Fricka and Ludwig's Walkure Fricka, Hoffgen's Erda, King's Siegmund, Crespin's Sieglinde, Frick's Hagen and Hunding, Bohme's characterful Fafner, Sutherland woodbird, Stolze's Mime, and the chattery and lusty Walkures, Norns, and Rheinmaidens is simply a vocal treat. That said, these individual singers' solo performances can be heard to greater advantages elsewhere, but nowhere are they captured better vocally than here. Of course, some singers such as Hotter are no longer in their prime, but what a magnificent performance he gives! His Wotan is so grand and noble that I think that the only Wotan who beats him is his younger self. Nilsson's Brunnhilde is a force of nature. Her missile-like voice is fascinating, encompassing Brunnhilde's vocal music with such ease that one would think Brunnhilde was a walk in the park. She is hands-down one of the greatest Brunnhildes ever, along with Astrid Varnay and Martha Modl. Siegfried here is sung by Windgassen, the tenor who single-handedly solved Bayreuth's heldentenor shortage for more than a decade. His voice, of course, has aged, but he is such an intelligent artist that one cannot help but listen to his Siegfried artistically portrayed without any vocal problems that today's many Siegfrieds encounter. James King is a most moving Siegmund, surpassed only by his Bohm interpretation and possibly Ramon Vinay on a good day, and his Sieglinde, Regine Crespin, is one of the most female and human singers ever to have brought the role to life. Christa Ludwig is the most sumptuous Fricka and Waltraute on disc, combining her great vocal beauty with her consummate artistry. Her singing here is nothing short of definitive. The Walkures are all great, the cast including two future Brunnhildes: Helga Dernesch and Berit Lindholm. The supporting cast of giants is also very good, with Kurt Bohme as a most characterful Fafner. I think that the Fasolt could have been sung better though. The Norns also consist of some of the most famous singers of the Wagnerian oeuvre, some of them taking the great roles in the years to come. Hoffgen sings Erda magnificently. My only quibble here is the casting choices used for Rheingold's Rheintochters. They sound a bit old. They characterize their characters playfully, but one could wish that Solti had used the maidens singing for Karajan or Bohm's recording. Otherwise, the cast is almost flawless.

Must this be your first Ring? With the care lavished on such a great project (Culshaw's attention to the miniscule details in the score), Solti's wonderful conducting, and a cast that truly represents the golden age of Wagner, I would say, this is an essential recording for anyone's collection. It is possibly the greatest achievement in the recording studio, and in many ways, the greatest recording of the century.

3 out of 5 stars Wonderful recording - GLARING TECHNICAL ISSUE.......2006-06-03

Fine recording, good performance, historical in scope and a great box set. HOWEVER:

Being a musician and an opera fan, as well as being a recording engineer, I own several releases of this particular collection of recordings by London/Decca. The original recording of Das Rheingold (the first set of CDs in this boxed set of operas) dates back to the late-1950s, and stands as a landmark achievement in audio recording, especially considering that it is the first EVER complete studio recording ever made of Das Rheingold. First released on vinyl and reel-to-reel tapes in the late-50, this recording has been re-released countless times in several formats, including an excellent mid-1970s release on Dolby-B encoded reel-to-reel tape.

The CD collection has a glaring, horrible problem that I do not see mentioned ANYWHERE in these Amazon blogs, and it shocks me that no other musicians have noticed: THE ENTIRE OPERA "DAS RHEINGOLD" IN THIS COLLECTION IS OFF PITCH!! PITCH FOR THE ENTIRE OPERA IS NEARLY A SEMITONE SHARP!! NEARLY A SEMITONE!!!!!! Historically, there is an explanation for this. From my understanding of the issue, the recording was made in Vienna on American Ampex tape machines that were shipped to London/Decca for the purpose. The tape machines used synchronous motors that were erroneously not adjusted to compensate for the difference in line frequencies between the U.S. and Europe, and therefore the tape machines ran fractionally slow. Play the master tapes back on a tape machine running at the correct speed, and the master recording plays FRACTIONALLY FAST.

None of the earlier releases of this opera that I have ever heard share this issue, since all submasters of the recording would have been adjusted to compensate for the original technical error, and the adjustment done properly in the analog realm has absolutely no negativerepurcussions on the product outcome.

The CD collection portends to have returned to the original master, and that may be the issue. Nonetheless, why hasn't anyone with music knowledge raised the red flag about this egregious error in the CD release?? Why doesn't anyone notice?? I even attempted to write London/Decca about the issue and have received no reply.

Most people with good pitch will recognize when a recording is 75-80 cents (nearly a semitone) sharp!! If you are a musician, you will not be happy with Das Rheingold in this collection, due to the glaring pitch problem. A true pity, and shame on London/Decca.

5 out of 5 stars LORD OF THE RINGS.......2006-03-31

This recording is the Lord of the all ring cycles...I can't say anything else...No need to explain it like you are writing a novel or talking about a legend...You have to experience it...JUST DO IT

This review can't help you...Only listening and God can help you with this stuff...

Can EL
Wagner: Der Ring des Nibelungen
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
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 Wagner: Der Ring des Nibelungen

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  1. Wagner: Der Ring des Nibelungen
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  5. Wagner: Siegfried

ASIN: B000025ESY
Release Date: 2006-09-12

Tracks:

  1. Prelude
  2. Scene One: 'Weia! Waga! Woge, Du Welle!'
  3. Scene One: 'Garstig Glatter Glitschriger Glimmer!'
  4. Scene One: 'Wallala! Lalaleia! Leialalei!'
  5. Scene One: 'Lugt, Schwestern! Die Weckerin Lacht In Den Grund'
  6. Scene One: 'Der Welt Erbe Gewann' Ich Zu Eigen Durch Dich'
  7. Scene One: Orchestral Interlude
  8. Scene Two: 'Wotan! Gemahl! Erwache!'
  9. Scene Two: 'Nur Wonne Schafft Dir, Was Mich Erschreckt'
  10. Scene Two: 'Sanft Schloss Schlaf Dein Aug'
  11. Scene Two: 'Zu Mir, Freia!'
  12. Scene Two: 'Endlich Loge!'
  13. Scene Two: 'Immer Ist Undank Loges Lohn'
  14. Scene Two: 'Taugte Wohl Des Goldnen Tandes'
  15. Scene Two: 'Hor', Wotan, Der Harrenden Wort!'
  16. Scene Two: 'Jetzt Fand Ich's: Hort, Was Euch Fehlt'
  17. Scene Two: Orchestral Interlude: Descent Into Nibelheim
  18. Scene Three: 'Hehe! Hehe! Hieher! Hieher!'

Tracks:

  1. Scene Three: 'Wer Halfe Mir?'
  2. Scene Three: 'Mit Eurem Gefrage'
  3. Scene Three: 'Was Wollt Ihr Hier?'
  4. Scene Three: 'Habt Acht'
  5. Scene Three: 'Riesen-Wurm Winde Sich Ringelnd'
  6. Scene Three: Orchestral Interlude: Return From Nibelheim
  7. Scene Four: 'Da, Vetter, Sitze Du Fest!'
  8. Scene Four: 'Wohlan, Die Nibelungen Rief Ich Mir Nah'
  9. Scene Four: 'Zu Deiner Losung Musst Du Ihn Lassen'
  10. Scene Four: 'Bin Ich Nun Frei?' - Alberich's Curse
  11. Scene Four: 'Lauschtest Du Seinem Liebesgruss?'
  12. Scene Four: 'Halt! Nicht Sie Beruhrt!'
  13. Scene Four: 'Nicht So Leicht Und Locker Gefugt'
  14. Scene Four: 'Freia, Die Schone, Schau' Ich Nicht Mehr'
  15. Scene Four: 'Weiche, Wotan, Weiche!'
  16. Scene Four: 'Hort, Ihr Riesen! Zuruck Und Harret'
  17. Scene Four: 'Furchtbar Nun Erfind' Ich Des Fluches Kraft'
  18. Scene Four: 'Schwules Gedunst Schwebt In Der Luft'
  19. Scene Four: 'Zur Burg Fuhrt Die Brucke'
  20. Scene Four: 'Rheingold! Rheingold!'

Tracks:

  1. Act One: Prelude
  2. Act One: Scene One - 'Wes Herd Dies Auch Sei, Hier Muss Ich Rasten'
  3. Act One: Scene One - 'Kuhlende Labung Gab Mir Der Quell'
  4. Act One: Scene Two - 'Mud Am Herd Fand Ich Den Mann'
  5. Act One: Scene Two - 'Friedmund Darf Ich Nicht Heissen'
  6. Act One: Scene Two - 'Aus Dem Wald Trieb Es Mich Fort'
  7. Act One: Scene Two - 'Ich Weiss Ein Wildes Geschlecht'
  8. Act One: Scene Three - 'Ein Schwert Verhiess Mir Der Vater'
  9. Act One: Scene Three - 'Der Manner Sippe Sass Hier Im Saal'
  10. Act One: Scene Three - 'Wintersturme Wichen Dem Wonnemond' - 'Du Bist Der Lenz'
  11. Act One: Scene Three - 'Wehwalt Heisst Du Furwahr?' - 'Siegmund Heiss Ich'

Tracks:

  1. Act Two: Prelude
  2. Act Two: Scene One - 'Nun Zaume Dein Ross' - 'Hojotoho' - 'Der Alte Sturm, Die Alte Muh'!'
  3. Act Two: Scene One - 'Heut Has Du's Erlebt' - 'So Ist Es Denn Aus'
  4. Act Two: Scene One - 'Was Verlangst Du?' - 'Dort Kommt Deine Kuhne Maid'
  5. Act Two: Scene Two - 'Schlimm, Furcht Ich, Schloss Der Streit'
  6. Act Two: Scene Two - 'Lass Ich's Verlauten' - 'Was Keinem In Worten Ich Kunde'
  7. Act Two: Scene Two - 'Ein Andres Ist's: Achte Es Wohl'
  8. Act Two: Scene Two - 'So Sah Ich Siegvater Nie'
  9. Act Two: Scene Three - 'Raste Nun Hier; Gonne Dir Ruh!' - 'Hinweg! Hinweg! Flieh Die Entweihte'

Tracks:

  1. Act Two: Scene Four - 'Siegmund, Sieh Auf Mich!' - 'Hehr Bist Du'
  2. Act Two: Scene Four - 'Du Sahest Der Walkure Sehrenden Blick'
  3. Act Two: Scene Five - 'Zauberfest Bezahmt' - 'Kehrte Der Vater Nun Heim'
  4. Act Three: Scene One - 'Hojotoho! Heiaha!' - 'Wart Ihr Kuhnen Zu Zweit?'
  5. Act Three: Scene One - 'Schutzt Mich Und Helft Mir In Hochster Not'
  6. Act Three: Scene One - 'Nicht Sehre Dich' - 'Fort Denn Eile' - Scene Two - 'Wo Ist Brunnhild', Wo Die Verbrecherin?'

Tracks:

  1. Act Three: Scene Two - 'Hier Bin Ich, Vater' - 'Nicht Straf Ich Dich Erst'
  2. Act Three: Scene Three - 'War Es So Schmahlich?' - 'Nicht Weise Bin Ich'
  3. Act Three: Scene Three - 'Deinen Leichten Sinn' - 'Wohl Taugte Dir Nicht'
  4. Act Three: Scene Three - 'Du Zeugtest Ein Edles Geschlecht' - 'In Festen Schlaf'
  5. Act Three: Scene Three - 'Leb Wohl, Du Kuhnes, Herrliches Kind!'
  6. Act Three: Scene Three - 'Loge, Hor! Lausche Hieher!'

Tracks:

  1. Act One: Prelude
  2. Act One: Scene One - 'Zwangvolle Plage! Muh Ohne Zweck!'
  3. Act One: Scene One - 'Nun Tobst Du Wieder Wie Toll'
  4. Act One: Scene One - 'Vieles Lehrtest Du, Mime'
  5. Act One: Scene One - 'Wo Hast Du Nun, Mime, Dein Minniges Weibchen'
  6. Act One: Scene One - 'So Starb Meine Mutter An Mir?'
  7. Act One: Scene One - 'Das Gab Mir Deine Mutter'
  8. Act One: Scene Two - 'Heil Dir, Weiser Schmied!'
  9. Act One: Scene Two - 'Hier Sitz' Ich Am Herd'
  10. Act One: Scene Two - 'Viel, Wanderer, Weisst Du Mir'
  11. Act One: Scene Two - 'Was Zu Wissen Dir Frommt, Solltest Du Fragen'
  12. Act One: Scene Two - 'Notung Heisst Ein Neidliches Schwert'

Tracks:

  1. Act One: Scene Three - 'Nach Eitlen Fernen Forchtest Du'
  2. Act One: Scene Three - 'Verfluchtes Licht! Was Flammt Dort Die Luft?'
  3. Act One: Scene Three - 'Fuhltest Du Nie Im Finstren Wald'
  4. Act One: Scene Three - 'Her Mit Den Stucken, Fort Mit Dem Stumper!'
  5. Act One: Scene Three - 'Notung! Notung! Neidliches Schwert!'
  6. Act One: Scene Three - 'Hoho! Hoho! Hohei! Hohei!'
  7. Act One: Scene Three - 'Den Der Bruder Schuf, Den Schimmernden Reif!'
  8. Act Two: Prelude
  9. Act Two: Scene One - 'In Wald Und Nacht Vor Neidhohl' Halt' Ich Wacht'
  10. Act Two: Scene One - 'Durch Vertrages Treuerunen'
  11. Act Two: Scene One - 'Fafner, Fafner! Erwache Wurm'
  12. Act Two: Scene One - 'Ich Lieg' Und Besitz', Lasst Mich Schlafen!'
  13. Act Two: Scene Two - 'Wir Sind Zur Stelle! Bleib Hier Stehn!'
  14. Act Two: Scene Two - 'He, Du Alter! Ist Das Alles'
  15. Act Two: Scene Two - 'Dass Der Mein Vater Nicht Ist'

Tracks:

  1. Act Two: Scene Two - 'Aber, Wie Sah Meine Mutter Wohl Aus?'
  2. Act Two: Scene Two - 'Du Holdes Voglein! Dich Hort' Ich Noch Nie'
  3. Act Two: Scene Two - 'Es Schweigt Und Lauscht'
  4. Act Two: Scene Two - Siegfried's Horn-call
  5. Act Two: Scene Two - 'Haha! Da Hatte Mein Lied Mir Was Liebes Erblasen!'
  6. Act Two: Scene Two - 'Da Lieg, Neidischer Kerl'
  7. Act Two: Scene Two - 'Zur Kunde Taugt Kein Toter'
  8. Act Two: Scene Three - 'Wohin Schleichst Du So Eilig Und Schlau'
  9. Act Two: Scene Three - 'Willkommen, Siegfried!'
  10. Act Two: Scene Three - 'Das Sagt' Ich Doch Nicht?'
  11. Act Two: Scene Three - 'Neides Zoll Zahlt Notung'
  12. Act Two: Scene Three - 'Hei! Siegfried Erschlug Nun Den Schlimmen Zwerg!'
  13. Act Three: Prelude
  14. Act Three: Scene One - 'Wache, Wala! Wala! Erwach!'
  15. Act Three: Scene One - 'Stark Ruft Das Lied'
  16. Act Three: Scene One - 'Dir Unweisen Ruf' Ich Ins Ohr'
  17. Act Three: Scene Two - 'Dort Seh' Ich Siegfried Nahn'

Tracks:

  1. Act Three: Scene Two - 'Mein Voglein Schwebte Mir Fort!'
  2. Act Three: Scene Two - 'Kenntest Du Mich, Kuhner Spross'
  3. Act Three: Scene Two - Orchestral Interlude
  4. Act Three: Scene Three - Introduction
  5. Act Three: Scene Three - 'Selige Ode Auf Sonniger Hoh'!'
  6. Act Three: Scene Three - 'Das Ist Kein Mann'
  7. Act Three: Scene Three - 'Heil Dir, Sonne! Heil Dir, Licht'
  8. Act Three: Scene Three - 'O Siegfried! Siegfried! Seliger Held!'
  9. Act Three: Scene Three - 'Dort Seh' Ich Grane, Mein Selig Ross'
  10. Act Three: Scene Three - 'Ewig War Ich, Ewig Bin Ich'

Tracks:

  1. Prologue: 'Welch Licht Leuchtet Dort?'
  2. Prologue: 'Wisset Ihr Noch, So Windet Von Neuem Das Seil'
  3. Prologue: Orchestral Interlude (Dawn)
  4. Prologue: 'Zu Neuen Taten, Teurer Helde'
  5. Prologue: 'O Heilige Gotter! Hehre Geschlechter!'
  6. Prologue: Orchestral Interlude (Siegfried's Journey To The Rhine)
  7. Act One: Scene One - 'Nun Hor, Hagen, Sage Mir, Held'
  8. Act One: Scene One - 'Brachte Siegfried Die Braut Dir Heim'
  9. Act One: Scene Two - 'Heil! Siegfried, Teurer Held'
  10. Act One: Scene Two - 'Willkommen, Gast, In Gibichs Haus'

Tracks:

  1. Act One: Scene Two - 'Deinem Bruder Bot Ich Mich Zum Mann'
  2. Act One: Scene Two - 'Bluhenden Lebens Labendes Blut'
  3. Act One: Scene Two - 'Hier Sitz Ich Zur Wacht'
  4. Act One: Scene Two - Orchestral Interlude
  5. Act One: Scene Three - 'Altgewohntes Gerausch Raunt Meinem Ohr Die Ferne'
  6. Act One: Scene Three - 'Hore Mit Sinn, Was Ich Dir Sage'
  7. Act One: Scene Three - 'Welch Banger Traume Maren'
  8. Act One: Scene Three - 'Brunnhild'! Ein Freier Kam'

Tracks:

  1. Act Two: Prelude
  2. Act Two: Scene One - 'Schlafst Du, Hagen, Mein Sohn?'
  3. Act Two: Scene One - Orchestral Interlude
  4. Act Two: Scene Two - 'Hoiho, Hagen! Muder Mann!'
  5. Act Two: Scene Three - 'Hoiho! Ihr Gibichsmannen'
  6. Act Two: Scene Four - 'Heil Dir, Gunther'
  7. Act Two: Scene Four - 'Brunnhild', Die Hehrste Frau'
  8. Act Two: Scene Four - 'Was Muht Brunnhildes Blick?'
  9. Act Two: Scene Four - 'Ha! Dieser War Es, Der Mir Den Ring Entriss'
  10. Act Two: Scene Four - 'Helle Wehr! Heilige Waffe!'
  11. Act Two: Scene Five - 'Welches Unhods List Liegt Hier Verhohlen?'
  12. Act Two: Scene Five - 'Dir Hilft Kein Hirn'
  13. Act Three: Prelude - Scene One - 'Frau Sonne Sendet Lichte Strahlen'

Tracks:

  1. Act Three: Scene One - 'Siegfried!'
  2. Act Three: Scene One - 'Ihr Listigen Frauen, Lasst Das Sein!'
  3. Act Three: Scene Two - 'Hoiho!'
  4. Act Three: Scene Two - 'Trink, Gunther, Trink!'
  5. Act Three: Scene Two - 'Mime Hiess Ein Murrischer Zwerg'
  6. Act Three: Scene Two - 'Brunnhilde, Heilige Braut!'
  7. Act Three: Scene Two - Orchestral Interlude: Funeral March
  8. Act Three: Scene Three - 'War Das Sein Horn?'
  9. Act Three: Scene Three - 'Schweigt Eures Jammers Jauchzenden Schwall'
  10. Act Three: Scene Three - 'Starke Scheite Schichtet Mir Dort'
  11. Act Three: Scene Three - 'Mein Erbe Nun Nehm' Ich Zu Eigen'
  12. Act Three: Scene Three - 'Grane, Mein Ross, Sei Mir Gegrusst!'
  13. Act Three: Scene Three - 'Zuruck Vom Ring!'

Album Details

14 CD Box Set, Including the Complete Recording of Wagner's 'ring Des Nibelungen'.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars "Nothung! Nothung! Neidliches Schwert!".......2007-05-15

Okay, so we have the Solti, Bohm, Karajan, Levine, Janowski, Goodall, and Sawallisch Rings on the market (I haven't listened to the other Ring recordings yet, sorry to say). And all of these leave me to one conclusion: the many differences lead me to believe that all of these ring sets have their own authenticities and setbacks. And here they are:

TIMING (Estimate):
Solti's Ring: 14 hours, 30 minutes
Bohm's Ring: 13 hours, 30 minutes
Karajan's Ring: 14 hours, 50 minutes
Goodall's Ring: 16 hours, 50 minutes
Janowski's Ring: 14 hours, 0 minutes
Levine's Ring: 15 hours, 20 minutes
Sawallisch's Ring: 14 hours, 0 minutes

CONDUCTING:
Solti: Solti's conducting is driven with sheer muscle, but sometimes he makes the Ring overemotional. His Walkure & Gotterdammerung Preludes are clear examples: they're annoyingly bombastic. Nonetheless he almost seldom loses control with anything. His clear focus on the drama is astonishing.

Bohm: I must say his live Bayreuth recording brings out some of the best. He puts more faith in the orchestral score, but he also gives it more intensity. His tempi are some of the quickest, but they still don't seem rushed at all (except maybe "Wohin schleich'st du eilig und schlau"). I especially like his "Forging Scene" & "Hagen Summons the Vassals"; both are the most energetic on disc.

Karajan: Karajan's chamber approach is very interesting. Instead of going for the drama or the energy, the conductor goes for the beauty. Almost everything in his Ring sounds very ethereal because of his excessive use of lyricism. His orchestral preludes (except Walkure Act 1) sound more beautiful than others, and much of the soft parts (such as Siegfried Act Three Scene Three) are controlled nicely. His "Funeral March" and "Immolation" are recommendable. Siegfried Act Three Scene Two could have improved with more tension.

Goodall: Oh, boy. While I do praise Goodall with his amazing attention to detail, his ridiculously sluggish tempi will tick some Wagnerites off: everything is slower than adagio moderato. But I did enjoy listening to the slow beauty of his "Wotan's Farewell/Magic Fire Music". This was recorded live and sung in English.

Janowski: This is a very classical Ring. Instead of bombast, spacious, or lyrical passion, maestro Janowski gives us the straightforward approach. He goes straight for Wagner's original intentions (precise tempi, dynamics, flow of leitmotivs, etc.), which makes this another exquisite Ring. "Hagen Summons the Vassals" is probably the fastest I've ever heard (along with Sawallisch's). Rheingold Scene Four can be best described as "sensational".

Levine: While he does stay true to the score like Bohm, this conductor makes for a somewhat dull Ring. His handling of the orchestra is nice, but the moderately slow tempi he chooses is flawed. It should be more animated. His beautiful "Funeral March" and "Erda's Warning" are two of the few flawless features.

Sawallisch: I guess you can say that Sawallisch is half-Karajan, half-Janowski. While he does stay true to the orchestral score like Janowski, he also puts in a little Karajan-like lyricism. At some points he loses track with orchestra and singers (as does every live recording) but Bohm has more control. This was also recorded live.

ORCHESTRA:
Solti's Vienna Philharmonic: The woodwinds are the most beautiful in Solti's Ring (the "Forest Murmurs" is clear evidence of that). French horns and Wagner tubas make this a recommended listening. The strings in "Heda Heda Hedo" could've added a bit more work, but they are strikingly spectacular everywhere else. The orchestra gives it their all in Siegfried Act Two & Three, but they are at their weakest in Walkure Act One & Three (Bohm's Bayreuth does it better). Overall, it's the loudest and certainly most bombastic out of all the Ring orchestras combined.

Bohm's Bayreuth Festival: The ultimate Wagnerian orchestra gives it their all. The brass both high and low are the most powerful, while the woodwinds are the most delicate. The strings are muffled only a few times, otherwise the eighteen anvils are perfectly loud and clear. Erda's scenes aren't as effective as Janowski's, but the entire Walkure is more successful than Janowski's when it comes to tone & technique. Overall, this orchestra is the most dramatic.

Karajan's Berlin Philharmonic: The entire orchestra sounds polished, not to say that it is bad. Indeed the drama is still there, but much of the suspense is lacking (the scenes with Fasolt and Fafner come to mind). The brass sometimes overpowers the strings, which can be a serious problem. Gotterdammerung "Three Norns" Scene sounds very mysterious, very eerie.

Goodall's English National Opera: This orchestra sounds nice, even if the sluggishness can bring them down at times. The Flight of the Valkyries doesn't sound too good in a slow tempo, but the entire orchestra does sound lucid here. Siegfried Act One Prelude is the creepiest. All of the leitmotivs are heard loud and clear, just like in Janowski's version.

Janowski's Staatskapelle Dresden: This orchestra has the same force & flair as does Bohm's Bayreuth Festival, only Dresden sounds much clearer due to the fantastic digital sound. Even minor details are found in this Ring. I can hear harps in Flight of the Valkyries! The strings imitate the Siegfried forest very well, while the woodwinds representing the songbird are wonderful (but not as wonderful as Solti's songbird). Dresden's "Magic Fire Music" (along with Berlin's) is the most extravagant.

Levine's Metropolitan Opera: The brass and woodwinds are the true stars. The strings sound too tired to continue on in Siegfried & Gotterdammerung. The Finale to Rheingold is absolutely stunning (the trumpets and trombones will not disappoint), and the Second Act of Walkure is the most impressive, the most refined.

Sawallisch's Bavarian State: Wrong notes in this live recording won't matter, as the entire orchestra gets everything going in all four nights at the opera. The strings never surrender to imperfection, and the winds are marvelously aligned. I just wish that some of the singers would keep up with the orchestra.

SINGERS:
-Wotan
Solti: Hans Hotter is the superior Wotan. He sounds powerful throughout the Ring (except Rheingold, in which a less stellar George London performs).

Bohm and Janowski: Theo Adam in Bohm's live recording is another treat. While he is not as equally impressive as Hotter, he can certainly conjure up everlasting emotions. Adam sounds weaker in Janowski's studio recording, but he still doesn't disappoint.

Karajan: Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau plays Wotan in "Rheingold," while Thomas Stewart replaces Fischer-Dieskau in "Walkure" and "Siegfried". I don't think Fischer-Dieskau was a good choice; he sounds too humane and too light. Stewart makes an astounding improvement in both "Walkure" and "Siegfried".

Goodall: Norman Bailey has that divine spark that Hotter used to cherish. He's heavy and unblemished, and he handles the English text with flair and sheen.

Levine: James Morris is a notch below Hotter, Adam, and Bailey, but he overpowers Fischer-Dieskau pretty much throughout the Levine's Ring.

Sawallisch: I may be biased, but Robert Hale just didn't do it for me. He sounded dull and tedious, and his Wotan's Farewell wasn't enough to sadden me.

-Brunnhilde
Solti and Bohm: Birgit Nilsson is the best Brunnhilde on the market. Her Valkyrie cry is delightful, and her final scene in Gotterdammerung is brilliant beyond belief.

Karajan: Regine Crespin is without a doubt one of the finest Brunnhildes after Nilsson. She's fantastic in Walkure Act Three. I just wish she stayed on as the Valkyrie later on in the Ring (Helga Dernesch is no good in Gotterdammerung, sorry to say).

Goodall: Rita Hunter is at her strongest in Walkure and Siegfried. She is at her weakest in Gotterdammerung. What may have caused her downfall in the fourth installment? "The world may never know."

Janowski: Jeannine Altmeyer is basically the most controversial Brunnhilde on CD. Some people say that she's too light and weak, while others say she sounds young and very enchanting. I'm with those who think Altmeyer was a good choice, but you yourself (the shopper) are going to have to decide whether she's good or not.

Levine and Sawallisch: Hildegard Behrens is just like Nilsson and Crespin: while she's not the best, she is definitely another perfect Brunnhilde of choice. She's at her most dazzling when she performs Walkure (Levine) and Siegfried (Sawallisch).

-Siegmund & Sieglinde
Let's see. For the Siegmunds, we have James King for Solti and Bohm. Jon Vickers for Karajan, Alberto Remedios for Goodall, Siegfried Jerusalem for Janowski, Gary Lakes for Levine, and Robert Schunk for Sawallisch. For the Sieglindes, we have Regine Crespin for Solti, Leonie Rysanek for Bohm, Gundula Janowitz for Karajan, Margaret Curphy for Goodall, Jessye Norman for both Janowski and Levine, and Julia Varady for Sawallisch. Hmm . . . Jerusalem is good . . . and so is Vickers . . . Janowitz is charming, and so is . . . Oh, what the heck? All the singers for Siegmund and Sieglinde are fantastic. Two exceptions, though: Robert Schunk doesn't sound heroic enough, and Jessye Norman for Levine's Ring doesn't sound young and innocent enough.

-Siegfried
Solti and Bohm: Wolfgang Windgassen may very well be the best Siegfried for the ages. His `Forging Scene" in both renditions are defiantly inspiring. His last scene in Gotterdammerung is celestial and overwhelming.

Karajan: Jess Thomas (Siegfried) and Helge Brilioth (Gotterdammerung) may not be as ideal as Windgassen, but they do know how to be a magnificent heldentenor. Thomas pulls it off with Act One and Three.

Goodall: Wow! What a singer that Alberto Remedios! He never drags in either of the last two installments, and he uses the correct emotions in every scene that he is in.

Janowski and Sawallisch: Rene Kollo's Siegfried is a poetically expressive one. In Janowski's version he sounds playful when he's in Mime's home, and he sounds willed when he's in the Gibich Hall. He is not good enough in Sawallisch's version, however. His tiresome "Forging Scene" is obvious evidence of that.

Levine: Oh, Reiner Goldberg. At least you tried. Seriously, he sounds too tedious (especially in Gotterdammerung Act Three Scene Two) and too old. I don't know Levine should've chose Kollo when he recorded his Ring.

-Alberich
Solti and Bohm: Gustav Niedlinger has a heaviness that overwhelms a few other baritones. When he sings his only sequence in Gotterdammerung Act Two Scene One, his emotion is so pure that his son Hagen would've drowned himself in tears (Too melodramatic? Sorry about that.). The only problem is that his character sounds too one-dimensional. Alberich isn't just some cardboard-cutout bad guy. He has a very good reason why he wants to take revenge on the world. Overall, Niedlinger is amazing throughout Wagner's Ring (He deserves many awards for "Bin ich nun frei?").

Karajan: I guess you can say that Zoltan Kelemen tries his best throughout. He is not good in Rheingold, but he gets better in Siegfried and Gotterdammerung.

Goodall: Derek Hammond-Stroud is three-dimensional, but not that much. Still, he can sound very demanding in Rheingold Scene One and Siegfried Act Two Scene One.

Janowski: Siegmund Nimsgern may be the most humane Alberich yet, but it's all good. He sings with more passion than Kelemen and more robustness than Hammond-Stroud. Niedlinger's ferociousness puts him below, however. "Schaf'st du, Hagen, mein sohn?" is noteworthy.

Levine and Sawallisch: Ekkehard Wlaschiha is one hell of a vigorous Alberich. I praise him in Rheingold Scene One and Three. His performance in Siegfried (both versions) could've improved with more distrustfulness towards Mime and the Wanderer.

-Mime
Solti and Karajan: Gerhard Stolze is the creepiest Mime ever known to humankind. This dwarf outsings other Mimes on the market. When he sings "Die stucken! Das Schwert!" his anger and fear is the most effective to almost all Ring listeners.

Bohm: Erwin Wohlfahrt wins second place. He gives a first-rate performance in Siegfried Act One, but loses some of his edge in Act Two. He is an exceptional Mime nonetheless. Look for him in Karajan's Rheingold, also.

Goodall: Gregory Dempsey isn't emotional enough. He doesn't sound fearful or depressed at all, which makes him the dullest Mime for the Ring.

Janowski: Peter Schreier is for Siegfried, while Christian Vogel is for Rheingold. Vogel is less than perfect, while Schreier is way beyond outstanding. Schreier is less ghoulish and more benevolent, more three-dimensional than Stolze and Wohlfahrt. The only flaw I can find is his handling of "Die stucken! Das Schwert!" He could've added a bit more fear in that sequence.

Levine: Heinz Zednik is yet another excellent mime. He is equal to Schreier when it comes to humaneness and lyricism. His performance in Rheingold Scene Three is pure gold, while his performance in Siegfried (particularly "Willkommen, Siegfried!") is a stunning achievement.

Sawallisch: Helmut Pampuch is just like Schreier and Zednik: he's very VERY good. Nuff said.

-Loge
Solti: Set Svanholm may be the weakest Loge. He is not very ominous throughout all of his scenes, and his lack of a sinister atmosphere is greatly affects the entire Rheingold. But he'll soon be forgotten later on in the Ring.

Bohm: Why the heck would the conductor have Wolfgang Windgassen play both Siegfried AND Loge? The demi-god needs to sound different from a son of a Walsung. Still, it's satisfactory, and his "Ihrem ende eilen sie zu" gives great foreshadowing.

Karajan: Gerhard Stolze is easily the most entertaining Loge to listen to. His scenes in Scene Three are delightful.

Goodall: Emile Belcourt isn't as good as Stolze, but he certainly can make some of the best of an English-speaking Loge.

Janowski: Peter Schreier is the most eccentric out of all of them, and that's a fact. Much of his singing involves imagination, peril, vengeance, and deviousness. Belcourt depends only on imagination and deviousness, Stolze only vengeance and deviousness, and Windgassen only peril. His odd conversations with Alberich and the gods/goddesses are classic.

Levine: Siegfried Jerusalem doesn't seem like a good choice for Loge. He's better off playing Siegmund or Siegfried, but not a demi-god.

Sawallisch: Robert Tear is on par with Stolze and Schreier. Sometimes he takes things too low, but all is forgiven with his management of character development.

-Everyone Else
Uh-huh, what can I say? Everyone else does a good job in all Ring recordings (maybe not in Swarowsky's version). Matti Salminen is the perfect Hagen (Janowski, Levine, and Sawallisch), while Kirsten Flagstad is the most brilliant Fricka (Solti). The Norns and Rheinmaidens do a splendid job in Solti, Janowski, and Levine. The Vassals (male choir) are at their unsurpassed in Bohm and Goodall. The only flawed Erda is Anne Collins (Goodall), maybe too light and too heavy at times. All in all, no one here is graded C or lower.

CONCLUSION: I have yet to listen to Barenboim's Bayreuth presentation and the essential mono recordings (Furtwangler, Krauss), but I'm pretty sure that have their advantages and disadvantages. So there you have it. We have the histrionic Solti, the energetic Bohm, the otherworldly Karajan, the spacious Goodall, the calculated Janowski, the relaxed Levine, and the serious Sawallisch Rings. They have their own authenticities and setbacks, and they certainly have their own significances for Ring listeners everywhere.


Sir Georg Solti: Wagner - Der Ring des Nibelungen (Ring Cycle) / Sir Georg Solti

Herbert von Karajan: Der Ring des Nibelungen / Karajan / Berlin Philharmonic

Reginall Goodall: Wagner: The Ring Cycle (Box Set)

Marek Janowski: Wagner: Der Ring des Nibelungen

James Levine: Der Ring Des Nibelungen

Wolfgang Sawallisch: Wagner - Der Ring des Nibelungen (Ring Cycle) / Sawallisch, Bayerischer Staatsoper

5 out of 5 stars The best Ring in the market.......2006-07-05

Most people would say that Solti's ring is the best recording of Wagner's monumental work, and while I say that it is the best studio recording in terms of authenticity (hint: Culshaw's use of steerhorns, tuned anvils, and ignots and other sound devices plus his alteration of Windgassen's voice in Gotterdammerung) and vocal performance, Bohm's ring surpasses Solti's with respect to the score's dramatic aspects. I say this because the singers in this recording are deeply involved in Wagner's complex drama, which is very essential to the composer's Gesamtkunswerks. The cast is almost similar, with some better or lesser singers in this and that role. I would say that the Valkyries, Norns, and Rhinemaidens are particularly ravishing in this Ring, more so than Solti's. You also have a much more involved Walsung pair, and while Bohm's Wotan is nowhere near as great as Hotter, he does give a most intense, heroic, and outstanding reading. Birgit Nilsson is a more convincing Brunnhilde here, and Windgassen's Siegfried is thrilling. Erwin Wolfhart is probably the best Mime on record, and Martha Modl's Waltraute has the most powerfully dramatic reading of the role I have heard. The bass roles are taken by greats such as Talvela, Bohme, Nienstiedt, and Greindl (whose Hagen is still amazing after all these years), and Anja Silja sings one of the strongest Freias on disc. Dvorakova brings a fresh insight to the role of Gutrune that I couldn't help but notice this character after it has been mangled by indifferent sopranos in the past (except Janowitz, who makes magic with the role).

This Ring is the first Bayreuth Ring officially recorded and the sound is excellent and well-balanced compared to other Rings of the era. He is also an outstanding Ring conductor in that his use of fast tempi, passion, lyricism, and phrasing that sings and sometimes almost dances creates a very theatrical atmosphere and offers amazing musical richness. Listen to the opening bars of Rheingold and his Gotterdammerung Prelude, and you will know what I mean. He and Wieland Wagner have created a stage drama that is unsurpassed in dramatic value. His Ring displays wonderful humanity and the rendering of each character's feelings has never been so alive, not even in Solti or Karajan's readings. Highly recommended.
Der Ring des Nibelungen / Karajan / Berlin Philharmonic
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Partial set
  • "Wie durch Fluch er mir gerieth, verflucht sei dieser Ring!"
  • One of the best versions of The Ring
  • This is Karajan's Ring, not Wagner's
  • THE FINEST RING...
 Der Ring des Nibelungen / Karajan / Berlin Philharmonic
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau , Richard Wagner , Jon Vickers , Thomas Stewart , Jess Thomas , Gundula Janowitz , Helga Dernesch , Regine Crespin , Helge Brilioth , Martti Talvela , Karl Ridderbusch , Herbert von Karajan , and Berlin Philharmonic
Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

GeneralGeneral | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
GermanGerman | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
OperettasOperettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Crespin, RegineCrespin, Regine | Divas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Janowitz, GundulaJanowitz, Gundula | Divas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
Deutsche Grammophon: MusicDeutsche Grammophon: Music | Specialty Stores | Music
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  3. Wagner: Der Ring des Nibelungen
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  5. Wagner - Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg / Kollo · Donath · Adam · G. Evans · Schreier · Hesse· Riderbusch · Karajan

ASIN: B000009CMV
Release Date: 1998-07-14

Amazon.com essential recording

DG's 20-bit transfer reveals more tape hiss than before, while the orchestral image is better focused, with more definition at the bottom end. Some have likened Herbert von Karajan's "chamber-music approach" to Wagner's Ring cycle in terms of his scaling down or deconstructing the heroic roles. This approach has less to do with dynamics per se than it does with von Karajan's masterful balancing of voices and instruments. He achieves revelations of horizontal clarity, allowing no contrapuntal strand to emerge with an unwanted accent or a miscalibrated dynamic. The texts are unusually pinpointed and distinct, although the singers don't convey the experience and dimension of Sir Georg Solti's cast on London. There are exceptions. Jon Vickers's probing, complex Siegmund, for instance, is paired with Gundula Janowitz's radiant SIeglinde. Martti Talvela is arguably the most sympathetic, touching Fasolt on record, and Gerhard Stolz's Mime is less caricatured and more direct here than for Solti. I similarly prefer Christa Ludwig's Waltraute for von Karajan. The underrated Helge Brilioth's warmly ringing and musically solid Götterdämmerung Siegfried will be a welcome surprise. Smaller roles benefit from strong casting, notably the well-tuned Rheinmaidens and Valkyries. When all is said and done, however, it's von Karajan's show, and the glorious Berlin Philharmonic are the stars. --Jed Distler

Customer Reviews:

3 out of 5 stars Partial set.......2007-06-21

None of the reviewers mentions that this 14 cd set contains NO LIBRETTO. Repeat: NO LIBRETTO. Please print this information. Otherwise somebody's gonna get burned.

J.W.T.

5 out of 5 stars "Wie durch Fluch er mir gerieth, verflucht sei dieser Ring!".......2007-05-15

Okay, so we have the Solti, Bohm, Karajan, Levine, Janowski, Goodall, and Sawallisch Rings on the market (I haven't listened to the other Ring recordings yet, sorry to say). And all of these leave me to one conclusion: the many differences lead me to believe that all of these ring sets have their own authenticities and setbacks. And here they are:

TIMING (Estimate):
Solti's Ring: 14 hours, 30 minutes
Bohm's Ring: 13 hours, 30 minutes
Karajan's Ring: 14 hours, 50 minutes
Goodall's Ring: 16 hours, 50 minutes
Janowski's Ring: 14 hours, 0 minutes
Levine's Ring: 15 hours, 20 minutes
Sawallisch's Ring: 14 hours, 0 minutes

CONDUCTING:
Solti: Solti's conducting is driven with sheer muscle, but sometimes he makes the Ring overemotional. His Walkure & Gotterdammerung Preludes are clear examples: they're annoyingly bombastic. Nonetheless he almost seldom loses control with anything. His clear focus on the drama is astonishing.

Bohm: I must say his live Bayreuth recording brings out some of the best. He puts more faith in the orchestral score, but he also gives it more intensity. His tempi are some of the quickest, but they still don't seem rushed at all (except maybe "Wohin schleich'st du eilig und schlau"). I especially like his "Forging Scene" & "Hagen Summons the Vassals"; both are the most energetic on disc.

Karajan: Karajan's chamber approach is very interesting. Instead of going for the drama or the energy, the conductor goes for the beauty. Almost everything in his Ring sounds very ethereal because of his excessive use of lyricism. His orchestral preludes (except Walkure Act 1) sound more beautiful than others, and much of the soft parts (such as Siegfried Act Three Scene Three) are controlled nicely. His "Funeral March" and "Immolation" are recommendable. Siegfried Act Three Scene Two could have improved with more tension.

Goodall: Oh, boy. While I do praise Goodall with his amazing attention to detail, his ridiculously sluggish tempi will tick some Wagnerites off: everything is slower than adagio moderato. But I did enjoy listening to the slow beauty of his "Wotan's Farewell/Magic Fire Music". This was recorded live and sung in English.

Janowski: This is a very classical Ring. Instead of bombast, spacious, or lyrical passion, maestro Janowski gives us the straightforward approach. He goes straight for Wagner's original intentions (precise tempi, dynamics, flow of leitmotivs, etc.), which makes this another exquisite Ring. "Hagen Summons the Vassals" is probably the fastest I've ever heard (along with Sawallisch's). Rheingold Scene Four can be best described as "sensational".

Levine: While he does stay true to the score like Bohm, this conductor makes for a somewhat dull Ring. His handling of the orchestra is nice, but the moderately slow tempi he chooses is flawed. It should be more animated. His beautiful "Funeral March" and "Erda's Warning" are two of the few flawless features.

Sawallisch: I guess you can say that Sawallisch is half-Karajan, half-Janowski. While he does stay true to the orchestral score like Janowski, he also puts in a little Karajan-like lyricism. At some points he loses track with orchestra and singers (as does every live recording) but Bohm has more control. This was also recorded live.

ORCHESTRA:
Solti's Vienna Philharmonic: The woodwinds are the most beautiful in Solti's Ring (the "Forest Murmurs" is clear evidence of that). French horns and Wagner tubas make this a recommended listening. The strings in "Heda Heda Hedo" could've added a bit more work, but they are strikingly spectacular everywhere else. The orchestra gives it their all in Siegfried Act Two & Three, but they are at their weakest in Walkure Act One & Three (Bohm's Bayreuth does it better). Overall, it's the loudest and certainly most bombastic out of all the Ring orchestras combined.

Bohm's Bayreuth Festival: The ultimate Wagnerian orchestra gives it their all. The brass both high and low are the most powerful, while the woodwinds are the most delicate. The strings are muffled only a few times, otherwise the eighteen anvils are perfectly loud and clear. Erda's scenes aren't as effective as Janowski's, but the entire Walkure is more successful than Janowski's when it comes to tone & technique. Overall, this orchestra is the most dramatic.

Karajan's Berlin Philharmonic: The entire orchestra sounds polished, not to say that it is bad. Indeed the drama is still there, but much of the suspense is lacking (the scenes with Fasolt and Fafner come to mind). The brass sometimes overpowers the strings, which can be a serious problem. Gotterdammerung "Three Norns" Scene sounds very mysterious, very eerie.

Goodall's English National Opera: This orchestra sounds nice, even if the sluggishness can bring them down at times. The Flight of the Valkyries doesn't sound too good in a slow tempo, but the entire orchestra does sound lucid here. Siegfried Act One Prelude is the creepiest. All of the leitmotivs are heard loud and clear, just like in Janowski's version.

Janowski's Staatskapelle Dresden: This orchestra has the same force & flair as does Bohm's Bayreuth Festival, only Dresden sounds much clearer due to the fantastic digital sound. Even minor details are found in this Ring. I can hear harps in Flight of the Valkyries! The strings imitate the Siegfried forest very well, while the woodwinds representing the songbird are wonderful (but not as wonderful as Solti's songbird). Dresden's "Magic Fire Music" (along with Berlin's) is the most extravagant.

Levine's Metropolitan Opera: The brass and woodwinds are the true stars. The strings sound too tired to continue on in Siegfried & Gotterdammerung. The Finale to Rheingold is absolutely stunning (the trumpets and trombones will not disappoint), and the Second Act of Walkure is the most impressive, the most refined.

Sawallisch's Bavarian State: Wrong notes in this live recording won't matter, as the entire orchestra gets everything going in all four nights at the opera. The strings never surrender to imperfection, and the winds are marvelously aligned. I just wish that some of the singers would keep up with the orchestra.

SINGERS:
-Wotan
Solti: Hans Hotter is the superior Wotan. He sounds powerful throughout the Ring (except Rheingold, in which a less stellar George London performs).

Bohm and Janowski: Theo Adam in Bohm's live recording is another treat. While he is not as equally impressive as Hotter, he can certainly conjure up everlasting emotions. Adam sounds weaker in Janowski's studio recording, but he still doesn't disappoint.

Karajan: Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau plays Wotan in "Rheingold," while Thomas Stewart replaces Fischer-Dieskau in "Walkure" and "Siegfried". I don't think Fischer-Dieskau was a good choice; he sounds too humane and too light. Stewart makes an astounding improvement in both "Walkure" and "Siegfried".

Goodall: Norman Bailey has that divine spark that Hotter used to cherish. He's heavy and unblemished, and he handles the English text with flair and sheen.

Levine: James Morris is a notch below Hotter, Adam, and Bailey, but he overpowers Fischer-Dieskau pretty much throughout the Levine's Ring.

Sawallisch: I may be biased, but Robert Hale just didn't do it for me. He sounded dull and tedious, and his Wotan's Farewell wasn't enough to sadden me.

-Brunnhilde
Solti and Bohm: Birgit Nilsson is the best Brunnhilde on the market. Her Valkyrie cry is delightful, and her final scene in Gotterdammerung is brilliant beyond belief.

Karajan: Regine Crespin is without a doubt one of the finest Brunnhildes after Nilsson. She's fantastic in Walkure Act Three. I just wish she stayed on as the Valkyrie later on in the Ring (Helga Dernesch is no good in Gotterdammerung, sorry to say).

Goodall: Rita Hunter is at her strongest in Walkure and Siegfried. She is at her weakest in Gotterdammerung. What may have caused her downfall in the fourth installment? "The world may never know."

Janowski: Jeannine Altmeyer is basically the most controversial Brunnhilde on CD. Some people say that she's too light and weak, while others say she sounds young and very enchanting. I'm with those who think Altmeyer was a good choice, but you yourself (the shopper) are going to have to decide whether she's good or not.

Levine and Sawallisch: Hildegard Behrens is just like Nilsson and Crespin: while she's not the best, she is definitely another perfect Brunnhilde of choice. She's at her most dazzling when she performs Walkure (Levine) and Siegfried (Sawallisch).

-Siegmund & Sieglinde
Let's see. For the Siegmunds, we have James King for Solti and Bohm. Jon Vickers for Karajan, Alberto Remedios for Goodall, Siegfried Jerusalem for Janowski, Gary Lakes for Levine, and Robert Schunk for Sawallisch. For the Sieglindes, we have Regine Crespin for Solti, Leonie Rysanek for Bohm, Gundula Janowitz for Karajan, Margaret Curphy for Goodall, Jessye Norman for both Janowski and Levine, and Julia Varady for Sawallisch. Hmm . . . Jerusalem is good . . . and so is Vickers . . . Janowitz is charming, and so is . . . Oh, what the heck? All the singers for Siegmund and Sieglinde are fantastic. Two exceptions, though: Robert Schunk doesn't sound heroic enough, and Jessye Norman for Levine's Ring doesn't sound young and innocent enough.

-Siegfried
Solti and Bohm: Wolfgang Windgassen may very well be the best Siegfried for the ages. His `Forging Scene" in both renditions are defiantly inspiring. His last scene in Gotterdammerung is celestial and overwhelming.

Karajan: Jess Thomas (Siegfried) and Helge Brilioth (Gotterdammerung) may not be as ideal as Windgassen, but they do know how to be a magnificent heldentenor. Thomas pulls it off with Act One and Three.

Goodall: Wow! What a singer that Alberto Remedios! He never drags in either of the last two installments, and he uses the correct emotions in every scene that he is in.

Janowski and Sawallisch: Rene Kollo's Siegfried is a poetically expressive one. In Janowski's version he sounds playful when he's in Mime's home, and he sounds willed when he's in the Gibich Hall. He is not good enough in Sawallisch's version, however. His tiresome "Forging Scene" is obvious evidence of that.

Levine: Oh, Reiner Goldberg. At least you tried. Seriously, he sounds too tedious (especially in Gotterdammerung Act Three Scene Two) and too old. I don't know Levine should've chose Kollo when he recorded his Ring.

-Alberich
Solti and Bohm: Gustav Niedlinger has a heaviness that overwhelms a few other baritones. When he sings his only sequence in Gotterdammerung Act Two Scene One, his emotion is so pure that his son Hagen would've drowned himself in tears (Too melodramatic? Sorry about that.). The only problem is that his character sounds too one-dimensional. Alberich isn't just some cardboard-cutout bad guy. He has a very good reason why he wants to take revenge on the world. Overall, Niedlinger is amazing throughout Wagner's Ring (He deserves many awards for "Bin ich nun frei?").

Karajan: I guess you can say that Zoltan Kelemen tries his best throughout. He is not good in Rheingold, but he gets better in Siegfried and Gotterdammerung.

Goodall: Derek Hammond-Stroud is three-dimensional, but not that much. Still, he can sound very demanding in Rheingold Scene One and Siegfried Act Two Scene One.

Janowski: Siegmund Nimsgern may be the most humane Alberich yet, but it's all good. He sings with more passion than Kelemen and more robustness than Hammond-Stroud. Niedlinger's ferociousness puts him below, however. "Schaf'st du, Hagen, mein sohn?" is noteworthy.

Levine and Sawallisch: Ekkehard Wlaschiha is one hell of a vigorous Alberich. I praise him in Rheingold Scene One and Three. His performance in Siegfried (both versions) could've improved with more distrustfulness towards Mime and the Wanderer.

-Mime
Solti and Karajan: Gerhard Stolze is the creepiest Mime ever known to humankind. This dwarf outsings other Mimes on the market. When he sings "Die stucken! Das Schwert!" his anger and fear is the most effective to almost all Ring listeners.

Bohm: Erwin Wohlfahrt wins second place. He gives a first-rate performance in Siegfried Act One, but loses some of his edge in Act Two. He is an exceptional Mime nonetheless. Look for him in Karajan's Rheingold, also.

Goodall: Gregory Dempsey isn't emotional enough. He doesn't sound fearful or depressed at all, which makes him the dullest Mime for the Ring.

Janowski: Peter Schreier is for Siegfried, while Christian Vogel is for Rheingold. Vogel is less than perfect, while Schreier is way beyond outstanding. Schreier is less ghoulish and more benevolent, more three-dimensional than Stolze and Wohlfahrt. The only flaw I can find is his handling of "Die stucken! Das Schwert!" He could've added a bit more fear in that sequence.

Levine: Heinz Zednik is yet another excellent mime. He is equal to Schreier when it comes to humaneness and lyricism. His performance in Rheingold Scene Three is pure gold, while his performance in Siegfried (particularly "Willkommen, Siegfried!") is a stunning achievement.

Sawallisch: Helmut Pampuch is just like Schreier and Zednik: he's very VERY good. Nuff said.

-Loge
Solti: Set Svanholm may be the weakest Loge. He is not very ominous throughout all of his scenes, and his lack of a sinister atmosphere is greatly affects the entire Rheingold. But he'll soon be forgotten later on in the Ring.

Bohm: Why the heck would the conductor have Wolfgang Windgassen play both Siegfried AND Loge? The demi-god needs to sound different from a son of a Walsung. Still, it's satisfactory, and his "Ihrem ende eilen sie zu" gives great foreshadowing.

Karajan: Gerhard Stolze is easily the most entertaining Loge to listen to. His scenes in Scene Three are delightful.

Goodall: Emile Belcourt isn't as good as Stolze, but he certainly can make some of the best of an English-speaking Loge.

Janowski: Peter Schreier is the most eccentric out of all of them, and that's a fact. Much of his singing involves imagination, peril, vengeance, and deviousness. Belcourt depends only on imagination and deviousness, Stolze only vengeance and deviousness, and Windgassen only peril. His odd conversations with Alberich and the gods/goddesses are classic.

Levine: Siegfried Jerusalem doesn't seem like a good choice for Loge. He's better off playing Siegmund or Siegfried, but not a demi-god.

Sawallisch: Robert Tear is on par with Stolze and Schreier. Sometimes he takes things too low, but all is forgiven with his management of character development.

-Everyone Else
Uh-huh, what can I say? Everyone else does a good job in all Ring recordings (maybe not in Swarowsky's version). Matti Salminen is the perfect Hagen (Janowski, Levine, and Sawallisch), while Kirsten Flagstad is the most brilliant Fricka (Solti). The Norns and Rheinmaidens do a splendid job in Solti, Janowski, and Levine. The Vassals (male choir) are at their unsurpassed in Bohm and Goodall. The only flawed Erda is Anne Collins (Goodall), maybe too light and too heavy at times. All in all, no one here is graded C or lower.

CONCLUSION: I have yet to listen to Barenboim's Bayreuth presentation and the essential mono recordings (Furtwangler, Krauss), but I'm pretty sure that have their advantages and disadvantages. So there you have it. We have the histrionic Solti, the energetic Bohm, the otherworldly Karajan, the spacious Goodall, the calculated Janowski, the relaxed Levine, and the serious Sawallisch Rings. They have their own authenticities and setbacks, and they certainly have their own significances for Ring listeners everywhere.


Sir Georg Solti: Wagner - Der Ring des Nibelungen (Ring Cycle) / Sir Georg Solti

Karl Bohm: Wagner: Der Ring des Nibelungen

Reginall Goodall: Wagner: The Ring Cycle (Box Set)

Marek Janowski: Wagner: Der Ring des Nibelungen

James Levine: Der Ring Des Nibelungen

Wolfgang Sawallisch: Wagner - Der Ring des Nibelungen (Ring Cycle) / Sawallisch, Bayerischer Staatsoper

5 out of 5 stars One of the best versions of The Ring.......2007-04-15

There are a handful of estimable versions of Wagner's epic "Der Ring des Nibelungen." Solti's is one. Boulez' version has its advocates, too. But, among these, Herbert von Karajan's version must also be included. While some speak of his "chamber-music" approach, I cannot say that I fully get that. Listen to the end of Act I in "Die Walkure" or the conclusion of the "Immolation Scene" in "Gotterdammerung." Hardly soft, wispy pieces. However, von Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra play in lustrous fashion. As the above "Editorial Review" states, "The approach has less to do with dynamics per se than it does with von Karajan's masterful balancing of voices and instruments." And that is what I hear when I listen to this version.

Some have mentioned the importance of the instrumental work in the Ring series. Indeed, this is critical for any successful performance, given the long stretches of instrumental work (e.g., "Siegfried's Rhine Journey" in "Gotterdammerung"). And von Karajan conducts the entire series with style, intelligence, and musicality. Act I, Scene 2 of "Die Walkure" is one of the greatest moments in opera, And the Berlin Philharmonic with von Karajan at its helm plays this in a manner supporting the singers, consistent with the unfolding drama, and in with absolutely scintillating musicality. This segment represents one of the "greatest hits" in all of recorded opera.

The pluses of this version include the conductor and orchestra, of course. Also, the stable of singers is up to the task. Jon Vickers makes for a credible Siegmund and Gundula Janowitz handles Sieglinde's role well. Regine Crespin, in "Die Walkure," is adequate as Brunnhilde, but Helga Dernesch really "steps up to the plate" in the later operas. Siegfried is sung by two different tenors--Jess Thomas in "Siegfried" and Helge Brilioth in "Gotterdammerung." Wotan is well sung by the great Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau in "Das Rheingold" and by Thomas Stewart in "Die Walkure" and "Siegfried." The secondary players are strong as well.

The whole lives up to the hype surrounding this version. Again, this ranks as one of the premier recorded versions of the Ring cycle, with Solti's and Boulez' version (and one might also listen to Toscanini's 1941 recorded versions of Act I, Scene 2 of "Die Walkure" and two scenes in "Gotterdammerung," featuring Helen Traubel and Lauritz Melchior for some historical perspective). If one wishes to invest a fair chunk of cash in a recording of the full cycle, then this ranks as one of the best investments around.

3 out of 5 stars This is Karajan's Ring, not Wagner's.......2006-11-12

Firstly, let me state that I believe that any review needs to take as its starting point the music. Any review of the Ring, therefore, needs to take as its starting point the dots Wagner put on the page.

Listening to this Ring is a seductive experience. The Berlin Phil are, without a doubt (and particularly under Karajan) the best sounding orchestra in the world. Additionally, Karajan's approach is generally very musically cogent. The 'chamber Ring' titles bandied about aren't without reason.

Upon opening the score, however, the gross inaccuracy of this Ring becomes immediately apparent. Karajan, either through his hubris-inspired need to be an auteur, or through his uncompromising pursuit of a beautiful sound, actively suppresses important lines on the page, ignoring the relevant dynamic markings. The Karajan Rheingold is the worst in this regard, with many important lines simply inaudible above what Karajan (not Wagner) deemed most important.

Allow me to qualify this: Wagner's score is extraordinarily complex, with often multiple layers assigned the same dynamic. I recognise that a conductor (well... a good conductor, anyway) will produce a hierarchy of importance for these. What Karajan has not understood, however, is that they are all STILL IMPORTANT. To suppress a line to the point of inaudibility grossly misrepresents Wagner's intent which, for the most part, is relatively clear.

Karajan's approach, particularly in the first two operas, is also a lot more recitative-like than most others. This works in some places, giving the voice absolute primacy over the music, but in others it interferes with the rhythmic flow Wagner has set up (Die Walkure, Act III Sc 1, and Das Rheingold Sc 1 come to mind here).

Ultimately, this is probably the 'shiniest' Ring on record, but for me that is simply not enough.

The Solti is, as many have pointed out, not always played so well (the intonation is shocking), but one always has the sense that he has understood Wagner much better than Karajan has. Furtwangler's RAI recording is masterfully interpreted (Das Rheingold sounds like a single, loooooong phrase - superb) but appallingly played. The Boulez is really quite remarkable. The singers are never fantastic, and the Chereau production downplays any heroism at all, but if you are looking for a 'chamber' Ring, this is the one. The forthcoming Adelaide Ring, conducted by Asher Fisch was truly breathtaking, and may become the definitive cycle of this era.

I like to alternate listenings of Boulez and Solti - somewhere in between lies the perfect Ring.

5 out of 5 stars THE FINEST RING..........2006-01-30

Solti's Ring is a great milestone, and I appreciate it very much. However, it seems to me that Solti takes a Brahmsian approach, while Karajan in his cycle takes a Mahlerian/Schoenbergian approach. Jed Distler refers to Karakan's "chamber-music approach": I think this is an apt critique. Anyway, Distler says it all:

"DG's 20-bit transfer reveals more tape hiss than before, while the orchestral image is better focused, with more definition at the bottom end. Some have likened Herbert von Karajan's "chamber-music approach" to Wagner's Ring cycle in terms of his scaling down or deconstructing the heroic roles. This approach has less to do with dynamics per se than it does with von Karajan's masterful balancing of voices and instruments. He achieves revelations of horizontal clarity, allowing no contrapuntal strand to emerge with an unwanted accent or a miscalibrated dynamic. The texts are unusually pinpointed and distinct, although the singers don't convey the experience and dimension of Sir Georg Solti's cast on London. There are exceptions. Jon Vickers's probing, complex Siegmund, for instance, is paired with Gundula Janowitz's radiant SIeglinde. Martti Talvela is arguably the most sympathetic, touching Fasolt on record, and Gerhard Stolz's Mime is less caricatured and more direct here than for Solti. I similarly prefer Christa Ludwig's Waltraute for von Karajan. The underrated Helge Brilioth's warmly ringing and musically solid Götterdämmerung Siegfried will be a welcome surprise. Smaller roles benefit from strong casting, notably the well-tuned Rheinmaidens and Valkyries. When all is said and done, however, it's von Karajan's show, and the glorious Berlin Philharmonic are the stars."

Karajan's transparency--and his rhythmic accuracy--are the stars, along with the vocalists. Go for it!
Wagner: Der Ring des Nibelungen
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ASIN: B0009BOJSO
Release Date: 2005-11-08

Tracks:

  1. Vorspiel - Prelude - Prelude - John Tomlinson
  2. Weia! Waga! Woge, Du Welle - John Tomlinson
  3. He He! Ihr Nicker! - John Tomlinson
  4. Garstig Glatter Glitschriger Glimmer! - John Tomlinson
  5. Wie In Den Gliedern Brunstige Glut Mir Brennt - John Tomlinson
  6. Lugt, Schwestern! - John Tomlinson
  7. Was Ist's, Ihr Glatten, Das Dort So Glanzt - John Tomlinson
  8. Der Welt Erbe Gewann' Ich Zu Eigen Durch Dich? - John Tomlinson
  9. Wotan, Gemahl! Erwache! - John Tomlinson
  10. Um Des Gatten Treue Besorgt - John Tomlinson
  11. Um Des Gatten Treue Besorgt - John Tomlinson
  12. Endlich Loge! - John Tomlinson
  13. Immer Ist Undank Loges Lohn! - John Tomlinson
  14. Dir's Zu Melden Gelobt' Ich Den Madchen - John Tomlinson
  15. Hor, Wotan, Der Harrenden Wort! - John Tomlinson
  16. Uber Stock Und Stein Zu Stapfen Sie Hin - John Tomlinson
  17. Was Sinnt Nun Wotan So Wild? - John Tomlinson
  18. Auf, Loge, Hinab Mit Mir! - John Tomlinson
  19. Hehe! Hehe! Hieher! - John Tomlinson
  20. Nibelheim Hier - John Tomlinson

Tracks:

  1. Wer Halfe Mir? - Gunter von Kannen
  2. Nehmt Euch In Acht! Alberich Naht - Gunter von Kannen
  3. Zittre Und Zage, Gezahmtes Heer - Gunter von Kannen
  4. Was Wollt Ihr Hier? - Gunter von Kannen
  5. Die In Linder Lufte Wehn Da Oben Ihr Lebt - Gunter von Kannen
  6. Wen Doch Fabt Nicht Wunder, Erfahrt Er Alberichs Werk? - Gunter von Kannen
  7. Riesen-Wurm Winde Sich Ringelnd - Gunter von Kannen
  8. Krumm Und Grau Krieche Krote! - Gunter von Kannen
  9. Da, Vetter Sitze Du Fest! - Gunter von Kannen
  10. Gezahlt Hab' Ich: Nun Labt Mich Ziehn! - Gunter von Kannen
  11. Ein Goldner Ring Ragt Dir Am Finger - Gunter von Kannen
  12. Ist Er Gelost? - Gunter von Kannen
  13. Lauschtest Du Seinem Liebesgrub? - Gunter von Kannen
  14. Lieblichste Schwester, Subeste Lust! - Gunter von Kannen
  15. So Sind Wir Denn Fertig. Seid Ihr Zufrieden? - Gunter von Kannen
  16. Weiche, Wotan, Weiche! - Gunter von Kannen
  17. Hort, Ihr Riesen! Zuruck, Und Harret - Gunter von Kannen
  18. Halt, Du Gieriger! Gonne Mir Auch Was! - Gunter von Kannen
  19. Was Gleicht, Wotan, Wohl Deinem Glucke? - Gunter von Kannen
  20. Schwules Gedunst Schwebt In Der Luft - Gunter von Kannen
  21. Abdenlich Strahlt Der Sonne Auge - Gunter von Kannen
  22. Ihrem Ende Silen Sie Zu - Gunter von Kannen
  23. Rheingold! Rheingold! - Gunter von Kannen

Tracks:

  1. Vorspiel - Prelude - John Tomlinson
  2. Wes Herd Dies Auch Sei - John Tomlinson
  3. Kuhlende Labung Gab Mir Der Quell - John Tomlinson
  4. Einen Unseligen Labtest Du - John Tomlinson
  5. Mud Am Herd Fand Ich Den Mann - John Tomlinson
  6. Friedmund Darf Ich Nicht Heiben - John Tomlinson
  7. Aus Dem Wald Treib Es Mich Fort - John Tomlinson
  8. Die So Leidig Los Dir Beschied - John Tomlinson
  9. Ich Weib Ein Wildes Geschlecht - John Tomlinson
  10. Ein Schwert Verhieb Mir Der Vater - John Tomlinson
  11. Schlafst Du, Gast? - John Tomlinson
  12. Der Manner Sippe Sab Hier Im Saal - John Tomlinson
  13. Winterstume Wichen Dem Wonnemond - John Tomlinson
  14. Du Bist Der Lenz, Nach Dem Ich Verlangte - John Tomlinson
  15. O Subeste Wonne! - John Tomlinson
  16. War Walse Dein Vater - John Tomlinson
  17. Siegmund Heib' Ich - John Tomlinson

Tracks:

  1. Vorspiel - Prelude - John Tomlinson
  2. Nun Zaume, Dein Rob, Reisige Maid! - John Tomlinson
  3. Der Alte Sturm, Die Alte Muh'! - John Tomlinson
  4. So Ist Es Denn Aus Mit Den Ewigen Gottern - John Tomlinson
  5. Nichts Lerntest Du, Wolt - John Tomlinson
  6. Was Verlangst Du? - John Tomlinson
  7. Deiner Ew' Gen Gattin Heilige Ehre - John Tomlinson
  8. Schlimm, Furcht' Ich, Schlob Der Streit - John Tomlinson
  9. Als Junger Liebe Lust Mir Verblich - John Tomlinson
  10. Ein Andres Ist's: Achte Es Wohl - John Tomlinson
  11. Ao Nimmst Du Von Siegmund Den Sieg? - John Tomlinson
  12. So Nimm Meinen Segen, Niblungen - Sohn - John Tomlinson

Tracks:

  1. So Sah Ich Siegvater Nie - John Tomlinson
  2. raste Nun Hier; Gonne Dir Enweihte! - John Tomlinson
  3. Hinweg! Flieh Die Enweihte! - John Tomlinson
  4. Wo Bist Du, Siegmund? - John Tomlinson
  5. Siegmund! Sieh Auf Mich! - John Tomlinson
  6. Du Sahest Der Walkure Sehrenden Blick - John Tomlinson
  7. Weh! Weh! Subestes Weib - John Tomlinson
  8. So Jung Und Schon Erschimmerest Du Holden Schmerz - John Tomlinson
  9. ZAuberfest Bezahmt EinSchlaf Der Holden Schmerz - John Tomlinson
  10. Wehwalt! Wehwalt! - John Tomlinson

Tracks:

  1. Vorspiel - Prelude - Hojotoho! Hojotoho! - John Tomlinson
  2. Schutzt Mich Und Helft In Hochster Not! - John Tomlinson
  3. Nicht Sehre Dich Sorge Um Mich - John Tomlinson
  4. So Fliehe Denn Eilig Und Fliehe Allein! - John Tomlinson
  5. Wo Ist Brunnhild', Wo Die Verbrecherin? - John Tomlinson
  6. Hier Bin Ich, Vater: Gebiete Die Strafe - John Tomlinson
  7. War Es So Schmahlich, Was Ich Verbach - John Tomlinson
  8. Als Fricka Den Eignen Sinn Dir Entfremdet - John Tomlinson
  9. So Tatest Ein Edles Geschlecht - John Tomlinson
  10. Du Zeugtest Ein Edles Geschlecht - John Tomlinson
  11. Was hast Du Erdacht, Dab Ich Erdulde? - John Tomlinson
  12. Der Augen Leuchtendes Paar - John Tomlinson
  13. Der Augen Lechtendes Paar - John Tomlinson
  14. Loge, Hor! Lausche Hieher! - John Tomlinson

Tracks:

  1. Orchestervorspiel - Prelude - Gunter von Kannen
  2. Zwangvolle Plage! Muh' Ohne Zweck! - Gunter von Kannen
  3. Hoiho! Hoiho! Hau Ein! Hau Ein! - Gunter von Kannen
  4. Da Hast Du Die Stucken, Schandluicher Stumper - Gunter von Kannen
  5. Als Zullendes Kind Zog Ich Dich Auf - Gunter von Kannen
  6. Vieles Lehrtest Du, Mime - Gunter von Kannen
  7. Mein Kind, Das Lehrt Dich Kennen - Gunter von Kannen
  8. Wo hast Du, Mime, Dein Minniges Weibchen - Gunter von Kannen
  9. Einst Lag Wimmernd Ein Weib - Gunter von Kannen
  10. Und Diese Stucken Sollst Du Mmir Schmieden - Gunter von Kannen
  11. Da Sturmt Er Hin! - Gunter von Kannen
  12. Heil Dir, Weiser Schmied! - Gunter von Kannen
  13. Hier Sitz' Ich Am Herd Und Setze Mein Haupt - Gunter von Kannen
  14. Du Ruhrtest Dich Viel Auf Der Erde Rucken - Gunter von Kannen
  15. Viel, Wanderer, Weibt Du Mir Aus Der Erde Nabelnest - Gunter von Kannen
  16. Viel, Wanderer, Weibt Du Mir Von Der Erde Rauhem Rucken - Gunter von Kannen
  17. Fragen Und Haupt Hast Du Gelost - Gunter von Kannen
  18. Nun, Ehrlicher Zwerg, Sag MIr Zum Ersten - Gunter von Kannen
  19. Wie Doch Genau Das Geschlecht Du Mir Nennst - Gunter von Kannen
  20. Ha Ha Ha Ha! Der Witzgste Bist Du Unter Den Weisen - Gunter von Kannen
  21. Dreimal Solltest Du Fragen, Dremal Stand Ich Luft - Gunter von Kannen
  22. Verfluchtes Du Nie Im Finstren Wald - Gunter von Kannen
  23. Heda! Du Fauler! Bist Du Nun Fertig? - Gunter von Kannen
  24. Fuhltest Du Nie Im Finstren Wald - Gunter von Kannen
  25. Sonderlich Seltsam Mub Das Sein! - Gunter von Kannen
  26. Feine Finten Weib Mir Der Faule - Gunter von Kannen
  27. Notung! Notung! Neidliches Schwert! - Gunter von Kannen
  28. Bald Schwing' Ich Dich Als Mein Schwert - Gunter von Kannen
  29. Hoho! Hoho! Hahei! - Gunter von Kannen

Tracks:

  1. Orchestervorspiel - Prelude - Gunter von Kannen
  2. In Wald Und Nacht Vor Neidhohl Halt' Ich Wacht - Gunter von Kannen
  3. Wer Naht Dort Schimmernd Im Schatten? - Gunter von Kannen
  4. Mit Mir Nicht, Hadre Mit Mime - Gunter von Kannen
  5. Fafner! Fafner! Erwache, Wurm! - Gunter von Kannen
  6. Wir Sind Zur Stelle! - Gunter von Kannen
  7. Dab Der Mein Vater Nicht Ist, Wie Guhl' Ich Vater Nicht Ist, Wie Fuhl' Ich Mich Drob Froh! - Gunter von Kannen
  8. Dab Der Mein Vater Nicht Ist, Wie Fuhl Ich Drob So Froh! - Gunter von Kannen
  9. Aber - Wie Sah Meine Mutter Wohl Aus? - Gunter von Kannen
  10. Meine Mutter - Ein Menschenweib! - Gunter von Kannen

Tracks:

  1. Haha! Da Hatte Mein Lied Mir Was Liebes Erblasen! - Gunter von Kannen
  2. Da Lieg, Neidleichst Du Eilig Und Schlau - Gunter von Kannen
  3. Zur Kunde taugt Kein Toter - Gunter von Kannen
  4. Wohin Schleichst Du Eilig Und Schlau - Gunter von Kannen
  5. Was Ihr Mir Nutzt, Weib Ich Nicht - Gunter von Kannen
  6. Willkommen Siegfried! - Gunter von Kannen
  7. Sieh, Du Bist Mude Von Harten Last! - Gunter von Kannen
  8. Neides Zoll Zahlt Notung - Gunter von Kannen
  9. Heib Ward Mir Von Der Harten Last! - Gunter von Kannen
  10. Nun Sing! Ich Lausche Dem Gesang - Gunter von Kannen
  11. Orchestrevorspiel - Prelude - Gunter von Kannen
  12. Wache, Wala! Wala! Erwach! - Gunter von Kannen
  13. Stark Ruft Das Lied - Gunter von Kannen
  14. Mein Schlaf ist Traumen - Gunter von Kannen

Tracks:

  1. Dir Unweisen Ruf' Ich Ins Ohr - Gunter von Kannen
  2. Dort Seh' Ich Siegfried Nahn - Gunter von Kannen
  3. Was lachst Du Mich Aus? Alter Frager! - Gunter von Kannen
  4. Kenntest Du Mich, Kuhner Sprob, Den Schimpf Spartest Du Mir! - Gunter von Kannen
  5. Mit Zerfochntner Waffe Floh Mir Der Feige? - Gunter von Kannen
  6. Selige Ode Auf Sonniger Hoh! - Gunter von Kannen
  7. Das ist Kein Mann! - Gunter von Kannen
  8. Heil Dir, Sonne - Gunter von Kannen
  9. O Siegfried! Siegfried! Seliger Held! - Gunter von Kannen
  10. Dort Seh' Ich Grane, Mein Selig Rob - Gunter von Kannen
  11. Kein Gott Nahte Mir Je! - Gunter von Kannen
  12. Ewig War Ich, Ewig Bin Ich - Gunter von Kannen
  13. Dich Lieb' Ich: O Liebtest Mich Du! - Gunter von Kannen
  14. lachend Mub Ich Dich Lieben - Gunter von Kannen

Tracks:

  1. Dir Unweisen Ruf' Ich Ins Ohr - Gunter von Kannen
  2. Dort Seh' ich Siegfried Nahn - Gunter von Kannen
  3. Was Lachst Du Mich Aus? Alter Frager! - Gunter von Kannen
  4. Kenntest Du Mich, Kuhner Sporb, Den Schimpf Spartest Du Mir! - Gunter von Kannen
  5. Mit Zerfochtner Waffe Floh Mir Der Feige? - Gunter von Kannen
  6. Selige Ode Auf Sonniger Hoh! - Gunter von Kannen
  7. Das Ist Kein Mann! - Gunter von Kannen
  8. Heil Ist Kein Mann! - Gunter von Kannen
  9. O Siegfried! Siegfried! Seliger Held! - Gunter von Kannen
  10. Dort Seh' Ich Grane, Mein Selig Rob - Gunter von Kannen
  11. Kein Gott Nahte Mir Je! - Gunter von Kannen
  12. Ewifg War Ich, Ewig Bin Ich - Gunter von Kannen
  13. Dich Lieb' ich: O Liebtest Mich Du! - Gunter von Kannen
  14. Lachend Mub Ich Dich Lieben - Gunter von Kannen

Tracks:

  1. Wer Ist Gibichs Sohn? - Gunter von Kannen
  2. Begrube Froh, O Held, Die Halle Meines Vaters - Gunter von Kannen
  3. Wilkommen, Gast, In Gibichs Haus! - Gunter von Kannen
  4. Deinem Bruder Bot Ich Mich Zum Mann - Gunter von Kannen
  5. Bluhenden Lebens Labendes Blut Traufelt' Ich In Den Trank - Gunter von Kannen
  6. Frisch Auf Die Zur Wacht - Gunter von Kannen
  7. Altegewohntes Gerausch Raunt Meinem Ohr Die Ferene - Gunter von Kannen
  8. Altegewohntes Gerausch Raunt Meinem Ohr Ferne - Gunter von Kannen
  9. Hore Mit Sinn, Was Ich Dir Sage! - Gunter von Kannen
  10. Welch Banger Traume Maren Meldset Du Traurige Mir! - Gunter von Kannen
  11. Blitzend Gewolk, Vom Wind Getragen, Sturme Dahin - Gunter von Kannen
  12. Brunnhild! Ein Freier Kam, Den Dein Feuer Nicht Erschreckt - Gunter von Kannen

Tracks:

  1. Orchestervorspiel - Prelude - Gunter von Kannen
  2. Schlafst Du, Hagen, Mein Sohn? - Gunter von Kannen
  3. Der Ewigen Macht, Wer Erbte Sie? - Gunter von Kannen
  4. Hoiho, Hagen! Muder Mann! - Gunter von Kannen
  5. Heib Mich Willkommen, Gibichskind! - Gunter von Kannen
  6. Hoiho! Hoihohoho! Ihr Gibchsmannen, Machet Euch Auf! - Gunter von Kannen
  7. Was Tost Das Horn? - Gunter von Kannen
  8. Rustet Euch Wohl Und Rastet Nicht - Gunter von Kannen
  9. Heil Dir, Gunther! - Gunter von Kannen
  10. Gegrubt Esi, Teurer HeldL Gegrubt, Holde Schwester! - Gunter von Kannen
  11. Einen Ring Sah Ich An Deiner Hand - Gunter von Kannen
  12. Betrug! Betrug! Schandlichster Betrug!! - Gunter von Kannen
  13. Achtest Du So Der Eignen Ehre? - Gunter von Kannen
  14. Helle Wehr! Heilige Waffe! - Gunter von Kannen
  15. Hilf, Donner - Gunter von Kannen
  16. Welches Unholds List Liegt Hier Verhohlen? - Gunter von Kannen
  17. Wer Bietet Mir Nun Das Hier Verhohlen? - Gunter von Kannen
  18. Auf, Gunther, Edler Gibichung! - Gunter von Kannen
  19. Mub Sein Tod Sie Betruben, Verhehlt Sei Ihr Die Tat - Gunter von Kannen

Tracks:

  1. Orchestervorspiel - Prelude - Gunter von Kannen
  2. Frau Sonne Sendet Lichte Strahlen - Gunter von Kannen
  3. Ein Albe Fuhrte Mich Irr - Gunter von Kannen
  4. Noch Bin Ich Beutelos - Gunter von Kannen
  5. Behalt Ihn, Held, Und Wahr Ihn Wohl - Gunter von Kannen
  6. Ihr Listigen Frauen, Labt Das Sein! - Gunter von Kannen
  7. Kommt, Schwestern! - Gunter von Kannen
  8. Hoiho! - Gunter von Kannen
  9. Trink, Gunther, Trink! - Gunter von Kannen
  10. Mime Hieb Ein Murrischer Zwerg - Gunter von Kannen
  11. In Leid Zu Dem WipfelLauscht' Ich Hinauf - Gunter von Kannen
  12. Erratst Du Auch Dieser raben Geraun? - Gunter von Kannen
  13. Brunnhilde! Heilige Braut! - Gunter von Kannen
  14. Orchesterzwischenspiel: Traurzug Interlude: Funeral Procession Interlude Orchestral: MArche Funebre - Gunter von Kannen
  15. War Des Sein Horn? Nein! Noch Kehrt Er Nicht Heim - Gunter von Kannen
  16. Hoiho! Hoiho! Wacht Auf! Wacht Auf! - Gunter von Kannen
  17. Siegfried - Siegfried Erschlagen! - Gunter von Kannen
  18. Schweigt Eures Jammers Jauchzenden Schwall - Gunter von Kannen
  19. Starke Scheite Schichtet Mir Dort Am Rande Des Rheins - Gunter von Kannen
  20. O Ihr, Der Eide Ewige Huter! - Gunter von Kannen
  21. Mein Erbe Nun Nehm' Ich Zu Eigen - Gunter von Kannen
  22. Fliegt Heim, Ihr Raben! - Gunter von Kannen
  23. Grane, Mein Rob, Sei Mir Gegrubt - Gunter von Kannen
  24. Zuruck Vom Ring! - Gunter von Kannen

Album Description

The production of a new Ring at the Bayreuth Festival is an event that takes place every six years. Bayreuth recordings of the complete cycle are rare; this is only the third official audio recording and the second filmed version. The Kupfer/Barenboim Ring was performed over a five-year period and recorded at the conclusion when the "Bayreuth Workshop" had raised "the quality of the performance to an almost unsurpassable level" (Der Tagesspiegel).

Customer Reviews:

1 out of 5 stars Get the DVDs instead. The CDs just don't cut it........2007-06-15

As Teldec and its parent company bid farewell to the CD era by shoveling out their back catalog at bargain prices, please go straight to the DVDs and forget this.

This Ring's acting is committed, for which the director, Harry Kupfer, gets the credit. Occasionally Maestro Barenboim balances an orchestral chord or two in a novel way, for which he can take credit. Otherwise this is poor stuff.

Daniel Barenboim, for all his idolatry of Wilhelm Furtwangler, has never figured out how to get from here to there with any feeling of naturalness or inevitability. His awkward pacing makes him no better than mediocre among the Wagner conductors of the last 50 years. He is not at all competitive with Krauss, Keilberth, Kempe, Konwitschny, Bohm, Sawallisch, Solti or Karajan, all of whom make better sense of Wagner's ebb and flow. He is not even competitive with Leinsdorf or Leitner or Hollreiser. A few pretty sounds from the pit do not compensate for a persistent inability to make one section of music follow organically from another.

The singing in this production is bearable on TV, but not so on CD. Siegfried Jerusalem acquits his parched, undersized Siegfried with dignity. However, Anne Evans sounds tremulous and small as Brunnhilde and John Tomlinson declaims brutally at the expense of the musical line, to the utter destruction of Wotan's Farewell. The two of them sound like an Annina and Baron Douphol out of "La Traviata" who've been encouraged by treacherous management to stray out of their league.

Nadine Secunde as Sieglinde is in terrible vocal shape, and Poul Elming has trouble with the top notes as Siegmund, the lowest lying tenor part Wagner ever wrote.

Watch them on DVD instead, and if you must have a CD set, pick up the Bohm at a bargain price, where only a few singers have wobbles instead of all of them, and most have vocal reserves to call upon instead of sounding like they're about to die at any minute. The end of "Walkure" Act One makes for a devastating comparison - Leonie Rysanek and James King are far better.

Then save up your lunch money and get the Keilberth Ring on Testament. Listen to Hans Hotter actually sing Wotan's Farewell, and compare it to John Tomlinson's parlando bellowing. Hotter is so far superior, they're not in the same Valhalla.

A Ferrari and a lawnmower can both do 4 mph. But one can open up with security and confidence and dazzle you, while the other can't ever do any more than 4 mph. That's the difference between Birgit Nilsson's all-enveloping Immolation Scene, where she sounds like she could do the whole thing over again as an encore, and tiny-voiced Anne Evans, who sounds like she'd collapse just at the suggestion.

This set and the Boulez should both survive into a long future as DVDs, but the CDs for both are inadequate, even annoying souvenirs of the weakest part of their productions, the singing.

5 out of 5 stars NIBELUNGEN "BEST BUY".......2007-02-04


Here's a staggering bargain.

These much-praised Bayreuth performances have been available on Teldec since 1994; now Warner has reissued them in a single box and they're an irresistible value: 1/2 the cost, 1/3 the shelf space, still accompanied by 4 deluxe booklets (containing complete German librettos, William Mann's English translations, essays, interviews, performance photos, and 100+ leitmotifs in the margins), plus there's a bonus DVD with generous excerpts from the Unitel video. Rival sets with comparable amenities (Karajan, Solti, Goodall, Keilberth) sell for 2-3 times as much. Budget-priced competitors (the admirable Janowski set, the more variable traversals of Boehm, Levine, Haitink, and Sawallisch) offer only meager pamphlets with plot summaries.

ENGINEERING

Unitel filmed this production during off hours at the 1991-92 Bayreuth festivals - the full staging with no audience, performances featuring live-event energy under controlled conditions. The digital stereo is the lushest I've enjoyed on any Ring recording: Bayreuth's famed acoustic is palpable, there's real room sound, immediacy, and three-dimensionality (but a shade more depth and airiness in '91 - compare the timpani figures in the Todesverkundigung and Siegfried's death scene). Stage noises are mostly unobtrusive: occasional faint shufflings, Hunding banging assorted props in Walkuere, otherwise comparatively few distractions.

CONDUCTOR & ORCHESTRA

These CDs furnish some of the most sumptuous instrumental and choral work you'll hear on ANY Wagner recording. Furtwaengler may be one of his deities, but here Barenboim is the master colorist, closer to Karajan, even to Stokowski. At Bruennhilde's awakening the strings are creamy; launching Goetterdaemmerung Act 3, the brass have a cushioned radiance. More than any recent competitor, Barenboim is supple and specific from beat to beat, turning up subtleties heard nowhere else. In Rhinegold sc. 2 where the gods grow old: the strings sound numb, drained, and fragile. Or Fasolt's murder: an ugly surprise, the curse motive in the brass icy and vibratoless. Or the woodwind asides throughout Siegfried Act 1: Mozartean in their mischief. Or the fatal turning point at "In kampfe nicht": while Bruennhilde teeters on the edge of the pit, the whole orchestra holds its breath. As for the big showpieces - Rheingold's coda, the valkyrie ride, the Siegfried Act 3 prelude - they're breathtakingly powerful yet deft and transparent. In short, there's no more illuminating statement of this vast music on disk.

CAST

The production introduced an all-new, prime-of-life cast, and for continuous listenability Barenboim's lineup outpoints even Janowski's. With his huge, dark, rolling sound, Tomlinson is a stupendous Wotan, every inch the fearsome warlord of myth. Yes, he's a true bass and his high Fs are the end of the line, but he's a consummate theater animal, luxuriant in the "Abendlich strahlt" and Farewell, hypnotic with his big interior monologue, sly and amusing in his Wanderer persona; unquestionably this is a major portrayal. As Bruennhilde, Evans sounds young, sensitive, and technically impeccable - dead-center intonation, effortless slurs in the war cry, consistently lovely tone, and a glowing top that easily rides the orchestra. Her caliber is light for the role, but in the long-lined lyric passages she yields to nobody: "War es so schmaehlich" and "Ewig war ich" are as poised and poignant as I've heard them.

As lead tenor, Jerusalem's adroit musicianship, vivid declamation, and burnished tone are a further pleasure, and he deserves an award for playing his reed-pipe scene in earnest rather than for laughs - Siegfried's loneliness and befuddlement become sincerely touching. True, his voice wearies during the wooing sequence, but he's on form for all of Goetterdaemmerung. Also, his Volsung parents are an exceptional pair: Elming's tenor is fresh and gleaming, Secunde has a sultry soprano, and along with Hoelle's ferocious Hunding, they do exhilarating work in Walkuere Act 1.

Hoelle's Fasolt is better natured but just as granitic; in fact the low voices here are close to superb: Kang is insidious as Fafner and Hagen - a fine-grained, well-knit instrument from top to bottom. As for Alberich, von Kannen is positively virtuosic: his sound isn't plush, but it's firm and in charge over both octaves, he sells the text with immense skill, and the curse is white-hot. Only Brinkmann (Gunther) disappoints, a good baritone behaving badly - attractive in his ariosos, pinched and strained when he tries to get dramatic.

The rest are competitive. Clark's reedy tenor doesn't keep his Loge and Mime from being flamboyantly entertaining. Bundschuh's dusky timbre suggests a forty-something Gutrune, but she's decent listening. Barenboim's other women are all capable: Meier's Waltraute boasts crisp diction, compact tone, and flawless tuning, Svenden's Erda is similarly alert and appealing, Finnie's a high-energy Fricka with potent top notes. Since these ladies double the bit parts, we also get world-class teams of norns, valkyries, and rhinemaidens.

VERDICT

In sum, the total achievement here is formidable - unsurpassed engineering, top-drawer singing, exquisite orchestral playing, uniquely evocative conducting ... and lavish libretto booklets. Verdict: the Ring with the most bang for your buck.

5 out of 5 stars A legendary release!.......2006-12-16

You may argue I am exaggerating quite a lot when I affirm this may be the greatest achievement of Daniel Barenboim as Wagnerian conductor until this date, but I think I am right. And you know as well as I, about the countless and praising epithets around the world.

This superb collection must be included as an obligated reference at the moment you decide to have one of the most complete and extraordinary documents in the Opera History. There is any hole; a superb cast Tomlinson is one the greatest Wotan, the memorable stages, the ravishing illumination, the impressive level of expressiveness of every single character, the incisiveness of the main motifs, the grimace language, the superb eloquence of every little line and the absorbing dramatis personae make of this excellent set a must-have.

Don't miss it under any single pretext this portentous and so long expected Ring.

5 out of 5 stars Great music, great singing.......2006-10-08

First things first, it is difficult to think of a more marvelously conducted Ring cycle in stereo sound than this version. Levine's comes close, though as good as the met is, the bayreuth is in peak form, and BB's conducting lends itself to the music better than Levines slower, though valid, tempos. A good place for amateurs to compare is the giant theme at the entrance of our buddies, Fasolt and Fafner. Levine is almost laughably slow, while BB is at a walking pace(and for those who have seen the DVD, the BB giants are three times the size of the METs-though the mets are superior in voice_Matti Salminen).
Most rings live and die with Wotan. For those who are introduced to the ring with Levines DVD, it is difficult to tolerate anything less than James Morris' outstanding singing, full of full throated and tender legato which tends to reveal a caring fatherly Wotan. Compare Morris and BB's Wotan in Der Alte Sturme and you will find Tomlinsons over annunciation quite unqualified and interfering with the natural beauty and flow of the music. Though overall Tomlinson doesn quite match up to Morris, he is an outstanding Wotan overall. His voice really grows on you as the cycle progresses and it is always apparent how well Tomlinson knows Wotan inside and out. His farewell at the end of Walkure is marvelous, a true test for any Wotan, and he really lets go emotionally and vocally. Despite starting off in rheingold with, as stated before, a tendency to talk instead of sing, which is natural and almost unnoticable when watching the DVD, I tended to long for Morris or Hotter's interpretation with Krauss and KNA. But as this review will be for amateur only, I will not go into the old recording very much and I will also consider price.
BB's brunnhilde is much finer than Behrens on dvd, though on the cd, behrens voice is more powerful than it was several years later when the DVDs were recorded(she is beyond her prime in both).
Of all modern versions, for those who are new to the ring, I would recomend Levine's DVD versions first and foremost. Despite Behrens, everything else is first class. The production is romantic so that first timers will see a something similar to what Wagner intended and what their mind's eye may be predicting. The BB dvd's are complete polar opposites of that visual interpretation, not for those new to the ring.
After aquiring Levine's dvd, I would recomend this set, over Solti's(yes, over Solti's and Karajan's) though not over Bohms. Bohm happens to play with the same orchestra which is interesting to hear this always superb group forty years apart. Though the Bohm doesnt have Hotter, and all who are interested in the Ring must, MUST, hear Hotter's portrayal, though STAY AWAY FROM SOLTI"S DIE WALKURE_it is dreadful after the first act and Hotter is past his prime and sounds as if he is being recorded in an underwater grotto.
For those new to the ring
1. Buy Levine's DVD set
2. Buy this or Bohm's on CD.
fine

5 out of 5 stars Bowled over by Barenboim - Exhilarating beauty and dramatic power in the best modern Ring ..........2006-08-27

Over some years now I have been slowly discovering the daunting world that is Der Ring des Nibelungen, beginning - indeed - with Das Rheingold. I came to Wagner's Ring des Nibelungen completely fresh and unknowing, at first (probably) only having ever heard some 'bleeding chunks' of music from the operas (actually, my first real 'confrontation' with music from the 'Ring' was the gorgeous Erato album with Daniel Barenboim conducting the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, which I love, so that probably influenced my expectations about this music ...), and slowly heading on from listening to just the bits and parts I liked best - only casually wandering from one opera to another without knowing the whole intricate and complex poem/text/libretto - to listening to the acts more and more 'from beginning to end', slowly getting a closer grasp of the complex and convoluted (musical) storyline ...
In fact, my sympathy, appreciation, affection and ultimately love for Der Ring des Nibelungen in general is in fact directly related to my love and appreciation for the 'Barenboim Ring', recorded in 1991 (Das Rheingold & Gotterdammerung) and 1992 (Die Walkure & Siegfried). With me, things as big and complex as the 'Ring' have to take time to grow on me, and the Barenboim Ring has captivated me from the start. Why I especially love the 'Barenboim Ring' has much to do with the singing, but more about that a little later. First a word or two about maybe the greatest 'stars of the show' here: conductor and orchestra ...

ORCHESTRA AND CONDUCTOR. From what I have read, Daniel Barenboim seems to be becoming accepted among the ranks of the truly great Wagner conductors. It is of course also a matter of taste what approach one loves best in this music, but anyhow, aside from any 'accepted views', I have just always thought his Wagner the best. Just a matter of taste, indeed.
To me, maestro Barenboim makes the music sound approprately massive and stately, but at the same time does he somehow maintain (how truly special!) an orchestral sound that is somehow crisply articulated, fresh and transparent, but resplendent with saturated color. As a complete musical 'illiterate' (I can't read music) I don't have a grasp of the musical 'reasoning' that undoubtably must lie behind maestro Barenboim's approach, but to me it all 'feels' just right and in complete harmony. A grand but clear-headed vision. A Parthenon or a Pantheon in music. I don't know, but it may also have to do with the (custom built ;-) Bayreuther Festspielhaus' superbly appropriate acoustics, causing a kind of nicely rounded, resounding but polished sound.
Also, maestro Barenboim's tempi are generally exactly right for my own taste: never too fast (why do some people find his tempi too slow?) but always 'charged' with the right amount of dramatic tension. (But then again, I can't read music, so how would I know what would be the 'right' tempo? Oh, well ...) A clear-headed, but at the same time sweeping, grand vision of Wagner's music that does not revel in the music for its own sake, but above all things lets the music speak as a purely dramatic narrative to underline and focus on the drama that is going on on stage, with some of the most beautiful and at the same time dramatic singers I ever heard.
The orchestra must also, in a sense, be able to 'speak for itself' in this music, and indeed it does so here, as eloquently as one could ever wish, I believe, and sometimes so enthousiastically, that voices are slightly drowned out, even, by its sheer power in climaxes :-)

THE SINGERS. Often, emotions color my view of what I see and hear on certain moments. It's just how (and who) I am. And also, matters of personal taste come 'in the way'. I will not try to apologize for either ;-) But I will try to describe as clearly as I am able - however lacking and personally biased the end result may be - what I find so wonderful about this recorded performance of Der Ring des Nibelungen.
Well, most of the singers are to my ears simply the best for their parts, utterly convincing, and often very moving. All of the 'main characters' are singers that I like or indeed love. We have, among many others, the towering talents of the excellent actor-singer Graham Clark (Mime), the energetic and heroic Siegfried by Siegfried Jerusalem, the enormously expressive, deeply resounding, deeply emotional Wotan by John Tomlinson, and we have the beautifully humane and warmly sympathetic Brunnhilde by Anne Evans. I truly adore Anne Evans' sweet but intelligent Brunnhilde. Her singing is engagingly sympathetic and completely captivating. In climaxes her voice really soars (for example the 'immolation scene'), and she never sounds strained, but she is I think at her best especially when allowed to really show all her nuanced beauty and color during softer passages like Brunnhilde's 'duets' with Wotan or Siegmund (take for example "Siegmund! sieh auf mich!"). I am very fond of Siegfried Jerusalem's Siegfried, and singing together with Anne Evans' Brunnhilde in Act III of Siegfried and Act I of Gotterdammerung, they sound like the true 'dream-pair' to me, reaching - in 'threesome' with the orchestra - highest states of harmony and ecstacy. Also, the 'duets' of Wotan and Brunnhilde in Die Walkure are powerful, but at the same time deeply emotionally engaged. (Seeing them together on the DVD's certainly adds to the experience!) Furthermore, I very much enjoy Linda Finnie's full-voiced, bitingly aggressive Fricka (just great in her emotional confrontation with Wotan in Act II of Die Walkure) and Birgitta Svenden's resounding and melancholy Erda ...

AS A SIDE NOTE. Anyone who loves this specific audio-only version of Der Ring des Nibelungen, but has never before seen it (like I myself until recently), should also try the magnificent DVD's of these operas. I for one was truly enraptured, at last also being able to SEE all of the artists that I have come to love, singing (and acting) together within this flabbergastingly evocative stage design! The design is often quite bare, with completely dark background (indeed a feeling of a 'road into nowhere'), which causes, with this particular viewer at least, a sense of timelesness, puzzlement and even of mystery(!), which IMHO is quite appropriate for these larger-than-life operas, the abstractness of the design leaving a lot to your imagination and making them feel more timeless or 'pure', above and beyond any 'Zeitgeist', allowing the listener to focus more on their essential ideas and (inter-personal) emotions.
Talking about emotions, what an enormous 'bonus' to see for example John Tomlinson sing/act his part! His expressive acting does add even more depth to his already deeply moving, highly charged singing. Now that I am finally also able to see this 'Ring' on DVD, it really IMHO enhances the experience of listening to 'just' this audio-only version, which to me is also a 'complete and full' experience in itself, using a bit of imagination (but then again, how much imagination does one need with this great music, so gorgeously performed?), being able to visualize with the mind's eye the close interaction between Wotan, Brunnhilde, Siegfried, et al.

THE RECORDED SOUND. Just a few comments about the sound on these CD's to end this review. I think it is the best ever for this format (and for as far as I have ever heard). It really fills up the whole aural stage lengthwise and sideways! The effect is as if you were sitting front row seat, I guess. Every orchestral nuance and inflection is brilliantly and sumptuously captured and reproduced on CD.
The recorded sound has always been so deep, sonorous and full as to really at some moments take your breath away, especially in the way that the singers' voices are clearly defined (almost three-dimensionally) within the acoustic space (the depth of the Bayreuth stage is almost palpable). But have they maybe remastered it? It seems to me that the sound on this re-issue is even clearer and finer than the original 1993 Teldec issue, with the acoustics of the Bayreuth theatre almost palpable, enhancing the characteristicly sonorous sound of the Bayreuther Festspielorchester. It is as if orchestral textures are even more velvety and clear and finely balanced. The singers seem to be even more in focus as well. (This also means that we are able to hear a little bit more of the whispering of the prompter in Gotterdammerung, which for some could be a distraction, I can imagine.)
Also, I personally think that it is a blessing that this is a 'studio'-recording, so that the sense of mystery (and 'suspension of disbelief') is never broken by intruding audience noises. This I find especially necessary during the softer passages and intense dialogues between for example Brunnhilde & Siegmund and Wotan & Brunnhilde ...

All in all, a magnificent set, this 'Barenboim Ring' - truly a musical milestone - and truly indispensable (beside the likewise indispensible DVD's)! For better or worse, I have really fallen in love with this 'Ring', mostly for the gorgeous (exquisitely recorded) orchestral sound under Daniel Barenboim and the magnificent leading roles. And now, last but not least, you can have the whole 'Barenboim Ring' on 14 CD's (+ bonus DVD with highlights) for the price of no more than about 4!
(Postscriptum: the customer image I added is taken from the DVD of Siegfried, and not from the bonus DVD in this set.)
Wagner: The Compact Ring (Highlights from Der Ring des Nibelungen) / Levine; Metropolitan Opera Orchestra
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Right For The Money
  • Lovely moments from a disappointing Ring
  • A good introduction
  • Incredible. Levine/Met is the Wagner to buy.
  • Great driving music
 Wagner: The Compact Ring (Highlights from Der Ring des Nibelungen) / Levine; Metropolitan Opera Orchestra
Richard Wagner (composer) , James Levine , and Metropolitan Opera Orchestra
Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

All Works by WagnerAll Works by Wagner | Wagner, Richard | ( W ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
Levine, JamesLevine, James | ( L ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Romantic (c.1820-1910)Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
GermanGerman | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
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Battle, KathleenBattle, Kathleen | Divas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Ludwig, ChristaLudwig, Christa | Divas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
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  2. Wagner: Der Ring des Nibelungen (1982 Orchestral Excerpts)
  3. Der Ring des Nibelungen Highlights / Karajan
  4. Great Orchestral Highlights from The Ring of the Nibelungs / Szell, Cleveland Orchestra (SACD)
  5. Highlights from Der Ring des Nibelungen

ASIN: B000001GJ6
Release Date: 1993-03-16

Tracks:

  1. The Nibelung's Ring: The Rhinegold: Scene 1: 'Lugt, Schwestern! Die Weckerin lacht in den Grund' (Alberich)
  2. The Nibelung's Ring: The Rhinegold: Scene Four: 'Zur Burg fuhrt die Brucke' (Wotan, Fricka, Loge)
  3. The Nibelung's Ring: The Valkyrie: Act One: 'Der Manner Sippe sass hier im Saal' (Sieglinde)
  4. The Nibelung's Ring: The Valkyrie: Act Three: (The Ride Of The Valkyries) 'Hojotoho! Hojotoho!'
  5. The Nibelung's Ring: The Valkyrie: Act Three: 'Der Augen leuchtendes Paar' (Magic Fire Music) (Wotan)
  6. The Nibelung's Ring: Siegfried: Act Two: 'Aber, wie sah meine Mutter wohl aus?' (Forest Murmurs) (Siegfried)
  7. The Nibelung's Ring: Siegfried: Act Two: 'Nun sing! Ich lausche dem Gesang' (Siegfried, Woodbird)
  8. The Nibelung's Ring: Siegfried: Act Three: 'Heil dir, Sonne! Heil dir, Licht!' (Brunnhilde, Siegfried)
  9. The Nibelung's Ring: Twilight Of The Gods: Act Three: (Funeral March)
  10. The Nibelung's Ring: Twilight Of The Gods: Act Three: 'Fliegt heim, ihr Raben!' (Brunnhilde)

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Right For The Money.......2006-06-27

I've had this cd for as long as I can remember and love it. Some compilations want $30 and up for a Wagner opera, but this has it all condensed into one cd and it's both beautiful and inexpensive.

5 out of 5 stars Lovely moments from a disappointing Ring.......2005-10-07

Levine's Ring cycle was severely handicapped from the start by having no real siegfried and a Brunnhilde who is very musical but lacking a true Brunnhilde voice. Levine worked around these deficits, as every conductor since the heyday of Nilsson has had to do, with excellent musicianship and the wonderful MET Orchestra. HIs sound for Wagner is leaner than Solti's--one gets the feeling of an opera orchestra, not a huge symphony orchestra.
The cycle also suffered from Levine's extremely leisurely pace, which seems slack rather than profound.

That said, DG has made a silk purse of of half a sow's ear. These excerpts show off the best in Levine's approach and skirt the worst. One would have liked to hear much more of James Morris's Wotan, since he was by far the star of the show. Hildegard Behrens is heard to good effect in the Immolaiton Scene that ends the cycle, as well as the Awakening Scene from Siegfried. The orchestral excerpts are gorgeously played, and even though I would not rank any single opera from Levine's Ring as the best on record, this "compact Ring" is excellent on its own.

4 out of 5 stars A good introduction.......2005-08-08

A solid, well-rounded compilation of highlights from Richard Wagner's musically sublime, vocally gargantuan, and dramatically unsurpassed Der Ring des Nibelungen is a rare find. Deutsche Grammophon released a two-disc set of highlights from Karajan's Ring Cycle through its Panorama collection; Philips released a similar set from Karl Böhm's glorious live 1966-67 Bayreuth recordings. This collection of highpoints from James Levine's late-1980s/early-1990s rendering of the operatic epic through the Metropolitan Opera is not as successful. This is indeed a shame, for Levine masters Wagner's scores with surprising versatility; he crafts a fairly slow, precise, but deeply moving and rewarding musical portrait of the composer's Rhineland of yore which sparks more than a few memories of the most highly regarded studio recording of the four operas: Sir Georg Solti's (and, for all intents and purposes, producer and innovator John Culshaw's) and the Wiener Philharmoniker's triumph on Decca.

What results is a compelling but not overwhelming exhibition disc for James Morris and Hildegard Behrens, the former as a gravelly, sonorous Wotan, and the latter as a svelte, willowy Brünnhilde. Morris is certainly superior to the archaic, defeated Hans Hotter of Solti's Die Walküre (and, arguably, Theo Adam in Böhm's and Thomas Stewart in Karajan's) during his farewell to Brünnhilde ("Der Augen leuchtendes Paar"). Behrens is no Nilsson (nor a Dernesch, nor a Crespin) but she is, nonetheless, a very lovely Valkyrie, both in the Awakening Scene ("Heil dir, Sonne! Heil dir, Licht!") and in the Immolation Scene ("Fliegt heim, ihr Raben!"). Reiner Goldberg is competent as Siegfried in the Waldweben ("Aber, wie sah meine Mutter wohl aus?"), but he is far removed from the realms of Wolfgang Windgassen and Jess Thomas. Jessye Norman is a mature but lyrically radiant Sieglinde. Kathleen Battle supplies her sugary, enchanting tone for the small but potent role of the Woodbird. Siegfried Jerusalem makes a brief appearance as Loge (in a definitely less caricatured capacity than Gerhard Stolze). Mark Baker is a plain but virile Froh. Hei-Kyung Hong, Diane Kesling, and Meredith Parsons are particularly harmonious as the Rheintöchter.

However, the rest of the soloists are barely nonexistent. Christa Ludwig is insultingly truncated as Fricka. Ekkehard Wlaschiha's Alberich (which rivals the interpretations of Gustav Neidlinger and Zoltan Kélémén) is heard only twice. Matti Salminen's Hagen is limited to a sole outburst of "Zurück vom Ring!" Other noted performances from Levine's Ring are deleted entirely: Heinz Zednik's slimy but very human Mime, Kurt Moll's baleful Hunding, Cheryl Studer's Gutrune, and Bernd Weikl's Gunther.

In spite of everything, this "compact Ring" is an item to have simply for Levine's presentation of the Walkürenritt ("Hojotoho! Hojotoho!"). The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra is in superb form and the eight furious, calamitous voices of Wotan's battle maidens (supplied by Marita Napier, Linda Kelm, Reinhild Runkel, Ruthild Engert, Marilyn Mims, Anne Wilkens, Kesling, and Parsons) mesh in a tapestry of thunderous doom and emotion.

5 out of 5 stars Incredible. Levine/Met is the Wagner to buy........2005-02-05

I have the complete Ring cycle from which these highlights are taken. Chances are if you're browsing Wagner recordings you're already aware of how powerful and profound "Der Ring" is, so I'll just say what you want to know: BUY THIS CD. No other Wagner CD I've heard comes close. Usually I disagree with at least some tempo or phrasing choices of even the most famous conductors, but I must bow to Levine on this one. Not once did I ever think that I would've made a different choice, allowing me to become completely immersed in the music. For a classically trained musician like myself, this is no small feat since I've been conditioned to analyze what I hear almost automatically. The fact that these recordings are so good that they make me forget about mechanics makes this not only of the best Wagner recordings I have but one of the best classical CDs I own, period.

NOTE: If you like this CD, then trust me--just buy the whole "Ring" set conducted by Levine. It's expensive (over $100), but it's 14 CDs and one of the best musical investments you'll ever make.

5 out of 5 stars Great driving music.......2004-12-29

I have seen the Ring Cycle a couple of times live over the years. I also have the videos and some lengthy recordings. So periodically I refresh my self with the story. However I find "The Compact Ring" fun fro listing to in the car. As with any copulation it is someone else's idea of the highlights. But it comes close enough for me. And what is on the CD is excellent.
This also makes a good introduction.

Wagner: Der Ring des Nibelungen (Box Set)
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Surprisingly Good
  • Excellent recording at reasonable price
  • A Ring Cycle for everyone!
  • An excellent complete Ring at a reasonable price.
 Wagner: Der Ring des Nibelungen (Box Set)

Manufacturer: Brilliant Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00005YCS5
Release Date: 2001-06-12

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Surprisingly Good.......2004-11-20

I picked up a copy of this set very cheaply on Ebay [UK] with no big expectations about its quality, having been brought up on the old maxim that you get what you pay for. Boy, was I ever wrong. This edition surpasses my expectations big time and while my ultimate wish is to be wealthy enough to own a set of Solti's Ring Cycle I am beginning to enjoy this set more and more.

The vocals come through clearly and for a live performance the sound is very clean. My edition came with the lyrics in German only, so unless your German is reasonably good you will need to find an English translation somewhere to help you out, but this is a small quibble. If you know the storyline you'll be able to follow things reasonably well. Having caught the Wagner bug at age 15 I can once again feel the bug takingi ts effect:-)

5 out of 5 stars Excellent recording at reasonable price.......2004-01-26

In my view this recording is under-rated by Wagnerians, perhaps because they are a bit snooty about a conductor who doesn't have the same international reputation as Karajan or Solti. Don't be fooled! This is an excellent recording, with crystal-clear sound quality and some great performances from the singers. Neuhold moves the action on at a good pace and the fact that it was recorded live adds excitement. There is very little audience noise throughout. At this price I recommend this recording highly, particularly for newcomers to the Ring cycle who can't afford the Solti. Even seasoned Wagnerians will enjoy it too, I think.

5 out of 5 stars A Ring Cycle for everyone!.......2003-03-03

Such a bargain, this Ring cycle is. When I first wanted to listen to Wagner's magnum opus, I had to borrow from libraries and friends. While in college, I scraped up enough to by Furtwangler's old mono recording. Great performance but depressed sonics.

Now comes this excellent performance, live (all the better), with excellent sound! And at a price even poor students on a budget can afford. Better yet, have mom and dad spring for your copy. No family should be without one!

5 out of 5 stars An excellent complete Ring at a reasonable price........2003-01-20

I got this ... fairly cheaply and was surprised by the quality of the recording and the performance. This is a live performance that was digitally recorded (DDD), so the sound is quite good with almost no audience noise. The conducting is thoughtful and lyrical, and the quality and accuracy of the playing is quite good. The singers are not particularly world-famous as in the Solti or Karajan recordings, but the singing is clear and crisp, so that you can easily understand and/or follow the lyrics in the libretto. The fact that it is a live performance lends an immediacy and excitement that is lacking in the glitzier studio-recorded performances. Those who enjoy the 1953 Bayreuth recording by Krauss will find much to enjoy here. I have listened to many renditions of the Ring cycle over the years, and I would place this recording close to the top (after Krauss, Solti, and Karajan). It's a delightful discovery at a bargain price for a complete Ring cycle. I would highly recommend it, even as a first introduction to the Ring. The version I got did not come with a libretto, but that was no problem since I have libretti from other sets of the Ring that I own. In addition, several websites carry the German libretto with an English translation.
Wagner - Der Ring des Nibelungen (Ring Cycle) / Sawallisch, Bayerischer Staatsoper
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • "Blut-Bruderschaft schwore ein Eid!"
  • A nice ring. Too nice for the price.
  • fanat
  • Look somewhere else for a 'Ring' . . . . . .
  • A good rendering
 Wagner - Der Ring des Nibelungen (Ring Cycle) / Sawallisch, Bayerischer Staatsoper
Richard Wagner , Julia Varady , René Kollo , Wolfgang Sawallisch , Bayerischer Staatsoper , Marjana Lipovsek , Hildegard Behrens , Helmut Pampuch , Jan-Hendrik Rootering , Hanna Schwartz , Angela Maria Blasi , Christel Borchers , Robert Schunk , Birgit Calm , Hanna Schwarz , Waltraud Meier , Matti Salminen , Nancy Gustafson , Robert Hale , and Kurt Moll
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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GeneralGeneral | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
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ASIN: B00000631T
Release Date: 1998-05-19

Tracks:

  1. Das Rheingold: Prelude
  2. Das Rheingold: Scene One: Weia! Wage!
  3. Das Rheingold: Scene One: Hehe! ihr Nicker!
  4. Das Rheingold: Scene One: Garstig glatter glitsch'riger Glimmer!
  5. Das Rheingold: Scene One: Lugt, Schwestern!
  6. Das Rheingold: Scene One: Bangt euch noch nicht?
  7. Das Rheingold: Scene Two: Orchestral Interlude
  8. Das Rheingold: Scene Two: Wotan, Gemahl! erwache!
  9. Das Rheingold: Scene Two: Vollendet das ewige Werk!
  10. Das Rheingold: Scene Two: So schirme sie jetzt
  11. Das Rheingold: Scene Two: Sanft schloss Schlaf dein Aug
  12. Das Rheingold: Scene Two: Schweig' dein faules Schwatzen
  13. Das Rheingold: Scene Two: Zu mir, Freia!
  14. Das Rheingold: Scene Two: Halt, du Wilder!
  15. Das Rheingold: Scene Two: Wie? welchen Handel hatt' ich geschlossen?
  16. Das Rheingold: Scene Two: Immer ist Undank Loge's Lohn!
  17. Das Rheingold: Scene Two: Was ein Dieb stahl
  18. Das Rheingold: Scene Two: Hor', Wotan, der Harrenden Wort!
  19. Das Rheingold: Scene Two: Was sinnt nun Wotan so wild?
  20. Das Rheingold: Scene Two: Auf, Loge! hinab mit mir!
  21. Das Rheingold: Scene Three: Hehe! heh!
  22. Das Rheingold: Scene Three: Nibelheim hier

Tracks:

  1. Das Rheingold: Scene Three: Wer halfe mir!
  2. Das Rheingold: Scene Three: Hierher! Dorthin!
  3. Das Rheingold: Scene Three: Was wollt ihr hier?
  4. Das Rheingold: Scene Three: Habt Acht! Habt Acht!
  5. Das Rheingold: Scene Three: Riesenwurm winde sich ringelnd!
  6. Das Rheingold: Scene Three: Luge du her!
  7. Das Rheingold: Scene Three: Orchestral Interlude
  8. Das Rheingold: Scene Four: Da, Vetter, sitze du fest!
  9. Das Rheingold: Scene Four: Wohlan, die Niblungen rief ich mir nah'
  10. Das Rheingold: Scene Four: Gezahlt hab' ich
  11. Das Rheingold: Scene Four: Bin ich nun frei?
  12. Das Rheingold: Scene Four: Lauschtest du seinem Liebesgruss?
  13. Das Rheingold: Scene Four: Bring'st du gute Kunde?
  14. Das Rheingold: Scene Four: Auf Risenheims ragender Mark
  15. Das Rheingold: Scene Four: Freia, die schone
  16. Das Rheingold: Scene Four: Weiche, Wotan!
  17. Das Rheingold: Scene Four: Hort, ihr Riesen!
  18. Das Rheingold: Scene Four: Zu mir, Freia!
  19. Das Rheingold: Scene Four: Halt, du Gieriger!
  20. Das Rheingold: Scene Four: Was gleicht, Wotan
  21. Das Rheingold: Scene Four: Schwules Gedunst schwebt in der Luft
  22. Das Rheingold: Scene Four: Zur Burg fuhrt die Brucke
  23. Das Rheingold: Scene Four: Abendlich strahlt der Sonne Auge
  24. Das Rheingold: Scene Four: Ihrem Ende eilen sie zu
  25. Das Rheingold: Scene Four: Rheingold! Rheingold!

Tracks:

  1. Die Walkure: Orchestral Prelude
  2. Die Walkure: Act One - Scene One: Wes Herd dies auch sei
  3. Die Walkure: Act One - Scene One: Einen Unseligen labtest du
  4. Die Walkure: Act One - Scene Two: Mude am Herd fand ich den Mann
  5. Die Walkure: Act One - Scene Two: Friedmund darf ich nicht heissen
  6. Die Walkure: Act One - Scene Two: Die so leidig Los dir beschied
  7. Die Walkure: Act One - Scene Two: Ich weiss ein wildes Geschlecht
  8. Die Walkure: Act One - Scene Three: Ein Schwert verhiess mir der Vater
  9. Die Walkure: Act One - Scene Three: Schlafst du, Gast?
  10. Die Walkure: Act One - Scene Three: Der Manner Sippe
  11. Die Walkure: Act One - Scene Three: Wintersturme wichen dem Wonnemond
  12. Die Walkure: Act One - Scene Three: Du bist der Lenz
  13. Die Walkure: Act One - Scene Three: O susseste Wonne! Seligstes Weib!
  14. Die Walkure: Act One - Scene Three: Siegmund heiss' ich und Siegmund bin ich!

Tracks:

  1. Die Walkure: Prelude
  2. Die Walkure: Act Two - Scene One: Hojotoho! Hojotoho!
  3. Die Walkure: Act Two - Scene One: Der alte Sturm, die alte Muh'!
  4. Die Walkure: Act Two - Scene One: So ist es denn aus mit den ewigen Gottern
  5. Die Walkure: Act Two - Scene One: Heiaha! Heiaha! Hojotoho!
  6. Die Walkure: Act Two - Scene Two: Schlimn, furcht' ich, schloss der Streit
  7. Die Walkure: Act Two - Scene Two: Als junger Liebe Lust mir verblich
  8. Die Walkure: Act Two - Scene Two: Ein andres ist's: achte es wohl
  9. Die Walkure: Act Two - Scene Two: So nimmst du von Siegmund den Sieg?
  10. Die Walkure: Act Two - Scene Two: So nimm meinen Segen, Niblungen-Sohn!
  11. Die Walkure: Act Two - Scene Three: Raste nun hier, gonne dir Ruh!
  12. Die Walkure: Act Two - Scene Three: Hinweg! Hinweg! Flieh die Entweihte!

Tracks:

  1. Die Walkure: Act Two - Scene Four: Siegmund! Sieh auf mich!
  2. Die Walkure: Act Two - Scene Four: Erdenluft muss sie noch atmen
  3. Die Walkure: Act Two - Scene Four: Weh! Weh! Sussestes Weib
  4. Die Walkure: Act Two - Scene Four: Zwei Leben lachen dir hier
  5. Die Walkure: Act Two - Scene Five: Zauberfest bezahmt ein Schlaf
  6. Die Walkure: Act Two - Scene Five: Wehwalt! Wehwalt!

Tracks:

  1. Die Walkure: Act Three - Scene One: Ride Of The Valkyries - Hojotoho! Hojotoho!
  2. Die Walkure: Act Three - Scene One: Schutzt mich und helft in hochster Not!
  3. Die Walkure: Act Three - Scene One: Nicht sehre dich Sorge um mich
  4. Die Walkure: Act Three - Scene One: Steh, Brunnhild'!
  5. Die Walkure: Act Three - Scene Two: Hier bin ich, Vater: gebiete die Strafe!
  6. Die Walkure: Act Three - Scene Three: War es so schmahlich, was ich verbrach
  7. Die Walkure: Act Three - Scene Three: Deinen leichten Sinn lass dich denn leiten
  8. Die Walkure: Act Three - Scene Three: Du zeugtest ein edles Geschlecht
  9. Die Walkure: Act Three - Scene Three: Leb wohl, du kuhnes, herrliches Kind!
  10. Die Walkure: Act Three - Scene Three: Der Augen, leuchtendes Paar
  11. Die Walkure: Act Three - Scene Three: Loge, hor! Lausche hieher!
  12. Die Walkure: Act Three - Scene Three: Magic Fire Music

Tracks:

  1. Siegfried: Prelude
  2. Siegfried: Act One - Scene One: Zwangvolle Plage!
  3. Siegfried: Act One - Scene One: Hoiho! Hoiho!
  4. Siegfried: Act One - Scene One: Willst du denn nie gedenken
  5. Siegfried: Act One - Scene One: Vieles lehrtest du, Mime
  6. Siegfried: Act One - Scene One: Einst lag wimmernd ein Weib
  7. Siegfried: Act One - Scene One: Und diese Stucken sollst du mir schmieden
  8. Siegfried: Act One - Scene Two: Heil dir, weiser Schmied!
  9. Siegfried: Act One - Scene Two: Du ruhrtest dich viel auf der Erde
  10. Siegfried: Act One - Scene Two: Viel, Wanderer, weisst du mir
  11. Siegfried: Act One - Scene Two: Viel, Wanderer, weisst du mir
  12. Siegfried: Act One - Scene Two: Nun, ehrlicher Zwerg
  13. Siegfried: Act One - Scene Two: Ein weiser Niblung
  14. Siegfried: Act One - Scene Two: Sag mir, du weiser Waffenschmied
  15. Siegfried: Act One - Scene Three: Verfluchtes Licht!
  16. Siegfried: Act One - Scene Three: Heda, du Fauler!
  17. Siegfried: Act One - Scene Three: Bist de es, Kind?
  18. Siegfried: Act One - Scene Three: Fuhltest du nie im finstren Wald
  19. Siegfried: Act One - Scene Three: Her mit den Stucken
  20. Siegfried: Act One - Scene Three: Notung! Notung!
  21. Siegfried: Act One - Scene Three: Hoho! Hoho! Hohei!
  22. Siegfried: Act One - Scene Three: Notung! Notung!

Tracks:

  1. Siegfried: Prelude
  2. Siegfried: Act Two - Scene One: In Wald und Nacht
  3. Siegfried: Act Two - Scene One: Zur Neidohle fuhr ich bei Nacht
  4. Siegfried: Act Two - Scene One: Fafner! Fafner! Erwache, Wurm!
  5. Siegfried: Act Two - Scene Two: Wir sind zur Stelle!
  6. Siegfried: Act Two - Scene Two: Dass der mein Vater nicht ist

Tracks:

  1. Siegfried: Act Two - Scene Two: Forest Murmurs
  2. Siegfried: Act Two - Scene Two: Du holdes Voglein
  3. Siegfried: Act Two - Scene Two: Haha! Da hatte mein Lied...
  4. Siegfried: Act Two - Scene Two: Was ist da?
  5. Siegfried: Act Two - Scene Two: Wer bist du, kuhner Knabe
  6. Siegfried: Act Two - Scene Two: Ist mir doch fast
  7. Siegfried: Act Two - Scene Three: Wohin schleichst du
  8. Siegfried: Act Two - Scene Three: Was ihr mir nutzt
  9. Siegfried: Act Two - Scene Three: Willkommen, Siegfried
  10. Siegfried: Act Two - Scene Three: Heiss ward mir
  11. Siegfried: Act Two - Scene Three: Hei! Siegfried erschlug nun...
  12. Siegfried: Prelude
  13. Siegfried: Act Three - Scene One: Wache, Wala!
  14. Siegfried: Act Three - Scene One: Stark ruft das Lied

Tracks:

  1. Siegfried: Act Three - Scene One: Dir Urweisen ruf ich ins Ohr
  2. Siegfried: Act Three - Scene Two: Dort seh ich Siegfried nahn
  3. Siegfried: Act Three - Scene Two: Wie sieh'st du denn aus?
  4. Siegfried: Act Three - Scene Two: Zieh hin!
  5. Siegfried: Act Three - Scene Three: Selige Ode auf sonniger Hoh'!
  6. Siegfried: Act Three - Scene Three: Das ist kein Mann!
  7. Siegfried: Act Three - Scene Three: Heil dir, Sonne!
  8. Siegfried: Act Three - Scene Three: So starb nicht meine Mutter?
  9. Siegfried: Act Three - Scene Three: Dort seh' ich Grane
  10. Siegfried: Act Three - Scene Three: ...heilig schied sie aus Walhall!
  11. Siegfried: Act Three - Scene Three: O Siegfried! Siegfried!
  12. Siegfried: Act Three - Scene Three: Wie des Blutes Strome
  13. Siegfried: Act Three - Scene Three: Fahr hin

Tracks:

  1. Gotterdammerung: Prologue: Vorspiel
  2. Gotterdammerung: Prologue: Welch Licht leuchtet dort?
  3. Gotterdammerung: Prologue: Dammert der Tag?
  4. Gotterdammerung: Prologue: Dawn Of Day
  5. Gotterdammerung: Prologue: Zu neuen Taten, teurer Helde
  6. Gotterdammerung: Prologue: Mehr gabst du, Wunderfrau
  7. Gotterdammerung: Prologue: O heilige Gotter
  8. Gotterdammerung: Prologue: Siegfried's Rhine Journey
  9. Gotterdammerung: Act One - Scene One: Nun hor, Hagen
  10. Gotterdammerung: Act One - Scene One: Ein Weib weiss ich
  11. Gotterdammerung: Act One - Scene One: Vom Rhein her tont das Horn
  12. Gotterdammerung: Act One - Scene Two: Wer ist Gibichs Sohn?
  13. Gotterdammerung: Act One - Scene Two: Begrusse froh, o Held
  14. Gotterdammerung: Act One - Scene Two: Vergess' ich alles

Tracks:

  1. Gotterdammerung: Act One - Scene Two: Gutrune
  2. Gotterdammerung: Act One - Scene Two: Bluhenden Lebens
  3. Gotterdammerung: Act One - Scene Two: Was nahmst du am Eide nicht teil?
  4. Gotterdammerung: Act One - Scene Two: Hier sitz' ich zur Wacht
  5. Gotterdammerung: Act One - Scene Three: Altgewohntes Gerausch
  6. Gotterdammerung: Act One - Scene Three: Hore mit Sinn, was ich sage!
  7. Gotterdammerung: Act One - Scene Three: Welch banger Traume Maren
  8. Gotterdammerung: Act One - Scene Three: Blitzend Gewolk
  9. Gotterdammerung: Act One - Scene Three: Brunnhilde'! Ein Freier kam
  10. Gotterdammerung: Act One - Scene Three: Jetzt bist du mein

Tracks:

  1. Gotterdammerung: Act One - Scene Three: Prelude
  2. Gotterdammerung: Act Two - Scene One: Schlafst du, Hagen, mein Sohn?
  3. Gotterdammerung: Act Two - Scene Two: Hoiho! Hagen!
  4. Gotterdammerung: Act Two - Scene Two: Hoiho! Hoihohoho!
  5. Gotterdammerung: Act Two - Scene Two: Rustet euch wohl
  6. Gotterdammerung: Act Two - Scene Two: Gross Gluck und Heil
  7. Gotterdammerung: Act Two - Scene Four: Heil dir, Gunther!
  8. Gotterdammerung: Act Two - Scene Four: Brunnhild', die hehrste Frau
  9. Gotterdammerung: Act Two - Scene Four: Gegrusst sei, teurer Held
  10. Gotterdammerung: Act Two - Scene Four: Einen Ring sah ich an deiner Hand
  11. Gotterdammerung: Act Two - Scene Four: Betrug! Betrug!
  12. Gotterdammerung: Act Two - Scene Four: Helle Wehr! Heilige Waffe!
  13. Gotterdammerung: Act Two - Scene Four: Glaub, mehr zurnst es mich als dich
  14. Gotterdammerung: Act Two - Scene Five: Welches Unholds List
  15. Gotterdammerung: Act Two - Scene Five: Vertraue mir, betrogne Frau!
  16. Gotterdammerung: Act Two - Scene Five: Auf, Gunther, edler Gibichung!
  17. Gotterdammerung: Act Two - Scene Five: So soll es sein!
  18. Gotterdammerung: Prelude
  19. Gotterdammerung: Act Three - Scene One: Frau Sonne sendet lichte Strahlen
  20. Gotterdammerung: Act Three - Scene One: Ein Albe fuhrte mich irr

Tracks:

  1. Gotterdammerung: Act Three - Scene One: Siegfried!
  2. Gotterdammerung: Act Three - Scene One: Ein goldner Ring glanzt dir am Finger!
  3. Gotterdammerung: Act Three - Scene One: Behalt ihn, Held
  4. Gotterdammerung: Act Three - Scene One: Weialala leia
  5. Gotterdammerung: Act Three - Scene Two: Hoiho!
  6. Gotterdammerung: Act Three - Scene Two: Trink, Gunther, trink!
  7. Gotterdammerung: Act Three - Scene Two: Mime hiess ein murrischer Zwerg
  8. Gotterdammerung: Act Three - Scene Two: In Leid zu dem Wipfel
  9. Gotterdammerung: Act Three - Scene Two: Was hor' ich?
  10. Gotterdammerung: Act Three - Scene Two: Brunnhilde, heilige Braut!
  11. Gotterdammerung: Act Three - Scene Two: Funeral March
  12. Gotterdammerung: Act Three - Scene Three: War das sein Horn?
  13. Gotterdammerung: Act Three - Scene Three: Hoiho! Hoiho!
  14. Gotterdammerung: Act Three - Scene Three: Siegfried - Siegfried erschlagen!
  15. Gotterdammerung: Act Three - Scene Three: Schweigt eures Jammers jauchzenden Schwall
  16. Gotterdammerung: Act Three - Scene Three: Starke Scheite schichtet mir dort
  17. Gotterdammerung: Act Three - Scene Three: Wie Sonne lauter strahlt mir sein Licht
  18. Gotterdammerung: Act Three - Scene Three: O ihr, der Eide ewige Huter!
  19. Gotterdammerung: Act Three - Scene Three: Mein Erbe nun nehm ich zu eigen
  20. Gotterdammerung: Act Three - Scene Three: Fliegt heim, ihr Raben!
  21. Gotterdammerung: Act Three - Scene Three: Grane, mein Ross, sei mir gegrusst!
  22. Gotterdammerung: Act Three - Scene Three: Zuruck vom Ring!

Amazon.com

Those without access to video disc players can now enjoy this 1989 Ring production, although stage noises and singers husbanding their resources come off less forgivingly in an audio-only context. But the recording is surprisingly crisp and vibrant, save for distortion in loud tuttis. Wolfgang Sawallisch has a sixth sense for pacing, proportion, and keeping singers secure. A bargain worth considering, but no texts are included. --Jed Distler

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars "Blut-Bruderschaft schwore ein Eid!".......2007-05-15

Okay, so we have the Solti, Bohm, Karajan, Levine, Janowski, Goodall, and Sawallisch Rings on the market (I haven't listened to the other Ring recordings yet, sorry to say). And all of these leave me to one conclusion: the many differences lead me to believe that all of these ring sets have their own authenticities and setbacks. And here they are:

TIMING (Estimate):
Solti's Ring: 14 hours, 30 minutes
Bohm's Ring: 13 hours, 30 minutes
Karajan's Ring: 14 hours, 50 minutes
Goodall's Ring: 16 hours, 50 minutes
Janowski's Ring: 14 hours, 0 minutes
Levine's Ring: 15 hours, 20 minutes
Sawallisch's Ring: 14 hours, 0 minutes

CONDUCTING:
Solti: Solti's conducting is driven with sheer muscle, but sometimes he makes the Ring overemotional. His Walkure & Gotterdammerung Preludes are clear examples: they're annoyingly bombastic. Nonetheless he almost seldom loses control with anything. His clear focus on the drama is astonishing.

Bohm: I must say his live Bayreuth recording brings out some of the best. He puts more faith in the orchestral score, but he also gives it more intensity. His tempi are some of the quickest, but they still don't seem rushed at all (except maybe "Wohin schleich'st du eilig und schlau"). I especially like his "Forging Scene" & "Hagen Summons the Vassals"; both are the most energetic on disc.

Karajan: Karajan's chamber approach is very interesting. Instead of going for the drama or the energy, the conductor goes for the beauty. Almost everything in his Ring sounds very ethereal because of his excessive use of lyricism. His orchestral preludes (except Walkure Act 1) sound more beautiful than others, and much of the soft parts (such as Siegfried Act Three Scene Three) are controlled nicely. His "Funeral March" and "Immolation" are recommendable. Siegfried Act Three Scene Two could have improved with more tension.

Goodall: Oh, boy. While I do praise Goodall with his amazing attention to detail, his ridiculously sluggish tempi will tick some Wagnerites off: everything is slower than adagio moderato. But I did enjoy listening to the slow beauty of his "Wotan's Farewell/Magic Fire Music". This was recorded live and sung in English.

Janowski: This is a very classical Ring. Instead of bombast, spacious, or lyrical passion, maestro Janowski gives us the straightforward approach. He goes straight for Wagner's original intentions (precise tempi, dynamics, flow of leitmotivs, etc.), which makes this another exquisite Ring. "Hagen Summons the Vassals" is probably the fastest I've ever heard (along with Sawallisch's). Rheingold Scene Four can be best described as "sensational".

Levine: While he does stay true to the score like Bohm, this conductor makes for a somewhat dull Ring. His handling of the orchestra is nice, but the moderately slow tempi he chooses is flawed. It should be more animated. His beautiful "Funeral March" and "Erda's Warning" are two of the few flawless features.

Sawallisch: I guess you can say that Sawallisch is half-Karajan, half-Janowski. While he does stay true to the orchestral score like Janowski, he also puts in a little Karajan-like lyricism. At some points he loses track with orchestra and singers (as does every live recording) but Bohm has more control. This was also recorded live.

ORCHESTRA:
Solti's Vienna Philharmonic: The woodwinds are the most beautiful in Solti's Ring (the "Forest Murmurs" is clear evidence of that). French horns and Wagner tubas make this a recommended listening. The strings in "Heda Heda Hedo" could've added a bit more work, but they are strikingly spectacular everywhere else. The orchestra gives it their all in Siegfried Act Two & Three, but they are at their weakest in Walkure Act One & Three (Bohm's Bayreuth does it better). Overall, it's the loudest and certainly most bombastic out of all the Ring orchestras combined.

Bohm's Bayreuth Festival: The ultimate Wagnerian orchestra gives it their all. The brass both high and low are the most powerful, while the woodwinds are the most delicate. The strings are muffled only a few times, otherwise the eighteen anvils are perfectly loud and clear. Erda's scenes aren't as effective as Janowski's, but the entire Walkure is more successful than Janowski's when it comes to tone & technique. Overall, this orchestra is the most dramatic.

Karajan's Berlin Philharmonic: The entire orchestra sounds polished, not to say that it is bad. Indeed the drama is still there, but much of the suspense is lacking (the scenes with Fasolt and Fafner come to mind). The brass sometimes overpowers the strings, which can be a serious problem. Gotterdammerung "Three Norns" Scene sounds very mysterious, very eerie.

Goodall's English National Opera: This orchestra sounds nice, even if the sluggishness can bring them down at times. The Flight of the Valkyries doesn't sound too good in a slow tempo, but the entire orchestra does sound lucid here. Siegfried Act One Prelude is the creepiest. All of the leitmotivs are heard loud and clear, just like in Janowski's version.

Janowski's Staatskapelle Dresden: This orchestra has the same force & flair as does Bohm's Bayreuth Festival, only Dresden sounds much clearer due to the fantastic digital sound. Even minor details are found in this Ring. I can hear harps in Flight of the Valkyries! The strings imitate the Siegfried forest very well, while the woodwinds representing the songbird are wonderful (but not as wonderful as Solti's songbird). Dresden's "Magic Fire Music" (along with Berlin's) is the most extravagant.

Levine's Metropolitan Opera: The brass and woodwinds are the true stars. The strings sound too tired to continue on in Siegfried & Gotterdammerung. The Finale to Rheingold is absolutely stunning (the trumpets and trombones will not disappoint), and the Second Act of Walkure is the most impressive, the most refined.

Sawallisch's Bavarian State: Wrong notes in this live recording won't matter, as the entire orchestra gets everything going in all four nights at the opera. The strings never surrender to imperfection, and the winds are marvelously aligned. I just wish that some of the singers would keep up with the orchestra.

SINGERS:
-Wotan
Solti: Hans Hotter is the superior Wotan. He sounds powerful throughout the Ring (except Rheingold, in which a less stellar George London performs).

Bohm and Janowski: Theo Adam in Bohm's live recording is another treat. While he is not as equally impressive as Hotter, he can certainly conjure up everlasting emotions. Adam sounds weaker in Janowski's studio recording, but he still doesn't disappoint.

Karajan: Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau plays Wotan in "Rheingold," while Thomas Stewart replaces Fischer-Dieskau in "Walkure" and "Siegfried". I don't think Fischer-Dieskau was a good choice; he sounds too humane and too light. Stewart makes an astounding improvement in both "Walkure" and "Siegfried".

Goodall: Norman Bailey has that divine spark that Hotter used to cherish. He's heavy and unblemished, and he handles the English text with flair and sheen.

Levine: James Morris is a notch below Hotter, Adam, and Bailey, but he overpowers Fischer-Dieskau pretty much throughout the Levine's Ring.

Sawallisch: I may be biased, but Robert Hale just didn't do it for me. He sounded dull and tedious, and his Wotan's Farewell wasn't enough to sadden me.

-Brunnhilde
Solti and Bohm: Birgit Nilsson is the best Brunnhilde on the market. Her Valkyrie cry is delightful, and her final scene in Gotterdammerung is brilliant beyond belief.

Karajan: Regine Crespin is without a doubt one of the finest Brunnhildes after Nilsson. She's fantastic in Walkure Act Three. I just wish she stayed on as the Valkyrie later on in the Ring (Helga Dernesch is no good in Gotterdammerung, sorry to say).

Goodall: Rita Hunter is at her strongest in Walkure and Siegfried. She is at her weakest in Gotterdammerung. What may have caused her downfall in the fourth installment? "The world may never know."

Janowski: Jeannine Altmeyer is basically the most controversial Brunnhilde on CD. Some people say that she's too light and weak, while others say she sounds young and very enchanting. I'm with those who think Altmeyer was a good choice, but you yourself (the shopper) are going to have to decide whether she's good or not.

Levine and Sawallisch: Hildegard Behrens is just like Nilsson and Crespin: while she's not the best, she is definitely another perfect Brunnhilde of choice. She's at her most dazzling when she performs Walkure (Levine) and Siegfried (Sawallisch).

-Siegmund & Sieglinde
Let's see. For the Siegmunds, we have James King for Solti and Bohm. Jon Vickers for Karajan, Alberto Remedios for Goodall, Siegfried Jerusalem for Janowski, Gary Lakes for Levine, and Robert Schunk for Sawallisch. For the Sieglindes, we have Regine Crespin for Solti, Leonie Rysanek for Bohm, Gundula Janowitz for Karajan, Margaret Curphy for Goodall, Jessye Norman for both Janowski and Levine, and Julia Varady for Sawallisch. Hmm . . . Jerusalem is good . . . and so is Vickers . . . Janowitz is charming, and so is . . . Oh, what the heck? All the singers for Siegmund and Sieglinde are fantastic. Two exceptions, though: Robert Schunk doesn't sound heroic enough, and Jessye Norman for Levine's Ring doesn't sound young and innocent enough.

-Siegfried
Solti and Bohm: Wolfgang Windgassen may very well be the best Siegfried for the ages. His `Forging Scene" in both renditions are defiantly inspiring. His last scene in Gotterdammerung is celestial and overwhelming.

Karajan: Jess Thomas (Siegfried) and Helge Brilioth (Gotterdammerung) may not be as ideal as Windgassen, but they do know how to be a magnificent heldentenor. Thomas pulls it off with Act One and Three.

Goodall: Wow! What a singer that Alberto Remedios! He never drags in either of the last two installments, and he uses the correct emotions in every scene that he is in.

Janowski and Sawallisch: Rene Kollo's Siegfried is a poetically expressive one. In Janowski's version he sounds playful when he's in Mime's home, and he sounds willed when he's in the Gibich Hall. He is not good enough in Sawallisch's version, however. His tiresome "Forging Scene" is obvious evidence of that.

Levine: Oh, Reiner Goldberg. At least you tried. Seriously, he sounds too tedious (especially in Gotterdammerung Act Three Scene Two) and too old. I don't know Levine should've chose Kollo when he recorded his Ring.

-Alberich
Solti and Bohm: Gustav Niedlinger has a heaviness that overwhelms a few other baritones. When he sings his only sequence in Gotterdammerung Act Two Scene One, his emotion is so pure that his son Hagen would've drowned himself in tears (Too melodramatic? Sorry about that.). The only problem is that his character sounds too one-dimensional. Alberich isn't just some cardboard-cutout bad guy. He has a very good reason why he wants to take revenge on the world. Overall, Niedlinger is amazing throughout Wagner's Ring (He deserves many awards for "Bin ich nun frei?").

Karajan: I guess you can say that Zoltan Kelemen tries his best throughout. He is not good in Rheingold, but he gets better in Siegfried and Gotterdammerung.

Goodall: Derek Hammond-Stroud is three-dimensional, but not that much. Still, he can sound very demanding in Rheingold Scene One and Siegfried Act Two Scene One.

Janowski: Siegmund Nimsgern may be the most humane Alberich yet, but it's all good. He sings with more passion than Kelemen and more robustness than Hammond-Stroud. Niedlinger's ferociousness puts him below, however. "Schaf'st du, Hagen, mein sohn?" is noteworthy.

Levine and Sawallisch: Ekkehard Wlaschiha is one hell of a vigorous Alberich. I praise him in Rheingold Scene One and Three. His performance in Siegfried (both versions) could've improved with more distrustfulness towards Mime and the Wanderer.

-Mime
Solti and Karajan: Gerhard Stolze is the creepiest Mime ever known to humankind. This dwarf outsings other Mimes on the market. When he sings "Die stucken! Das Schwert!" his anger and fear is the most effective to almost all Ring listeners.

Bohm: Erwin Wohlfahrt wins second place. He gives a first-rate performance in Siegfried Act One, but loses some of his edge in Act Two. He is an exceptional Mime nonetheless. Look for him in Karajan's Rheingold, also.

Goodall: Gregory Dempsey isn't emotional enough. He doesn't sound fearful or depressed at all, which makes him the dullest Mime for the Ring.

Janowski: Peter Schreier is for Siegfried, while Christian Vogel is for Rheingold. Vogel is less than perfect, while Schreier is way beyond outstanding. Schreier is less ghoulish and more benevolent, more three-dimensional than Stolze and Wohlfahrt. The only flaw I can find is his handling of "Die stucken! Das Schwert!" He could've added a bit more fear in that sequence.

Levine: Heinz Zednik is yet another excellent mime. He is equal to Schreier when it comes to humaneness and lyricism. His performance in Rheingold Scene Three is pure gold, while his performance in Siegfried (particularly "Willkommen, Siegfried!") is a stunning achievement.

Sawallisch: Helmut Pampuch is just like Schreier and Zednik: he's very VERY good. Nuff said.

-Loge
Solti: Set Svanholm may be the weakest Loge. He is not very ominous throughout all of his scenes, and his lack of a sinister atmosphere is greatly affects the entire Rheingold. But he'll soon be forgotten later on in the Ring.

Bohm: Why the heck would the conductor have Wolfgang Windgassen play both Siegfried AND Loge? The demi-god needs to sound different from a son of a Walsung. Still, it's satisfactory, and his "Ihrem ende eilen sie zu" gives great foreshadowing.

Karajan: Gerhard Stolze is easily the most entertaining Loge to listen to. His scenes in Scene Three are delightful.

Goodall: Emile Belcourt isn't as good as Stolze, but he certainly can make some of the best of an English-speaking Loge.

Janowski: Peter Schreier is the most eccentric out of all of them, and that's a fact. Much of his singing involves imagination, peril, vengeance, and deviousness. Belcourt depends only on imagination and deviousness, Stolze only vengeance and deviousness, and Windgassen only peril. His odd conversations with Alberich and the gods/goddesses are classic.

Levine: Siegfried Jerusalem doesn't seem like a good choice for Loge. He's better off playing Siegmund or Siegfried, but not a demi-god.

Sawallisch: Robert Tear is on par with Stolze and Schreier. Sometimes he takes things too low, but all is forgiven with his management of character development.

-Everyone Else
Uh-huh, what can I say? Everyone else does a good job in all Ring recordings (maybe not in Swarowsky's version). Matti Salminen is the perfect Hagen (Janowski, Levine, and Sawallisch), while Kirsten Flagstad is the most brilliant Fricka (Solti). The Norns and Rheinmaidens do a splendid job in Solti, Janowski, and Levine. The Vassals (male choir) are at their unsurpassed in Bohm and Goodall. The only flawed Erda is Anne Collins (Goodall), maybe too light and too heavy at times. All in all, no one here is graded C or lower.

CONCLUSION: I have yet to listen to Barenboim's Bayreuth presentation and the essential mono recordings (Furtwangler, Krauss), but I'm pretty sure that have their advantages and disadvantages. So there you have it. We have the histrionic Solti, the energetic Bohm, the otherworldly Karajan, the spacious Goodall, the calculated Janowski, the relaxed Levine, and the serious Sawallisch Rings. They have their own authenticities and setbacks, and they certainly have their own significances for Ring listeners everywhere.


Sir Georg Solti: Wagner - Der Ring des Nibelungen (Ring Cycle) / Sir Georg Solti

Karl Bohm: Wagner: Der Ring des Nibelungen

Herbert von Karajan: Der Ring des Nibelungen / Karajan / Berlin Philharmonic

Reginall Goodall: Wagner: The Ring Cycle (Box Set)

Marek Janowski: Wagner: Der Ring des Nibelungen

James Levine: Der Ring Des Nibelungen

4 out of 5 stars A nice ring. Too nice for the price........2007-01-05

This is the first ever ring I heard, being the second the Levine's DVD collection and the third is Böhm's. This set is very decent, sometimes Kollo's voice sounds too tired but hell, it's a LIVE recording! Not even singers like Windgassen are made of steel.

Das Rhinegold.
I liked it. The first scene is weak at some point but is decent. The storm aria on the fourth scene is the part I disliked the most. Wotan is marveolous and Fafner is outstanding. Take a second listening to Fricka.

Die Walkure.
God! What a marvelous performance! But not totally by Behrens. Siegmund and Sieglinde are romantic and distillate love on the "wintersturme" part. The Ride of the Walkyries is excelent, perfect. More beautiful even than in Solti's. And the "Lehb Wohl" aria of Wotan at the end made me get goosebumps: in one word: perfect. You can note that Behrens gets tired by the end of the Third act but with the amount of singing..... it's something normal.

Siegfried.
The weakest part is the final part of the Forging Scene. At that point, Kollo is tired... VERY tired. Mime is decent. Fafner, once again, is perfect. The Wanderer is very well sung.

Gotterdammerung.
Marvelous performance by Salminen. It's the Gotterdammerung to listen, unless you want to pay 60 bucks or more for Karajan's.

Herr Sawallisch is great. Has a very particular read of the Wagnerian partiture but he's great, almost as perfect as Böhm. It's a light ring cycle... and costs the half as Karajan's or Solti's. Buy it.

5 out of 5 stars fanat.......2007-01-03

From the German conductors I love Sawallisch most . It is the surprisingly sensitive, cultured and very original conductor. Among the executors there is no with a uninteresting vote and boring manner of performance. Robert Tear, probably, most remarkable Loge from everyone, whom I heard. Sieglinde, Siegmund and Hunding
Are worthy of admiration. Brunnhilde - Behrens has, probably, not best soprano in a history of a global opera, but her actor's work in a combination to a very good vote makes unforgettable impression. Siegfried Rene Kollo - unique Siegfried, which image I accept certainly. Hagen is magnificent.
Wotan amazes with humanity of an image. This record - one of my most favourite records " Der Ring des Nibelungen ".

2 out of 5 stars Look somewhere else for a 'Ring' . . . . . ........2004-12-10

Now that a lot of decent recordings of the 'Ring' are available at discount price (Levine, Janowski) this set has become nothing more than a waste of money. Truly, this is overall the second worst 'Ring' I have ever heard. Sawallisch's conducting is good, but he seems to think he is conducting music from the classical era & not the romantic. Frankly this concept doesn't work & I find myself constantly annoyed by his concept combined with the weird tempo & the orchestral balance that favours the strings & percussion over everything else. The singers are thrown well ahead of the orchestra, and even this doesn't help this mediocre cast. Kollo should have retired well before this recording, often he resorts to shouting & by the end of Siegfried & Gotterdammerung sounds as if he is going to die from sheer exhaustion, that, and being lazy about rhythm & pitch makes for an unpleasant performance. A pity, I always liked Kollo, and this recording just makes one miss the voice he used to have. Beherns never had a true Wagnerian soprano voice, and by this time all the Brunhildes & Isoldes through the years have taken their toll. Constricted in the lower passages, a hollow middle & lurching at high notes she has to fight constantly to rise above the orchestra, dramatically she is as fine as ever. Hale's Wotan, while easy on the ears, is too light to cope with all the notes, and his German diction is terrible. Fortunately, a few years ago I saw him as the Wanderer in 'Siegfried' & both problems improved considerably. The Walsung twins are vocally mis-matched. Varady's fine Siegliede is teamed up with a rather wooden & effortful Siegmund from Schunk. Only the basses in cycle have any success. Moll makes for an outstanding Hunding & Fafner; easily conveying both power & menace in these two roles. Salminen's Hagen is a good as ever, with a larger than life portrayal of pure evil. Wlaschiha's Alberich is far from disappointing, not as good as the DVD from the Met, but not chopped liver either. All in all, a rather mediocre release that you should have no qualms passing over.

4 out of 5 stars A good rendering.......2003-01-20

Sawallisch's rendering flows naturally, as Boehm's, without the artificial climaxes Solti made in his widely admired set. The nuances and subtleties in music and texts are taken care of. But the cast is barely competent. The main complaint is on Behrens and Hale. I have never heard her live in opera house, but from her performance in this set and Levine's, I really cannot praise her much. Her voice is often strenuous and hard to the ears. In the middle range, the voice is hollow, which makes her sound more like a lunatic woman than a stout Bruennhilde. Hale's sweel and beautiful voice is a real pleasure, but his Germna diction can turn me off from time to time. Moreover, I feel he screws up my enjoyment in the Wotan's farewell to Bruennhilde by singing ahead of the right beat the first "Leb wohl". That mistake puts the orchestra in a mess for quite a while. Kollo's siegfried is dramatically satisfactory. Varady and Zednik are simply wonderful.
In general, this set can rank with any other Ring set, but, in my opinion, should not be anyone's first Ring.
Highlights from Der Ring des Nibelungen
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • A substantial overview of Karajan's Ring
  • Where is Karajan's Ring on amazon?
  • not an introduction to The Ring
  • A wonderful introduction, or a new experience
  • good introduction
 Highlights from Der Ring des Nibelungen

Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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  2. Wagner: The Compact Ring (Highlights from Der Ring des Nibelungen) / Levine; Metropolitan Opera Orchestra
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  5. An Introduction to Der Ring des Nibelungen

ASIN: B00004XT2G
Release Date: 2001-02-27

Tracks:

  1. The Rhinegold: Lugt, Schwestern! Die Weckerin Lacht in Den Grund - Helen Donath/Edda Moser/Anna Reynolds/Zoltan Kelemen
  2. The Rhinegold: Nur Wer Der Minne Macht Ensagt - Helen Donath/Edda Moser/Anna Reynolds
  3. The Rhinegold: Der Welt Erbe Gewann Ich Zu Eigen Durch Dich - Zoltan Kelemen/Helen Donath/Edda Moser/Anna Reynolds
  4. The Rhinegold: Haltet Den Rauber! - Helen Donath/Edda Moser/Anna Reynolds
  5. The Rhinegold: Hor, Wotan, Der Harrenden Wort! - Karl Ridderbusch/Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau/Martti Talvela/Simone Mangelsdorff
  6. The Rhinegold: Schwester! Bruder! Rettet! Helft! - Simone Mangelsdorff/Donald Grobe/Robert Kerns/Gerhard Stolze/Josephine Veasey
  7. The Rhinegold: Wotan, Gemahl, Unselger Mann! - Josephine Veasey/Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau/Gerhard Stolze/Robert Kerns/Donald Grobe
  8. The Rhinegold: (Transformation Music) - BPO/Herbert Von Karajan
  9. The Rhinegold: Zur Burg Fuhrt Die Brucke - Donald Grobe
  10. The Rhinegold: Abendlich Strahlt Der Sonne Auge - Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
  11. The Rhinegold: So Gruss Ich Die Burg - Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau/Josephine Veasey/Gerhard Stolze
  12. The Rhinegold: Rheingold! Rheingold! - Helen Donath/Edda Moser/Anna Reynolds/Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau/Gerhard Stolze
  13. The Valkyrie: Der Manner Sippe Sass Hier Im Saal - Gundula Janowitz/Jon Vickers
  14. The Valkyrie: Wintersturme Wichen Dem Wonnemond - Jon Vickers
  15. The Valkyrie: Du Bist Der Lenz - Gundula Janowitz
  16. The Valkyrie: O Susseste Wonne! Seligstes Weib! - Jon Vickers/Gundula Janowitz
  17. The Valkyrie: War Walse Dein Vater, Und Bist Du Ein Walsung - Gundula Janowitz/Jon Vickers
  18. The Valkyrie: Siegmund, Den Walsung, Siehst Du, Weib! - Jon Vickers/Gundula Janowitz
  19. The Valkyrie: (The Ride Of The Valkyries) - BPO/Herbert Von Karajan
  20. The Valkyrie: Leb Wohl, Du Kuhnes, Herrliches Kind! - Thomas Stewart
  21. The Valkyrie: Der Augen Leuchtendes Paar - Thomas Stewart
  22. The Valkyrie: Loge, Hor! Lausche Hieher! - Thomas Stewart
  23. The Valkyrie: (Magic Fire Music) - BPO/Herbert Von Karajan

Tracks:

  1. Siegfried: Dass Der Mein Vater Nicht Ist - Forest Murmurs - Jess Thomas
  2. Siegfried: Nun Sing! Ich Lausche Dem Gesang! - Jess Thomas/Catherine Gayer
  3. Siegfried: Prld To Act III. - BPO/Herbert Von Karajan
  4. Siegfried: Wache, Wala! Wala! Erwach! - Thomas Stewart
  5. Siegfried: (Brunnhilde's Awakening: Intro) - BPO/Herbert Von Karajan
  6. Siegfried: Heil Dir, Sonne! Heil Dir, Licht! - Helga Dernesch/Jess Thomas
  7. Siegfried: Siegfried! Siegfried Seliger Held! - Helga Dernesch/Jess Thomas
  8. Twilight Of The Gods: (Orchestral Interlude) - BPO/Herbert Von Karajan
  9. Twilight Of The Gods: Zu Neuen Taten, Teurer Helde - Helga Dernesch
  10. Twilight Of The Gods: Mehr Gabst Du, Wunderfrau, Als Ich Zu Wahren Weiss - Helge Brilioth/Helga Dernesch
  11. Twilight Of The Gods: (Siegfried's Rhine Journey) - BPO/Herbert Von Karajan
  12. Twilight Of The Gods: (Funeral Music) - BPO/Herbert Von Karajan
  13. Twilight Of The Gods: Starke Scheite Schichtet Mir Dort - Helga Dernesch
  14. Twilight Of The Gods: Mein Erbe Nun Nehm Ich Zu Eigen - Helga Dernesch
  15. Twilight Of The Gods: Fliegt Heim, Ihr Raben! - Helga Dernesch
  16. Twilight Of The Gods: Conclusion 'Zuruck Vom Ring!' - Karl Ridderbusch

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars A substantial overview of Karajan's Ring.......2007-07-11

One could debate for a brief eternity which conductor should be labeled "the best." Numerous magnanimous interpreters come to mind: Gustav Mahler, Arturo Toscanini, Otto Klemperer, Carlos Kleiber, Karl Böhm, Herbert von Karajan, Sir Georg Solti, Claudio Abbado, Pierre Boulez, Daniel Barenboim, Giuseppe Sinopoli, and James Levine are just a potpourri of renowned orchestral masters. Toscanini and Karajan were probably the most influential in redefining the nature in which one should approach a piece of music; both insisted that traditional conducting, in which a piece was essentially performed in the same manner continuously, was neither healthy nor appropriate for the music in question and, they laid the foundation for conductors to develop their own characteristic conducting and interpretative styles.

One now comes to Richard Wagner, often considered the master of Romantic music and one of the definitive composers to ever set foot on the soil of this planet. If one were to painstakingly evaluate the two conductors' collective Wagnerian works, one would most likely come to the conclusion that Hungarian-born Sir Georg Solti was a "more perfect" Wagnerian conductor than the Austrian musical megalomaniac Herbert von Karajan. Solti's style of conducting, which lent itself to the works of Ludwig van Beethoven, Mahler, and Richard Strauss, was obviously within the atmosphere of Wagner, and his John Culshaw-produced rendering of Der Ring des Nibelungen can easily be considered one of the greatest achievements in modern recorded sound. Nonetheless, Karajan's brilliance came not from his ability to conduct Wagner perfectly, as one might arguably suggest for Solti, but rather from his ability to approach every composer with a certain level of comfort and singularity while simultaneously retaining his format of interpretation. Karajan was just as comfortable with the works of Johann Sebastian Bach and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart as he was with Jean Sibelius and Arnold Schoenberg, and his expertise transcended every medium, from choral works and masses to symphonies to operas to concerti. It was also his singular smoothness, his uncanny ability to gloss and refine the roughest and most vulgar of music (which, occasionally, in a work such as Carmen, had a derogatory effect) which made his Wagnerian music so spectacular a beacon and link within the chain mail of the musical world.

This is the reason why this recording of Der Ring des Nibelungen features what critics have called a "chamber music approach" to the Wagner score; Karajan dissected the music (as he did with everything he conducted) and took every measure to present, at all times, the beauty inherent in the music, even at the most violent and explosive instances. No fault is obvious in this, and with the operas of Rossini or Donizetti, no problem would have occurred; however, with Wagner, placing too burdensome an emphasis on beauty could, possibly, have an acidic effect on the overall drama of the work. This became an almost debilitating fault near the end of his illustrious career, but here the results are stunning. Karajan's interpretation is not sluggish (by the standards set by Solti, it is actually fairly brisk) and the orchestral performance from the imperial Berliner Philharmoniker is beyond betterment.

Thus, one must wonder why this recording of the Ring Cycle, with arguably the best conductor in the world leading one of the finest groups of musicians ever assembled, is frequently dogged by critics as weak and woefully idealistic. The answer lies in Karajan's casting which is, overall, inferior to Solti's. However, jewel-bedecked performances can be found in Karajan's cast with which Solti's cannot compete. Jon Vickers and Gundula Janowitz bring new definition to the twins Siegmund and Sieglinde. Operatic roles may have existed which Vickers did not perfect, but those which he performed (Peter Grimes, Samson, Tristan, Aeneas, Otello, Don José) were forever standardized by his interpretation. Siegmund is no exception, and though James King was a golden-toned, amorous youth on the Solti Die Walküre, Vickers is mightily Zarathustran and gloriously introspective during "Winterstürme wichen dem Wonnemond." Janowitz, who could make the harshest, most brutal German phrases drip with the smoothness and creamy elegance of French, brings radiance and gleaming simplicity to her Sieglinde which no other soprano could dare attempt. Their ecstatic, and eventually orgasmic, love duet ("Du bist der Lenz" ... "O süsseste Wonne! Seligstes Weib!" ... "Siegmund, den Wälsung, siehst du, Weib!") may be the greatest moment of Karajan's entire Ring Cycle.

The character of Wotan, the ruler of the gods, should, theoretically, be performed by a commanding, sonorous bass-baritone such as George London, Hans Hotter, Theo Adam, or James Morris, the most superb modern Wagnerian baritone. However, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, who was so praised for his vocal delicacy and aristocratic gentility, is surprisingly successful as the ambitious god whose ageless wisdom was blinded by his opulent rapaciousness in Das Rheingold. Fischer-Dieskau was often fussy and blusterous on the operatic stage, but brief instances of vocal waywardness are often excusable through Wagner, and he will have no difficulty pleasing the most caustic critic during his wondrous musing as the gods enter the celestial fortress of Valhalla ("Abendlich strahlt der Sonne Auge...So grüss ich die Burg"). Thomas Stewart, a severely under-recorded American baritone, excels as Wotan in Die Walküre and Siegfried. Wotan's eminent farewell to Brünnhilde in Die Walküre ("Leb wohl, du kühnes, herrliches Kind!...Der Augen leuchtendes Paar") could easily buckle many baritones; Stewart, however, sings with unfettered passion and mournful abandonment as the pained father. He is less thrilling (due to the context of the music, not his voice) in his conjuring of Erda in Siegfried ("Wache, Wala! Wala! Erwach!").

Gerhard Stolze, the consummate character singer, is not featured on this set of highlights as Mime, Alberich's toiling, gnomish brother, in Siegfried; his unique caricature of Loge in Das Rheingold is inserted instead. Loge, the mischievous demigod of fire, is a part usually performed by a heldentenor, such as Wolfgang Windgassen, Set Svanholm, or Siegfried Jerusalem, and for those strictly concerned with vocal beauty, these singers would be highly appropriate. However, for those seeking a more burlesque, stupendously acted performance (merely listen as he warns the gods not to enter Valhalla ["Ihrem Ende eilen sie zu"]), Stolze is perfectly idiomatic and certainly does not "bark" his lines, though he is occasionally criticized for doing so. Hungarian bass-baritone Zoltan Kélémén's career began, for the most part, with Karajan casting him as Alberich. The most inimitable interpreter of the dwarf fiend was Gustav Neidlinger; his Alberich was explosively, thunderously vindictive, a Caligulan nemesis. Kélémén's Alberich was a twisted, grisly deuce, and though he may have lacked the vocal robustness of Neidlinger (and the malignant guffaw), his retort against the mocking of the Rheintöchter ("Der Welt Erbe gewänn ich zu eigen duch dich") is a petrifying outburst. Helen Donath, Edda Moser, and Anna Reynolds are the most perfectly tuned Rheintöchter available on disc. No other trio can compare with their beguiling chatter in the first scene ("Lugt, Schwestern! Die Weckerin lacht in den Grund") nor with their wrathful longing in the finale ("Rheingold! Rheingold! Reines Gold!"). Liselotte Rebmann, Daniza Mastilovic, Ingrid Steger, Lilo Brockhaus, Carlotta Ordassy, Barbro Ericson, Cvetka Ahlin, and Helja Jenckel are similarly victorious during the Walkürnritt ("Hojotoho!"), which is sure to conjure an image of helicopters napalming seaside Vietnamese villages vis-à-vis Francis Ford Coppola or hellish, armed and armor-bedecked maidens soaring about on flying horses.

Josephine Veasey possessed an elegant, matronly tone which was perfectly suited for Fricka, Wotan's bickering wife, the goddess of marriage. Donald Grobe, a Karajan regular, is insipid but secure as Froh in his brief monologue ("Zur Burg führt die Brücke"). Martti Talvela and Karl Ridderbusch (another Karajan regular) shared the four main bass roles in the saga: Fasolt, Fafner, Hunding, and Hagen. Talvela is noted as one of the most sympathetic Fasolts on record; one must wonder how Talvela, the gargantuan Finnish bass, could not be suitable as a giant in any opera. His performance is woefully truncated here, alas. His Hunding, which was surely brutish and bovine, is not heard at all. The iniquitous villain Fafner's greatest moment comes not in Das Rheingold as the bellowing lummox but in Siegfried as the leering, yawning dragon; this is also left out of the collection. Ridderbusch's performance as Hagen, often heralded as one of his finest, is represented here by little more than his final outburst of "Zurück vom Ring!" After Dame Joan Sutherland's "cameo" appearance as the Waldwogel in Sir Georg Solti's Siegfried, all other performances are bound to fall short. Nonetheless, Catherine Gayer is notably lovely and chirpy.

Most criticism concerning the soloists is invested in insulting Jess Thomas, Helga Dernesch, and Helge Brilioth. Thomas, a regal Lohengrin and Tannhäuser in his youth, has forever been the recipient of spiteful banter reviling his performance as Siegfried in the third opera of the cycle. It is true that Windgassen owned the role in much the same way that Birgit Nilsson was the executor of Brünnhilde (after Flagstad and Varnay); however, their performances were sublime in the locality of their vocal precision and dramatic prowess, which were sublime. In the sector of vocal attractiveness (which is, one must concede, Karajan's principal area of focus), Windgassen fell short of the golden-throated Thomas, and Nilsson's steely voice, though it possessed its own rampageous eroticism, was also inferior to Helga Dernesch's richer and milder tone. As examples, Thomas is marvelous during the darkly impressionistic, meandering Waldweben ("Dass der mein Vater nicht ist"); Dernesch is ravishing in the Awakening Scene ("Heil dir, Sonne! Heil dir, Licht! ... Siegfried! Siegfried! Seliger Held!") and in the apocalyptic finale of Götterdämmerung ("Starke Scheite schichtet mir dort...Fliegt heim, ihr Raben!"). Poor Brilioth is often criticized for simply sounding dull and inadequate as Siegfried in Götterdämmerung, and one must concede that it would have been more prudent for Karajan to cast Windgassen. [Régine Crespin, who is not featured on this collection, performed Brünnhilde in Die Walkure. This had mixed results, for most held her performance as the Valkyrie in juxtaposition to her gorgeous interpretation of Sieglinde on the Solti recording. I, personally, found her Brunnhilde delightfully witty and humane.]

Perhaps the greatest fault of this collection of highlights is that it is what it is: a collection of excerpts. Der Ring des Nibelungen is an expansive masterpiece which is not suitable for a two-disc collection of noteworthy tracks. This compilation, nevertheless, is indeed superb (as are most Deutsche Grammophon/Panorama releases), as is the set of highpoints from Karl Böhm's Ring Cycle, released through Philips. One should, by all means, disregard the hateful criticism placed upon Karajan's work here. It is not his finest, but it is Karajan, and his worst level is a pinnacle of excellence which most conductors can only hope to achieve, particularly in a Wagnerian sphere.

5 out of 5 stars Where is Karajan's Ring on amazon?.......2005-09-05

I can't find any of the four Ring operas here at amazon.com. This is very peculiar, but in case you, too, are looking for them, I can say that the Rheingold and Die Walkure are superb, but the Siegfried is vocally a catastrophe, beginning with the woeful Jess Thomas in the title role, and the Gotterdammerung is hampered by an inedequate Siegfried and a not veyr inspired dernesch as Brunnhilde. DG has remastered them all at mid-price, and the mid-Sixties analog sound was good to begin with.

3 out of 5 stars not an introduction to The Ring.......2005-04-18

This is absolutely the best "highlight" collection out there -- no others come close to the range and depth of material provided. But beware, this is not an "introduction to The Ring", as some claim -- the notes are skimpy, the titles of the excerpts are untranslated, there is no libretto, no description of the excerpts -- their context or meaning -- so what you have is a great summary of the works -- one that is most useful if you already know them -- something to take along with you in the car or while jogging or walking the dog to remind you of the real thing. Bear in mind that whatever the deficiencies of this collection, the others have the same faults also.

5 out of 5 stars A wonderful introduction, or a new experience.......2004-02-14

Admittedly, it is a daunting task to try to "get into" opera, and even more so with Wagner's Ring. This CD is perfect for the beginner and the more experienced listener for various reasons. First of all, it spoils you somewhat in presenting you with the best pieces of the various operas. These "bleeding chunks" certainly give you a wonderful introduction to the various motifs, and most importantly, are very long pieces. The CD manages to capture several of the different flavors present in Wagner's opera.

Secondly, the CD is worth its price mainly due to Karajan's conducting. After listening to Solti's version of the Ring (also wonderful), I was suprised by the subtle hints he seems to charge through. You can literally hear the galloping of the horse, or subtle musical hints which add a great appreciation and character to the opera. Thus, if you have experienced several other conductors, but have not had the pleasure of Karajan, it would be worth the price.

Unfortunatly, some of the singing is kinda weak. Again, after Solti's Valkyries, you will have a hard time getting into the singing. And again, Karajan's Brunhilde isn't as strong as Solti's, but she still holds her own. Loge, here, sounds like a trickster (though he does sing/speak his words), and the Wotan's are alright.

In conclusion, this is perfect if you want to add flavor to your Wagner listening experience, or just want to know what the big deal is. I, of course, suggest getting one of the DVD's to get the big picture of what is going on (Levine's MET is a good start). So buy and enjoy.

5 out of 5 stars good introduction.......2002-06-11

this is a good way to see why it is worth getting the full Der Ring opera--all 15 CDs! having just the highlights shows you the power and majesty of Wagner's music, but skips the depth and true emotion you get out of listening to the whole opera.
Wagner: Der Ring des Nibelungen
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Would have got six but for the lack of libretto...
  • A Ring des Nibelungen for all seasons ...
  • underrated ring
  • Excellent conducting and great singers with a few flaws
  • Oh that Dresden sound...
 Wagner: Der Ring des Nibelungen

Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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  1. Wagner: Der Ring des Nibelungen
  2. Symphonies 1-9
  3. Wagner: Der Ring des Nibelungen
  4. Wagner: Parsifal
  5. Wagner: The Ring

ASIN: B00011MJV6
Release Date: 2004-08-10

Tracks:

  1. Prelude - Karl-Heinz Stryczek
  2. Weia! Waga! Woge, Du Welle! - Karl-Heinz Stryczek
  3. He He! Ihr Nicker! - Karl-Heinz Stryczek
  4. Garstig Glatter, Glitschriger Glimmer! - Karl-Heinz Stryczek
  5. Lugt, Schwestern! - Karl-Heinz Stryczek
  6. Der Welt Erbe Gewann Ich Zu Eigen - Karl-Heinz Stryczek
  7. Wotan! Gemahl! Erwache! - Karl-Heinz Stryczek
  8. So Schirme Sie Jetzt - Karl-Heinz Stryczek
  9. Sanft Schloss Schlaf Dein Aug' - Karl-Heinz Stryczek
  10. Zu Mir, Freia! Meide Sie, Frecher! - Karl-Heinz Stryczek
  11. Endlich Loge! - Karl-Heinz Stryczek
  12. Immer Ist Undank Loges Lohn! - Karl-Heinz Stryczek
  13. Umsonst Sucht' Ich - Karl-Heinz Stryczek
  14. Nicht Gonn' Ich Das Gold Dem Alben - Karl-Heinz Stryczek
  15. an, Der Harrenden Wort! - Karl-Heinz Stryczek
  16. Jetzt Fand Ich's: Hort, Was Euch Fehlt! - Karl-Heinz Stryczek
  17. Auf Loge, Hinab Mit Mir! - Karl-Heinz Stryczek
  18. Hehe! Hehe! - Karl-Heinz Stryczek
  19. Nibelheim Hier - Karl-Heinz Stryczek

Tracks:

  1. Wer Helfe Mir? - Karl-Heinz Stryczek
  2. Nehmt Euch In Acht! Alberich Naht - Karl-Heinz Stryczek
  3. Was Wollt Ihr Hier? - Karl-Heinz Stryczek
  4. Die In Linder Lufte Wehn Da Oben Ihr Lebt - Karl-Heinz Stryczek
  5. Wen Doch Fasste Nicht Wunder - Karl-Heinz Stryczek
  6. Riesen-Wurm Winde Sich Ringelnd! - Karl-Heinz Stryczek
  7. Nun Schnell Hinauf: Dort Is Er Unser - Karl-Heinz Stryczek
  8. Da, Vetter, Sitze Du Fest! - Karl-Heinz Stryczek
  9. Wohlan, Die Nibelungen Rief Ich Mir Nah - Karl-Heinz Stryczek
  10. Gezahlt Hab Ich; Nun Lasst Mich Ziehn! - Karl-Heinz Stryczek
  11. Bin Ich Nun Frei? - Karl-Heinz Stryczek
  12. Fasolt Und Fafner Nahen Von Fern - Karl-Heinz Stryczek
  13. Halt! Nicht Sie Beruhrt! - Karl-Heinz Stryczek
  14. Nicht so Leicht Und Locker Gefugt! - Karl-Heinz Stryczek
  15. Freia, Die Schone, Schau' Ich Nicht Mehr - Karl-Heinz Stryczek
  16. Weiche, Wotan, Weiche! - Karl-Heinz Stryczek
  17. Hort, Ihr Riesen! - Karl-Heinz Stryczek
  18. Halt, Du Gieriger! Gonne Mir Auch Was! - Karl-Heinz Stryczek
  19. Was Gleicht, Wotan, Wohl Deinem Glucke? - Karl-Heinz Stryczek
  20. Schwules Gedunst Schwebt In Der Luft - Karl-Heinz Stryczek
  21. Zur Burg Fuhrt Die Brucke - Karl-Heinz Stryczek
  22. Ihrem Ende Eilen Sie Zu - Karl-Heinz Stryczek
  23. Rheingold! Rheingold! Reines Gold! - Karl-Heinz Stryczek

Tracks:

  1. Prelude - Siegfried Jerusalem
  2. Wes Herd Dies Auch Sei, Hier Muss Ich Rasten - Siegfried Jerusalem
  3. Mild Am Herd Fand Ich Den Mann - Siegfried Jerusalem
  4. Friedmund Darf Ich Nicht Heissen - Siegfried Jerusalem
  5. Ich Weiss Ein Wildes Geschlecht - Siegfried Jerusalem
  6. Ein Schwert Verhiess Mir Der Vater - Siegfried Jerusalem
  7. Schlafst Du, Gast? - Siegfried Jerusalem
  8. Der Manner Sippe Sass Hier Im Saal - Siegfried Jerusalem
  9. Wintersturme Wichen Dem Wonnemond - Siegfried Jerusalem
  10. Du Bist Der Lenz - Siegfried Jerusalem
  11. War Walse Dein Vater - Siegfried Jerusalem
  12. Siegmund Heiss Ich Und Siegmund Bin Ich! - Siegfried Jerusalem

Tracks:

  1. Prelude - Siegfried Jerusalem
  2. Nun Zaume Dein Ross, Reisige Maid! - Siegfried Jerusalem
  3. Dir Rat Ich, Vater, Ruste Dich Selbst - Siegfried Jerusalem
  4. Der Alte Sturm, Die Alte Muh! - Siegfried Jerusalem
  5. So Ist Es Denn Aus Mit Den Ewigen Gottern - Siegfried Jerusalem
  6. In Wildem Leiden Erwuchs Er Sich Selbst - Siegfried Jerusalem
  7. Was Verlangst Du? - Siegfried Jerusalem
  8. Schlimm, Furcht Ich, Schloss Der Streit - Siegfried Jerusalem
  9. O Heilige Schmach - Siegfried Jerusalem
  10. Als Junger Liebe Lust Mir Verblich - Siegfried Jerusalem
  11. O Sag' Kunde, Was Soll Nun Dein Kind? - Siegfried Jerusalem
  12. Raste Nun Hier; Gonne Dir Ruh! - Siegfried Jerusalem

Tracks:

  1. Siegmund! Sieh Auf Mich - Siegfried Jerusalem
  2. Zauberfest Bezahmt Ein Schlaff - Siegfried Jerusalem
  3. Kehrte Der Vater Nur Heim! - Siegfried Jerusalem
  4. Wehwalt! Wehwalt! - Siegfried Jerusalem
  5. Geh Hin, Knecht! Knie Vor Fricka - Siegfried Jerusalem
  6. Hojotoho! Hojotoho! Heiaha! Heiaha! - Siegfried Jerusalem
  7. Nach Dem Tann Lenkt Sie Das Taumelnde Ross - Siegfried Jerusalem
  8. Schutzt Mich, Und Helft In Hochster Not! - Siegfried Jerusalem
  9. Nicht Sehr Dich Sorge Um Mich - Siegfried Jerusalem
  10. So Fliehe Denn Eilig Und Fliehe Allein! - Siegfried Jerusalem
  11. Steh! Brunnhild! - Siegfried Jerusalem
  12. Wo Ist Brunnhild', Wo Die Verbrecherin? - Siegfried Jerusalem

Tracks:

  1. Hier Bin Ich, Vater - Siegfried Jerusalem
  2. War Es So Schmahlich, Was Ich Verbrach? - Siegfried Jerusalem
  3. Als Fricka Den Eignen Sinn Dir Entfremdet - Siegfried Jerusalem
  4. So Tatest Du, Was So Gern Zu Tun Ich Begehrt - Siegfried Jerusalem
  5. Wohl Taugte Dir Nicht Die Tor'ge Maid - Siegfried Jerusalem
  6. Und Das Ich Ihn In Stucke Schlug! - Siegfried Jerusalem
  7. Leb Wohl, Du Kuhnes, Herrliches Kind! - Siegfried Jerusalem
  8. Der Augen Leuchtendes Paar - Siegfried Jerusalem
  9. Loge, Hor! - Siegfried Jerusalem

Tracks:

  1. Prelude
  2. Zwangvolle Plage! Muh Ohne Zweck!
  3. Hoiho! Hoiho!
  4. Da Hast Du Die Stucken, Schandlicher Stumper
  5. Als Zullendes Kind Zog Ich Dich Auf
  6. Vieles Lehrtest Du, Mime
  7. Einst Lag Wimmernd Ein Weib
  8. Und Diese Stucken Sollst Du Mir Schmieden
  9. Da Sturmt Er Hin
  10. Heil Dir, Weiser Schmied
  11. Hier Sitz Ich Am Herd Und Setze Mein Haupt
  12. Was Zu Wissen Dir Frommt, Solltest Du Fragen
  13. Die Stucken! Das Schwert! O Weh! Mir Schwindelt
  14. Verfluchtes Licht
  15. Heda! Fauler!

Tracks:

  1. Bist Du Es, Kind?
  2. Fuhltest Du Nie Im Finstren Wald
  3. Her Mit Den Stucken, Fort Mit Dem Stumper
  4. Notung! Notung! Neidliches Schwert!
  5. Hoho! Hoho! Hohei!
  6. Prelude
  7. In Wald Und Nacht
  8. Zur Neidhohle Fuhr Ich Bei Nacht
  9. Mit Mir Nicht, Hadre Mit Mime
  10. Fafner! Fafner! Erwache, Wurm!
  11. Nun, Alberich, Das Schlug Fehl
  12. Wir Sind Zur Stelle
  13. Dass Der Mein Vater Nicht Ist

Tracks:

  1. Aber Wie Sah Meine Mutter Wohl Aus?
  2. Meine Mutter, Ein Menschenweib!
  3. Ha Ha! Da Hatte Mein Lied
  4. Wer Bist Du, Kuhner Knabe
  5. Zur Kunde Taugt Kein Toter
  6. Wohin Schleichst Du Eilig Und Schlau
  7. Was Ihr Mir Nutzt, Weiss Ich Nicht
  8. Willkommen, Siegfried!
  9. Da Lieg Auch Du, Dunkler Wurm!
  10. Prelude
  11. Wache, Wala! Wala! Erwach!
  12. Stark Ruft Das Lied

Tracks:

  1. Dir Unweisen Ruf' Ich Ins Ohr
  2. Mein Voglein Schwebte Mir Fort
  3. Wohin, Knabe, Heisst Dich Dein Weg?
  4. Kenntest Du Mich, Kuhner Spross
  5. Mit Zerfochtner Waffe Floh Mir Der Feige?
  6. Selige Ode Auf Sonniger Hoh!
  7. Das Ist Kein Mann!
  8. Heil Dir, Sonne!
  9. O Siegfried! Siegfried! Seliger Held!
  10. Dort Seh Ich Grane
  11. Ewig War Ich, Ewig Bin Ich

Tracks:

  1. Welch Licht Leuchtet Dort?
  2. Treuberatner Vertrage Runen
  3. Es Ragt Die Burg Von Riesen Gebaut
  4. Zu Neuen Taten, Teurer Helde
  5. Willst Du Mir Minne Schenken
  6. O Heilige Gotter!
  7. Siegfrieds Rheinfahrt
  8. Nun Hor, Hagen
  9. Wen Ratst Du Nun Zu Frein
  10. Jagt Er Auf Taten Wonnig Umher
  11. Wer Ist Gibichs Sohn?
  12. Begrusse Froh, O Held
  13. Willkommen, Gast, In Gibichs Haus!

Tracks:

  1. Deinem Bruder Bot Ich Mich Zum Mann
  2. Bluhenden Lebens Labendes Blut
  3. Frisch Auf Die Fahrt!
  4. Hier Sitz Ich Zur Wacht, Wahre Den Hof
  5. Altgewohntes Gerausch
  6. Hore Mit Sinn, Was Ich Dir Sage!
  7. Welch Banger Traume Maren
  8. Was Leckt So Wutend
  9. Brunnhild'! Ein Freier Kam
  10. Prelude
  11. Schlafst Du, Hagen, Mein Sohn?

Tracks:

  1. Hoioh, Hagen! Muder Mann!
  2. Heiss Mich Willkommen, Gibichskind!
  3. Hoiho! Hoihohoho!
  4. Heil Dir, Gunther!
  5. Gegrusst Sei, Teurer Held
  6. Einen Ring Sah Ich An Deiner Hand
  7. Heil'ge Gotter, Himmlische Lenker!
  8. Helle Wehr! Heilige Waffe!
  9. Gunther, Wehr Deinem Weibe
  10. Welches Unholds List Liegt Hier Verholen?
  11. Vertraue Mir, Betrogne Frau!
  12. Auf Gunther, Edler Gibichung
  13. Prelude
  14. Frau Sonne Sendet Lichte Strahlen
  15. Ein Albe Fuhrte Mich Irr

Tracks:

  1. Was Leid' Ich Doch Das Karge Lob?
  2. Siegfried! Siegfried! Siegfried!
  3. Hoiho!
  4. Trink, Gunther, Trink!
  5. Mime Heiss Ein Murrischer Zwerg
  6. In Leid Zu Dem Wipfel Lauscht' Ich Hinauf
  7. Brunnhild'! Heilige Braut!
  8. Siegfrieds Trauermarsch/Siegfried's Funeral March
  9. War Das Sein Horn?
  10. Hoiho! Hoiho! Wacht Auf!
  11. Nicht Klage Wider Mich!
  12. Schweigt Eures Jammers Jauchzenden Schwall
  13. Starke Scheite Schichtet Mir Dort
  14. Mein Erbe Nun Nehm' Ich Zu Eigen
  15. Liegt Heim, Ihr Raben!

Amazon.com

Made between 1980 and 1983, this was the first digital recording of Wagner's Ring cycle. Upon rehearing, it has stood up very well. Janowski's conducting is no-nonsense, no-attitude: he presents the music beautifully played by the Dresden forces, with a fine feeling for the drama and relatively swift tempi. The end of Rheingold has great majesty, the opening storm and third act Ride in Walkuere are well-propelled and exciting, and the gorgeous music which takes Siegfried to Brünnhilde's rock is as beautiful as can be, while Siegfried's Rhine Journey is airy and optimistic and his Funeral music suitably heavy and tragic. Theo Adam is a fine Wotan/Wanderer, rising to great dramatic heights in Siegfried; Jessye Norman and Siegfried Jerusalem as the Volsung Twins are at their youthful best; Matti Salminen's Hagen is menacing and cruel; Siegmund Nimsgern doesn't miss a trick as Alberich; Peter Schreier's Mime is Siegfried is truly sung, rather than yelped, and very vivid (as is his Rheingold Loge); Yvonne Minton is a less-shrewish-than-usual Fricka and Norma Sharp is the most aviary Forest Bird on disc. René Kollo's Siegfried is not exactly heroic, but he inflects nicely and is always involved and spirited. The set's only weakness is not terminal but it's a pity: Jeannine Altmeyer is a lovely, intelligent singer, but her voice is too light for Brünnhilde and she's not the riveting character she should be. Luxury casting elsewhere (Lucia Popp is a Rhinemaiden; Cheryl Studer a Valkyrie) pays off. The accompanying booklet contains an essay and scene-by-scene synopsis, but no libretto. But at midprice, this handsome-sounding set is a very good bet. --Robert Levine

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Would have got six but for the lack of libretto..........2007-02-02

...But Ring veterans wouldn't need the libretto, do they?
The casting is fabulous, the directing superb, the orchestra in great form.
I do not want to write a long dissertation for this great value box set.
The Testament set is coming out at a much much more expensive price.
Anyway, if the only 'flaw' (if you want to call it) you find in this set is Brunnhilde and Siegfried and Wotan, then you are not really a Ring fan.
Altmeyer and Kollo are more than adequate in the two lead roles. Adam's voice is a bit worn in this recording, granted that he has sung for such a long time as Wotan by the time this was recorded. But they do NOT detract from the overall high standard a single jot.
Salminen's Hagen was formidable, if not his Fafner. Norman and Jerusalem are simply an immaculate pair of Walsungs. The Rhinemaidens are SO lovely with a diamond cast including Lucia Popp. The Valkyries rival any Bayreuth line-up.
Siegfried's forging song was immaculately taken with Kollo and Schreier, the latter not being a Wagnerian heldentenor but adds so much colour and drama to the secondary Wagnerian tenor roles: the Young Steersman in Tristan und Isolde, Loge in Rheingold, Mime in Siegfried...
Of all the four parts, I would opt that Siegfried is the best recorded. A real standout, with the rest consistently high in standard.

4 out of 5 stars A Ring des Nibelungen for all seasons ..........2006-11-27

This Ring des Nibelungen cycle has virtually everything that one would expect of this music, I think. Personally, I would like a little more grandure, power and building of climaxes in the orchestral playing at times, but one can find that with other recordings if one wishes so. I am not going to compare much with other recordings here (for example my personal favorite, the highly emotive Barenboim Ring), because if we evaluate this recording, it must be done so on its own merits, which are certainly many.
First of all the nice recording quality: clear but spacious, rounded but 'direct' enough so that one is able to revel in the velvety, disciplined playing of the Staatskapelle Dresden. The playing in general is not overstated, rather measured, often intimate, I would say, but luckily compensated with 'crispness' and 'attack' and with enough drive to urge on the drama and to completely hold one's attention.
Anyway, the playing wonderfully complements the singers, who IMHO are the best for their roles. Except maybe Theo Adam's Wotan, who I believe doesn't sound 'weighty' enough for what I would expect of the role, and whose singing I find strained and wobbly at times. (But then again, I am rather biased towards the more 'chesty', booming voice of John Tomlinson in this role - quite a commanding presence, his Wotan.) The singing ranges from good to marvelous throughout, whatever one's personal tastes, with the towering talents of characterization by the sweetvoiced Siegfried Jerusalem (Siegmund) and Rene Kollo (Siegfried). And although her Brunnhilde may not be as matronly a lady as others, I am especially endeared to the soft, velvety timbre (very appropriate for this recording) of American soprano Jeannine Altmeyer, sounding youthful and sweet but with enough ardour and with a touch of necessary vulnarability; a very sympathetic and intelligent lady, this Brunnhilde. And then there are the dark and commanding Fafner and Hagen of Matti Salminen. The Rhinemaidens' voices are fresh and pure-sounding and blend wonderfully. Ortrun Wenkel creates a deeply resounding, world-weary Erda. Of Yvonne Minton's Fricka one could say that she may not be as fierce or commanding as others (take Linda Finnie for Barenboim), but she is certainly beautifully nuanced in her emotional engagement.
All in all, a Ring des Nibelungen with many strengths I believe, and no real weak points, but somewhat more 'lyrical' and without much of the 'weightiness', gravitas and power of some. But I think this somewhat more 'lightweighted', more lyrical approach is just fine, truly giving the singers ample possibility to really, well, sing out their lines.
For anyone who loves Wagner's Ring des Nibelungen, or who would like to get acquainted with Wagner's great masterwork this is a very consistent and finely nuanced modern Ring Cycle (probably enough money to secure all the necessary talents for the whole time needed to record it), a safe buy and a rewarding listen. Highly recommended. (But 'only' four *stars*, because a fifth *star* I must reserve for the Barenboim Ring, to be completely honest ...)

5 out of 5 stars underrated ring.......2006-10-26

This much underrated Ring is my personal favorite at the moment. For exactly half the price of the Solti set you get one of the most gifted orchestras in the world (possibly second only to the Wiener Philarmoniker) in its full amazing splendor, under the baton of an extremely talented conductor. Marek Janowski conducts the Staatskapelle Dresden in a reading of the score that some might term cold, while it's instead supremely intelligent (I would even say intellectual if the term hadn't lost its original meaning--and acquired a negative one--in the course of the years). Hundreds of small details that one would never have dreamed they existed emerge from Janowski's reading giving the listener continuous pleasure. You can almost picture in your head the score of every single instrument while listening to this Ring.

The cycle starts with the best Rheingold I have ever heard: the prelude emerges with a quantity of instrumental detail that's simply astonishing (while one usually tends to get just the strings submerging all the rest) and at a pace that's simply the most "exact" for this piece. The transition between the prelude and scene one has a lightness of touch, a swiftness, a mobility that for the first time render with appropriateness the playful teasing and swimming of the Rhine Daughters. Beautiful moments like this abound in this Tetralogy.

The first act of Walküre manages to combine Karajan's intelligent reading with a Solti-like drive. The musical and leitmotivic extreme complexity of the scores of Siegfried's Act III and of Götterdämmerung (i.e. those parts of the Ring that Wagner composed after Tristan and Meistersinger) are rendered with supreme clarity. Nowhere have I heard in the closing seconds of the Tetralogy the Twilight-of-the-Gods motif--just before the final lone expansion of the Redemption theme--with such evidence and clarity. In Karajan you barely hear it, submerged as it is by the brass parts.

The cast, despite some few minor weaknesses, stands proudly on its own. First you don't get two Wotans, two Brünnhildes, two Siegfrieds in the course of the work as it happens in some other recordings and this has its importance. A great feature of this Ring is also the possibility of hearing excellent singers at the very beginning of their careers together with other, more experienced, singers. Thus you get Jessye Norman's radiant Sieglinde, Siegfried Jerusalem's vocally firm Siegmund, René Kollo's excellent (and I repeat excellent) Siegfried. One would expect his voice to be a little too thin for the part, but while it shows some fatigue in the most difficult moments (the forging scene, and the swearing of the oath) it creates probably the most youthful, poetic and lyrical Siegfried on CD in the Neidhöhle forest and in the whole Götterdämmerung. Theo Adam's vocal longevity is astonishing when you think that he sang Wotan in 1967 for Böhm, but his vocal line is still firm and imperious, and the personality unequaled. And he possesses the text like no other ever has after Hotter.

Yvonne Minton is an excellent Fricka in both Rheingold and Walküre. Peter Schreier is probably the best Loge on CD, in a supreme rendering of this ambiguous character, and also one of the best Mime in Siegfried, while Mime in Rheingold is sung by a not overtly gifted Christian Vogel. Kurt Moll is a strong Hunding. Siegmund Nimsgern is a good Alberich (even though one still misses Neidlinger's outstanding performance with Solti) and Matti Salminen is a robust Hagen. And, finally, Jeannine Altmeyer's Brünnhilde: while not possessing the vocal line of a Flagstad or of a Nilsson, in this early part of her career she was still endowed with a freshness of voice, a youthfulness of expression that certainly leaves aside the godly part of this character but renders nonetheless very well the human part, that of the woman Brünnhilde.

Finally, the quality of the recording makes it an even better buy. The beauty of the Wagner sound emerges triumphantly from these 14 CD's. It is a DDD recording with a spatial definition, a balance between voices and orchestra, a balance between different sections of the orchestra that's never been matched afterwards.

This is a Ring that's particularly recommended to experienced listeners. In it they will find an incredible balance between modernity and tradition and endless pleasure and fascination for the innumerable treasures Janowski, together with his sublime orchestra, unveils.

Happy listening!

4 out of 5 stars Excellent conducting and great singers with a few flaws.......2006-07-05

This Ring by Janowski has a lot of strong points that would make it essential for those who love Wagner's Ring. The most prominent feature of this recording, of course, is the fabulous playing of Wagner's score by the Dresden Staatskapelle. Someone familiar with Solti or Bohm would find that Janowski's musical phrasing is much lighter in weight than the usual meat and potatoes Wagner listeners are accustomed to. When I say lighter in weight, I don't mean that the orhcestra sounds leaner (like Levine's orchestra which sounds like diet Wagner), but that the orchestral phrasing of each musical component is highlighted and well-balanced. It is a very classical reading, with a Brahmsian quality to it, and the phrasing is unusually flexible for a German orchestra. I think this reading of the work brings out more of Wagner's polyphonic structures more so than any other conductor was able to do. For the orchestral reading alone would I recommend this Ring, but the cast is quite strong too. For example, you have Jessye Norman and Siegfried Jerusalem as the Walsung twins. While Jerusalem and Norman would not erase memories of Rysanek, King, Vickers, and Janowitz, they are a very credible pair at the prime of their careers. Theo Adam's Wotan was never a large-Hotter like sound, but what he makes up for lack of weight is an intelligent reading that most of today's Wotans could never touch. It is a very insightful reading, although he was much better for Bohm. Siegmund Nimsgern is an excellent Alberich, and Yvonne Minton makes a most beautifully vocalized and dramatized Fricka. The Norns, Rhinemaidens, Valkyries, and Gibichungs are all very well cast, with Matti Salminen coming to special mention for his amazing Hagen. Kurt Moll makes a most fabulous Hunding, and Peter Schreier's Loge and Mime are some of the best sung (and not yelped) character roles in the ring. Ortrun Wenkel's Erda and Waltraute are not to be missed.

Of course, I must speak of the two main characters--Brunnhilde and Siegfried, who are so essential to making any Ring work. The Siegfried in this recording is Rene Kollo. He is the first jugendlich dramatische heldentenor ever to be cast in the role at his prime in such a recording, and while several Bayreuth and pirate Rings showcase great tenor voices such as Hans Hopf, Melchior, Windgassen, and Treptow as Siegfried, no one had the kind of voice Wagner had in mind for the role. Rene Kollo has it all--sensitive phrasing, great acting, and a voice that spans Siegfried's vocal requirements. I think he is one of the best Siegfrieds since Jess Thomas.

Brunnhilde is taken by Jeannine Altmeyer, who was Sieglinde in Boulez's ring in the 1976 Patrice Chereau production in Bayreuth. Hers is a light voice, a bit lighter than Crespin's, but unfortunately she doesn't do as much wonders with the role the way Crespin does. It is a very young, girlish Brunnhilde that makes us believe that she is a willowy, gorgeous figure that Wagner had in mind when writing the Ring libretto. She isn't the most involved of singers though. It is very well vocalized, but lacks the beauty of expression given by singers such as Helga Dernesch, Gwyneth Jones, Regine Crespin, and Astrid Varnay. Still, her Brunnhilde is a wonderful addition to the discography (one could wish that she would work on her German a bit), and her interpretation gives us an image of a young, svelte woman.

The sound in this recording is excellent, and I'd recommend it to anyone who would want to understand the polyphonic scores of Wagner's ring.

5 out of 5 stars Oh that Dresden sound..........2006-04-15

The Dresden Orchestra is among my favourites - it has this wonderful autumnal sound that suits Wagner & Strauss to a 'T'.
Janowski's conducting is ideal for living with - he keeps things moving along nicely, sets up climaxes perfectly and never loses sight of the overall structure of the operas. This thoroughly musical performance would be an ideal introduction for anyone coming fresh to the ring, as it lacks the eccentricities of other cycles that can overtake your expectations of what 'should be'. More experienced ring collectors, too, will find themselves enthralled by much in this set.

More than any of the recent recordings Janowski's casting quality runs deep into all the minor roles, and has the advantage of having the same casts for the same roles throughout the four operas. Since Amazon does not clearly list the singers with the roles I will do so at the end of the review.

Highlights are many, and there are even some highlights in the context of the whole recorded history of the Ring (especially considering this is the first in digital sound and still the most natural and clear recording available, with voices and orchestra in perfect balance).

Worthy of special mention are the young Jerusalem & Norman as Siegmund & Sieglinde (Act 1 of Die Walkure must be among the best ever); Nimsgern's articulate Alberich; the Rhinemaidens (have they ever sounded so beautiful?); Peter Schreier's ideally characterised Loge & Mime; and Kurt Moll's cavernous Hunding. Theo Adam's years of experience shine through a wonderfully lived-in if occasionally unsteady Wotan. The Valkyries, boasting several rising stars, are among the very best groups ever assembled.

Kollo's Siegfried is wonderful in the opera that bears his name, a little forced sometimes in Gotterdammerung but still musical. Altmeyer's Brunnhilde isn't particularly attention grabbing - very pleasant in tone but a bit penny-plain in interpretation. She is always adequate but something more insightful (a la Varnay or Behrens) would have been nice. Having said that, I think criticism of her has been too harsh - she has a lovely voice and can hardly be said to spoil this recording. Perhaps it's that, with everything else so fine, one wishes for an all-conquering Brunnhilde to crown the set.

But I come back to the orchestral contribution, which is captured in the finest detail and most beautiful sound on disc. An unregrettable purchase.

Das Rheingold:

Wotan: Theo Adam
Donner: Karl-Heinz Stryczek
Froh: Eberhard Buchner
Loge: Peter Schreier
Alberich: Siegumnd Nimsgern
Mime: Christian Vogel
Fasolt: Roland Bracht
Fafner: Matti Salminen
Fricka: Yvonne Minton
Freia: Marita Napier
Erda: Ortrun Wenkel

Woglinde: Lucia Popp
Wellgunde: Uta Priew
Flosshilde: Hanna Schwarz

Die Walkure:

Siegmund: Siegfried Jerusalem
Hunding: Kurt Moll
Wotan: Theo Adam
Sieglinde: Jessye Norman
Brunnhilde: Jeannine Altmeyer
Fricka: Yvonne Minton
(Valkyries:)
Gerhilde: Eva-Maria Bundschuh
Ortlinde: Cheryl Studer
Waltraute: Ortrun Wenkel
Schwertleite: Anne Gjevang
Helmwiege: Ruth Falcon
Siegrune: Christel Borchers
Grimgarde: Kathleen Kuhlmann
Rossweisse: Uta Priew

Siegfried:

Siegfried: Rene Kollo
Mime: Peter Schreier
Der Wanderer: Theo Adam
Alberich: Siegmund Nimsgern
Fafner: Matti Salminen
Erda: Ortrun Wenkel
Brunnhilde: Jeannine Altmeyer
Voice of a Forest Bird: Norma Sharp

Gotterdammerung:

Siegfried: Rene Kollo
Gunther: Hans Gunter Nocker
Alberich: Siegmund Nimsgern
Hagen: Matti Salminen
Brunnhilde: Jeannine Altmeyer
Gutrune: Norma Sharp
Waltraute: Ortrun Wenkel
First Norn: Anne Gjevang
Second Norn: Daphne Evangelatos
Third Norn: Ruth Falcon
Woglinde: Lucia Popp
Wellgunde: Uta Priew
Flosshilde: Hanna Schwarz

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