Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(86)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I have three complete RINGs on CD, this one and two live recordings from Bayreuth (Bohm '67 and Clemens Kraus '53). I also have two complete RINGS on laser disc, both from Bayreuth (the Chereau and Kupfer productions) and one on VHS (Met-Levine). One day I'm sure I'll have more. Since I have only heard bits of what appears to be this set's main competition (Karajan), I can't make a reliable comparison. Also, insofar as this review compares sets, it does just that. I take no position here as to whether one might mix and match. That said, if I had to choose a Desert Island RING, I'd choose this one for a number of reasons. (If anyone wants to donate their Karajan set, my email is on my profile page...)

The foremost reason is the quality of the singing. For my money, there is not a cast that is more consistently thrilling. I'm not saying that different choices could have been made in some of the series (e.g., for all its sentimental and historical value, Fricka was not Flagstad's greatest role, nor was Flagstad the perfect Fricka). It's just that, on the whole, the principles, are the best ensemble on record, and, especially in Gotterdammerung, sang better here than on practically anything else they ever recorded.

Nilsson is... well, not only is she one of the two or three greatest dramatic sopranos on record, she is so clearly focused here, so thoroughly transcendent. Hers was a voice that was entirely convincing as a god-become-mortal. Windgassen is the finest Siegfried on stereo - and his silky, lyrical, yet completely heroic tenor is better than any other recorded Siegfried, and maybe better than anything else even *he* ever recorded. Although it would seem to go without saying, mysteriously, it does not: It can't be stressed enough how important it is to have a good Siegfried. This is where every other set fails most remarkably (S. Jerusalem on Levine, for example almost dies trying to get through his last scene in Gotterdammerung; even where Windgassen reprises his role for Bohm, he's much more pleasing here).

As Wotan, Hans Hotter's performance here has been somewhat controversial because people generally say he was too old. (Hotter sings on Walkure and Siegfriend; George London is Wotan on Rhinegold.) On the contrary, his Wotan is the most heartbreaking on record for me precisely because it comes at the end of a long career of studying and singing this role, finding its depths, and reaching for dramatic resonance that no one else equals, IMHO. Sure Morris is great, but while his Wotan is bigger more furious, Hotter's is wiser and more deeply resigned. Anyway, are you going to buy a whole set for Morris? Neidlinger's Alberich is terrifying.

Gustav Neidlinger's Alberich is a combination of absolute musicality with unsurpassed dramatic rigor. He is existentially terrifying in every scene that he's in.

James King and Regine Crespin are fine as the twins. This Walkure is generally regarded as the weakest leg on this set. I think that's only because the human mind, and particularly the mind of the typical "operatchik," works that way - it is essential to find fault. Nothing is perfect but that unrecorded ideal performance in the misty past... I don't have a clue what is objectionable here. The only thing I can think of is that, of all the parts of this RING, it is possible to imagine a cast that's equally as good as that of Walkure here.

The second string is equally inimitable: Gottlob Frick's amazing Hagen and almost as amazing Hunding , Fischer-Dieskau's Gunther, Claire Watson's Gutrune, and Christa Ludwig's fine Waltraute. Of equal interests are such "incidentals" such as Joan Sutherland's Woodbird, the Rhinemaiden trio in Gotterdammerung of Lucia Popp, Gwyneth Jones and Maureen Guy (who?), the amazing Gerhard Stolze as Mime on Siegfried, and of course, Flagstad's Fricka only add miracles upon miracles. Does anyone think that we'll ever see a comparable cast?

As for Solti and the VPO, well, first, I don't think Vienna has ever been touched for its pure sensuality. I love the moods. I love the thunder. I love the horns and the voluptuous strings. As for Solti, I'm a fan: I love his drama and his melodrama. I totally disagree with his detractors who complain of his alleged bombast. Shouldn't an authentic Wagnerian show a little bombast? And shouldn't a RING orchestra stand as something far more than a huge "guitar" in any performance? Not only that, but to read some reviewers, you would think that "bombast" was this recording's main characteristic. Frankly, I just don't understand that view. I think the orchestral performance here, whether attributable mainly to Solti, producer Culshaw, the VPO or all three, has not been surpassed in subtlety and insight on anything I've ever heard.

Finally, there's the Culshaw factor. Those who know what he was doing here will have their opinions. I think it was a monumental project that took as its touchstone an truth about this drama that is too often ignored: This music was written for the stage. Any audio recording then, will be ultimately lacking. What Culshaw did, more successfully than any other producer, was give us an audio RING that, by explointing stereo/hi-fi technology, approximates a theatrical experience.

I could go on. But ultimately, it is my opinion that at least here, you can believe the hype.

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.

I own a number of recordings of this work: this one, one conducted by Karajan, and a very bad recording with Flagstad from a live performance from La Scala. This one tops the list all the time. Though I enjoy the Karajan version, there are things he does which I think are completely wrong, even if they are tradition. Wagner wrote certain crudities into the score (like the steerhorns in Gotterdammerung) and hearing them played by the mellow and very musical trombones removes the ruggedness Wagner was looking for. Solti, on the other hand, tried to be faithful to Wagner, even by using the crude and unmusical steerhorns. The result was electrifying. One of the things that make this RING better than most all other version is the fact it was recorded not to make music, but to make drama. Other recordings are faithful to the music, but the real drama is lost.

Some critics disapprove of some of the "sound affects" that were used in this recording. True, hitting a piece of railroad track with a hammer to give us the impressive sound of Donner's hammer in Das Rhinegold may be over the top, but it adds super great theatre to the work, and I think it is what Wagner would have approved of, since we were meant to hear that hammer (and after all, it is the hammer of a god, shouldn't it have more of a ring than a mortal blow would?).

The sound affects while Siegfried is forging his sword only add to the tension of the scene. We are not just hearing great singing, we are hearing great drama. All the forging sounds are written into the score (Wagner even indicates where large heavy hammers are to hit the anvil, and when small ones are) and for once we actually hear them clearly. In performance, they usually fade into nothing. Then there is the exciting sound of the anvil being cut in half and falling to the ground. One never hears that in performance, nor on any other recordings of the ring. Yet, Wagner wanted us to hear and see it, and he wrote as such in his score.

Sometimes Solti is accused of being too brash and noisy, well, this is Wagner's noisiest opera (excepting Rienzi, where the entire chorus of soldiers are to be hitting their shields with their swords during one scene, a thing one NEVER sees or hears in performance), and his most exciting work. The RING rushes forward, even though it is very long, pulling us into a very different world from our own. Solti never loses momentum.

The little touches, or sound affects, add to the drama before us. We hear Woton strike the rock calling forth Loge on Brunhilde's rock. We hear his spear break. We sense the entire world burning up and being renewed at the end of Brunhilde's immolation scene.

All recordings of the RING are fabulous, it is hard to find a bad one, but this one towers over them all because it makes the work a whole. I guess in some ways it is closer to what Wagner hoped with his idea of drama, music, and words getting equal treatment. This recording is musical, it is dramatic, and the words are heard. It is the only one out there that gives us a complete work unifying everything into a wondrous whole.

It is expensive but well worth the price.

First of all, let me say this - the Ring Cycle is so massive, complex and towering that a perfect recording is impossible. This 1958-65 cycle was the first studio recording, and it is still the most popular. Listening to it, I find that Solti, maybe the greatest Wagner conductor of that time, is very strong - but even he has his weaknesses. Some of the lyrical moments of the cycle are not as moving as they might be. He is at his best in the loud, dramatic sections - he values momentary effect over the structure for the long-run. But he still produces a wonderful interpretation, playing to his strengths and covering over his weaknesses as much as possible.

The Vienna Philharmonic must have a paragraph all to itself. Its playing in this cycle is perhaps the finest orchestral playing I have ever heard. The shimmer of the strings, the power of the brass, the sweetness of the woodwind - unbelievable. This wonderful orchestra contributes significantly to the effect of this "Ring."

The soloists are very good, if not quite glorious. Birgit Nilsson is an excellent Brünnhilde, though sometimes the cold steeliness of the voice detracts from the value of her performance. Kirsten Flagstad is still the benchmark Brünnhilde. Wolfgang Windgassen is also excellent, but he is more lyric than helden. He makes up for the lack of an outstanding instrument with outstanding interpretation and insight. Melchior is probably the best Siegfried ever. Hans Hotter is really superb as Wotan - almost flawless. His voice is past its prime, but his insight and interpretation are so wonderful and magnificent that it more than makes up for any loss of richness in the voice. Gustav Neidlinger as Alberich is every bit as good - his voice is ideally suited to the role and he uses it very well. His interpretation of Alberich is almost frighteningly intense. Gottlob Frick is superb as both Hunding and Hagen - playing the latter, his voice takes on a blackness and hugeness that is menacing, frightening and evil. I would rather have heard Jon Vickers than James King as Siegmund, but King is very good. Régine Crespin is very good as Sieglinde, though she sometimes gets a bit shrill. Gerhard Stolze as Mime is astonishing - the voice is definitely unpleasant - but it helps portray Mime for what he is - a snarling, cowardly, selfish, evil dwarf. All the other roles are well taken. So ... this is a very good recording of the Ring. There are many others out there that many people prefer, but I think this one is still the best, thirty or forty years after its first release.

The Solti "Ring" is often reviewed as though it were a single recording. Of course it isn't; it's four opera recordings, made over a period of eight years. Each recording was a separate project, and inevitably, some are better than others. They all share Solti's nervous, energetic approach to Wagner; it certainly doesn't sound like the "long line" approach to Wagner, and is often criticized on that basis. But there's more than one way to conduct a masterpiece, and Solti's approach justifies itself with its sense of drama and musical storytelling; it's as valid an approach as any other, and superbly executed by the Vienna Philharmonic and the sound engineers.

"Rheingold" shook up the recording industry in 1959 with its advances in sound quality and its huge sales. While the sound is still impressive today, the cast has been surpassed on later recordings. Essentially it's a good, solid Vienna repertory cast of the late '50s, with the exception of Flagstad's cameo as Fricka -- which, to be honest, is not all that great. The best thing on the recording is the Alberich of Gustav Neidlinger.

"Walkure" was the last of these operas to be recorded, and the sessions were interrupted by conflicts with the orchestra; this perhaps contributed to Hans Hotter sounding considerably less than his best as Wotan. The set is still worthwhile, especially for Regine Crespin's Sieglinde, the starry lineup of Valkyries, and Christa Ludwig's Fricka. But there are many recordings of "Walkure," and some of them are preferable to this one.

"Siegfried" also had troubled sessions, mainly because the original Siegfried, Ernst Kozub, was fired for having failed to learn the part properly. Wolfgang Windgassen was the only other possible choice at the time, and while his voice was hardly ideal, he's probably better than anyone who has recorded the role since then. Hotter is better here than in "Walkure," and everyone else is fine. This is probably a first choice for this opera, but you'll have to hear the old Melchior recordings to hear a really ideally-sung Siegfried.

"Gotterdammerung" is by far the best in Solti's cycle, and, not coincidentally, had the most trouble-free sessions. This is one of those rare opera recordings where everything went right; there are no weak links in this cast (from the stars right down to young soon-to-be-stars like Lucia Popp and Helen Watts) and the use of sound effects and stereo staging creates a truly theatrical experience even without visuals.

So if you're buying just one recording in Solti's "Ring," make it "Gotterdammerung." If you want to buy the "Ring" under a single conductor, Solti's is probably the best bet (the weakest parts aren't as bad as, say, the weakest parts of Karajan's or Levine's "Ring"s). Otherwise, get "Gotterdammerung" and possibly "Siegfried," and then get "Walkure" by Karajan or Leinsdorf, and "Rheingold" by Karajan or Levine.

This is one of the great treasures of the classical catalogue!! Forget criticisms that this is a studio performance and therefore inferior to "live" performances. Forget criticisms that this Ring depends on its reputation as the first studio recording. Forget criticisms that the orchestra is too prominent here - yes, it is prominent compared to a "live" performance but who cares, the music is gorgeous and sumptuous here, like you will never hear in the concert hall - on the contrary, be GRATEFUL that Solti, Culshaw and Parry took the effort to make the details of the score audible. And the sound quality is stunning!! I mean stunning!! If you don't look at the date, you would think this was made in the 1990s or even 2000s. Decca's engineers really supassed themselves. Frankly, this analogue recording sound better than some digital recordings which can sometimes be somewhat "brittle".

The orchestra produces the most glorious and sumptuous sound conceivable. The Vienna Philhramonic Orchestra is INVINCIBLE in this recording. The cast - incredible - there is virtually no weak link. You might quibble about the singing in some small parts but hey, casting the Ring has always been one of the, if not THE biggest headache in opera. You couldn't get the quality of the cast here today in a studio recording, let alone a live performance. Let's look at the list.

Rhinegold - George London : fabulous young Wotan. Neidlinger : Classic Alberich. Svet Svanhom - wonderful Loge. Then we have Kirsten Flagstad, the great Brunnhilde from the 1930s to 1950s as Fricka. Don't be misled by her age. Her voice is in marvellous condition. She puts sopranos half her age to shame. Kurt Bohme is a famous Fafner.

Walkure - James King' voice is splendidly virile ringing out heroically. It's not true that he's not "involved" as critics like to claim - he's fabulous. Besides, with a voice as virile as his, it doesn't matter, you have to hear it. Crespin is even more stunning as Sieglinde - beautiful voice. Then there's Christa Ludwig's legendary Fricka (searingly dramatic). Birgit Nilsson - I needn't comment - too good to be true. Gottlob Frick is as always the most dependable performer and glorious as always.

Siegfried - Windgassen and Nilsson are incomparable. Stolze's a Mime without peer. Sutherland sings beautifully as woodbird - she does sound like one. Neidlinger repeats his classic potrayal of Alberich. Bohme as fafner too. Hotter is the Wotan of the century.

Gotterdamerung - the pinnacle of this set. Not a single weak link again. Gottlob Frick manages to make Hagen into a character you want to listen to over and over again. Fischer Dieskau does wonders with Gunther. Lucia Popp is a ravishingly beautiful Rhinemaiden. Gwyneth Jones as a Rheinmaiden? yes!!

Everytime I look at the cast list, I'm incredulous. And when I listen to the singing, the starry cast does not let me down. This is indeed one of the 100 greatest classical recording of all time, and it deserves to be on that Grammophon list.

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.

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!!!

Wagner's Ring is the greatest achievement in the history of music. I'm not going to even try to describe how complex, rewarding, dramatic and gorgeous this cycle is - I wouldn't do a very good job. If you've heard the Ring before, you know what I mean. If you haven't ... get this. Now.

The problem with the Ring is that since it's so huge, every recording of it is bound to be flawed in some way. There are various historic cycles from the fifties, for example Furtwängler's two, Krauss's, Keilberth's and Knappertsbusch's, that are all flawed because of bad sound and vocal and orchestral mistakes, even in extreme cases, cuts. After this cycle, the best Wagnerian singers disappeared almost immediately, so however well Barenboim, Haitink, Levine, et al conduct their respective cycles, they can't be considered first choices. Karajan's cycle from roughly the same period as this is homogenously, slickly conducted with a very variable cast. So that leaves this Solti as the indisputable first choice.

Solti is by no means perfect. There are times when he is too blunt and brash; when the orchestra is brought in too suddenly or is over-emphatic. But for the most part he is magnificent. He takes sensible, well-judged tempi, slightly on the fast side (keeping with Wagner's wishes), he gives the dramatic moments colossal impact, and he conducts the lyrical movements ravishingly. He is helped in this by the greatest orchestra in the world, the Vienna Philharmonic, who play like gods for Solti. To compare them to their nearest competitor: they are just as perfect technically as the Berlin Philharmonic for Karajan, but are so much more responsive emotionally. The choral work in Götterdämmerung is outstanding, too.

The sound effects and production by John Culshaw are perhaps the most controversial aspect of this Ring. While they sometimes obscure the music, this is not very frequent, and for the rest of the time, they are essential to the drama and to the realization of Wagner's wishes. (If you can find it, I strongly recommend Culshaw's out-of-print book "Ring Resounding", the story of the making of this recording. It is very fascinating reading.)

But the element of this recording which really makes it unique is the singing. Nowhere else on record is such firm, true and consistent singing to be heard in these hugely demanding rules. The cast is led by the silvery, powerful Brünnhilde of Birgit Nilsson, the last of the great Wagnerian sopranos. She has fine diction, excellent acting and above all, a beautiful, stunningly powerful voice. Her Siegfried is Wolfgang Windgassen, who does not have the vocal power of Melchior, but who has a liquid-toned, mellifluous voice and excellent interpretative skills. Hans Hotter, Wotan in Walküre and Siegfried, has the bass-baritone voice of the century and a warm, humane, solemn temperament. I can't understand people's reservations about him. Further highlights of the enormous cast include Neidlinger's absolutely stunning Alberich, Flagstad's glorious Fricka, King's silvery, ringing Siegmund, Frick's black Hagen and Stolze's sly, scheming, evil Mime. The only vocal disappointments are Claire Watson as Gutrune and Freia, the Rhinemaidens in Rheingold, and the Erda of Jean Madeira. Casting is not quite consistent between operas, but it is far less a problem than in the chaotic Karajan set. This cast is about as perfect as we have any right to ask for.

So when you put Solti's magnificent conducting, the sublime Vienna Philharmonic, crystal clear sound and an outstanding cast, you have the greatest Ring cycle ever recorded. It's not the cheapest one, but it's beautifully packaged with extensive notes, and is the greatest artistically. If you're looking to invest in a complete Ring cycle, this is the one to buy.

Okay, so we numerous recordings for Wagner's epic Ring Cycle: Solti, Bohm Furtwangler, Levine, Haitink, Barenboim, etc. 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 we have Sir Georg Solti with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra.

Everyone knows that this is the first studio recording of the Ring. And everyone knows that Solti has become a famous name that's attributed to this. But what I don't understand is why "Die Walkure" was recorded last. It went "Rheingold," "Siegfried," "Gotterdammerung," and then "Walkure". "Walkure" is supposed to be the second opera in the Ring, but I guess the producers wanted "Walkure" to be heard in a more stereo sound later in the years.

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

The Vienna Philharmonic is a very powerful orchestra. The woodwinds aren't really the most beautiful in Solti's Ring, but they are still a plus. French horns and Wagner tubas make this a recommended listening. The strings 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.

As for the singers, they're top-class, though some of them really were past their prime when this Ring Cycle was made from 1957 to 1965. Hans Hotter is the superior Wotan. He sounds powerful throughout the Ring (except Solti's Rheingold, in which a less stellar George London performs). It's true that he gives an utterly heartbreaking performance during "Der Augen Leuchtendes Paar", and it's true that he was well past his prime when he did this Ring (but don't let that stop you from listening to his classic "Dir unweisen ruf' ich's in's Ohr"). Makes me wish I heard Keilberth and Knappertsbusch's Ring recordings sooner.

Birgit Nilsson is the best Brunnhilde on the market. Her Valkyrie cry is delightful, and her "Soll fesselnder Schlaf fest mich binden" is brilliant beyond belief.

For Siegmund, we have James King. For Sieglinde, we have Regine Crespin for Solti, they are absolutely spectacular here. The emotion that they pack in their roles: lots of incredible singing here in Walkure.

Wolfgang Windgassen may very well be the best Siegfried for the ages. His `Forging Scene" in the latter renditions are defiantly inspiring. His last scene in Gotterdammerung is celestial and overwhelming. Be careful, though: he may sound a bit past his prime when he performs "Gotterdammerung," but don't let that carry you away from his "Siegfried".

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.). No one can top him, and I'm talking about Zoltan Kelemen of the Karajan ring & Ekkehard Wlaschiha of the Levine ring. 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?").

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. But of course, Stolze's truly unsettling caricaturing of Alberich's brother will catch on after repeated listening.

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

As for eveyone else, they're great, also. Gottlob Frick ranks with Matti Salminen as an ultimate Hagen. The Rheindaughters sound a bit distorted due to the flawed sounds in Rheingold, but it all improves once they return in Gotterdammerung. Jean Madeira sings Erda in "Rheingold", while Marga Hoffgen sings Erda in Siegfried, and they both sound equally beautiful and mystical. The Valkyries in "Walkure" are one of a kind, but they still don't match the Valkyries found in the live Bohm recording. Choir in "Gotterdammerung" is wonderful.

The Solti recording is just one of the many Ring recordings that are available. If you like bombast and heavy drama, then this should be a no brainer.