Customer Reviews

Wagner: Der Ring des Nibelungen [Box Set]

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

It's a fact that there are over thirty Ring recordings available in the Classical Market. Each recording is at least greatly different from each other. Solti focuses on the drama of the Ring, which makes his recording very explosive and bombastic. Karajan focuses on the beauty of the music: it's a very heavenly experience, but the tension and power of the Ring are taken right out of the framework. Goodall's live recording is sung in English and the pacing is VERY slow, but the small details can be heard loud and clear. Levine isn't as slow as Goodall, but his singers don't add much to his recording, though the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra is superior to many other orchestras. Janowski's reading may sound a bit too neutral to some, but his complete faithfulness to the score is one of the highlights to his recording (it's excellent for beginners). Every Ring recording in general has its ups and downs. Here, we have Karl Bohm, and this is one of the ultimate Ring recordings of all time.

As a live recording, I wouldn't call this a delicious treat. It's more like a gigantic, scrumptious feast for the ears. Bohm gives the Ring the red-hot treatment. The sheer intensity and horrifying drama that he brings to the work is a classic example of his musical genius. His tempi are some of the quickest (the entire recording is about 30 minutes shorter than the average running time), but they still don't seem rushed at all (except maybe Rheingold Prelude and "Wotan's Farewell"). I especially like his "Flight of the Valkyries" & "Forging Scene"; both are some of the most energetic on disc.

The ultimate Wagnerian orchestra, Bayreuth Festival, gives it their all. The brass both high and low are the most powerful, while the woodwinds are some of the most delicate. The strings are muffled only a few times, otherwise the eighteen anvils are perfectly loud and clear. Scenes involving Erda and Three Norns aren't as effective as Janowski's, but the entire Walkure is more successful than Janowski's when it comes to the amount of vigor and nervousness that's been added here. Overall, this orchestra in general is the liveliest out of all.

The singers are also near ideal. Theo Adam is a treat. While he is not as equally impressive as Hans Hotter (featured in Krauss, Keilberth, Knappertsbusch, and Solti recordings), he can certainly conjure up everlasting emotions. He's more of a Norse god to me (Hotter sounds either Roman or Greek), and his ruggedness is what makes his Wotan unique. Plus, he's been a Wotan for a very long time, and so this recording was made when he was probably at the peak of his expertise.

Birgit Nilsson is one the best Brunnhildes on the market. She doesn't sound like she was past her prime; she has that edginess that Ann Evans (Barenboim) and Eva Marton (Haitink) don't seem to grasp. Her Valkyrie cry is delightful, and one would probably faint in awe when she sings in the final act of Gotterdammerung. James King and Leonie Rysanek are simply divine as Siegmund and Sieglinde. Every scene they're in makes the Ring more magical than it seems. Just listen to Walkure Act One Scene Three, and Act Two Scene Three: they don't sing them like they used to. Wolfgang Windgassen may very well be the best Siegfried for the ages. Sure, we have Siegfried Jerusalem (Haitink, Barenboim, and live Levine) and Rene Kollo (Janowski) in the present day; they're equally stunning, but no one can compete with the late Windgassen. His `Forging Scene" is defiantly inspiring, and has certainly improved over the last years (In the Krauss Ring, he makes tons of mistakes in this scene, but it doesn't overpower the rest of the recording). His last scene in Gotterdammerung is celestial and overwhelming. I sure wish I could've seen him live if I lived in the 50's and 60's.

Gustav Niedlinger as Alberich 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. Nimsgern (Janowski) and Hammond-Stroud (Goodall) seemed to have understood it very well. Overall, Niedlinger is amazing throughout Wagner's Ring (He deserves many awards for "Bin ich nun frei?"). Erwin Wohlfahrt wins second place as Mime, after Gerhard Stolze. 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). And finally, Why the heck would the conductor have Windgassen play both Siegfried AND Loge? The demi-god needs to sound different from a son of a Walsung. Zednik (Haitink and Boulez) and Schreier (Janowski) are much better for the eccentricities that they display through their singing voices. All in all, a Loge that's marred by lack of cunning.

The rest of the supporting cast does an extraordinary job here. Josef Greindl as Hagen is absolutely stunning, though I prefer Salminen (Janowski, Levine, and Sawallisch). Annelies Burmeister as Fricka is pretty easy on the ears, and you can tell that she gets into character almost perfectly. Colossal are the voices of Talvela and Bohme as Fasolt and Fafner; they sing without hesitation, but I wonder if they had any trouble with their costumes. Koth as the delicate Forest Bird isn't as great as Battle (Levine), but it's no fatal mistake; she's almost divine. The Valkyries are some of the most powerful here, the Vassals sing majestically, and the Rheinmaidens play their parts very well.

This Ring is essential for its pure energy, its fast tempi, and for its splendid vocal ensemble. I love it. I can't wait to hear the Knappertsbusch and Keilberth recordings.

I am always amazed that when Wagner is discussed, Bohm becomes that guy who always conducts too fast, and when Mozart comes up, he's the guy who is always too slow. For those of us who deeply appreciate his stunning accomplishments, Bohm was a man who always found the right time. This is an exceptional recording, the only real flaw being the brass intonation of the Bayreuther (even Boulez had to contend with this). With Bohm the interpretation (like Boulez) always began with the drama and went from there. He had a strong sense of what needed to be stressed, and what could not be stressed too much. He could maintain a tremendous intensity over long spans, and could secure a remarkable consistency from even second rate orchestras. He never enjoyed quite the fame of a Karajan or Furtwangler (he probably didn't want that anyways), but increasingly his performances are being rediscovered (his Beethoven cycle is suddenly being praised). He was 'old fashioned' in his dedication to the score, and yet radical in his openness to matters of staging.
There are certainly enough reviews praising this recording and its counterpart, the Bayreuth Tristan, so one more can hardly add anything. I would only say that of all the Ring recordings I have encountered, this one is the least idiosyncratic and most true, and yet it could have been realized by noone other than Karl Bohm.

Karl Bohm conducts his Bayreuth ring cycle with drive and flourish, never allowing the musical line to drop... a pleasant change from Solti's frenetic stop/start approach. Bohm also shares much of Solti's stellar cast who seem a bit more inspired here due to the presence of the live Bayreuth audience.

The gem of this cycle is Die Walkure. King and Rysanek make a magical Volsung pair (King's Siegmund is especially noteworthy, far outshining his performance for Solti) and Birgit Nilsson as Brunnhilde is in a class of her own. Nilsson exudes more warmth and humanity than she gave for Solti, likely a result of Bohm's coaching. In fact, the soprano is famously quoted as much preferring Bohm's Ring cycle over the Solti recording (I whole-heartedly agree). In any event, I believe Bohm's Die Walkure is easily the best on record.

Similarly outstanding are Bohm's Siegfried and Gotterdammerung. Wolfgang Windgassen gives his final recorded performance as Siegfried and though the voice has lost some of its youthful bloom, there's no denying the commitment he brings to the role. I still get goosebumps whenever I listen to Siegfried's Forging Scene, the most electrifying account on disc. Bohm is famous for his exciting conducting and here he really delivers the goods! And one can only marvel at Birgit Nilsson's astonishingly tireless, note-perfect performance during the final Immolation scene. In fact, the only minor disappointment in the whole cyle is Das Rheingold which just never really seems to gel (and hearing Windgassen sing Loge is a bit odd...), but even it is more than acceptable. The famous Bayreuth acoustic is well caught with voices (as in all other Bayreuth recordings) favored over the orchestra. Even taking into consideration the recent release of the much lauded 1955 Keilberth/Bayreuth cycle, I still believe that the Bohm Ring remains the best all around stereo version. No, let me go even further...

I'm actually grateful now that the Keilberth recording was kept in the Decca vaults for so many years. Why? Because had it been released at the time, I have to wonder if this Bohm cycle would have ever been released at all. On paper at least, Keilberth should eaily have Bohm beat with Hotter, Windgassen, Neidlinger, etc. all captured at their youthful best. So with the "best" cycle already available, would the record company still had the good taste and foresight (not to mention shouldering the enormous expense) to even make this recording? Probably not, and as a result we would have been denied perhaps the finest conducted cycle around and one of the very best Rings period.

One further thing, this set has been digitally remastered and sounds much fresher and clearer than the original 1990 white box/clam-shell release (which I also own) thus making it a tremendous bargain!

Richard Wagner's Ring of The Nibelung is one of those works that is a dream and a curse for musicians the world over. It is beautiful, horrid, contemplative, violent, and above all intoxicating. Not in the sense of a drug but in the fact that it is a work that I will keep coming back too. I first heard Wagner's Ring in this 1966/1967 live Bohm Ring. I also own the Solti studio Ring. I learned the work from Bohm. So I will compare the two and give my thoughts on them both.

Philips is one of the companies that never lets me down. I have yet to be dissatisfied by a Philips recording. Karl Bohm's 1966/1967 live Bayreuth Ring is captured in excellent stereo. The big plus here is that this is how audiences of 1876 heard it. However, the Bayreuth Festpielhaus and the Vienna Sofiensaal are two different locations. Both have their merits and downfalls. For example, the Sofiensaal can sometimes have a ring to it that sounds like someone has struck a bathtub and the Festpielhaus sound sometimes sounds boxy. However, these are very small details that are heavily outweighed by so many great things.

Which brings me to my next point. The musicians on both the Solti and Bohm Rings perform with a lot of conviction. Both sets have the heaven-sent Birgit Nilsson and Wolfgang Windgassen in the roles of Brunnhilde and Siegfried. On both sets they shine like stars. Maybe the chemistry is a little more noticeable in the Bohm but the two have no peer before or after. The other major roles are handled by some very accomplished singers. For example, Hans Hotter is an authoritative Wotan for Solti, even if he is aged. Theo Adam is an ambitious, younger Wotan for Bohm. Personally, I like Adam better than Hotter. They are both great singers, though. Gustav Neidlinger is Alberich in both sets, very evil and sinister in both. However, I definitely prefer Gottlob Frick over Josef Greindl for Hagen. Greindl is great, but Frick is superior. His voice is black like the devil's tongue. Supporting roles are filled out by some great stars and some not so great stars on both sets. Christa Ludwig is Waltraute in Gotterdammerung for Solti (great) and it's Martha Modl in the Bohm (not so great.) But Bohm's Rheinmaiden's are better, including Helga Dernesch, who was also a great Brunnhilde for Karajan. Kirsten Flagstad is Kirsten Flagstad. Even though Fricka is a relatively minor role, she makes it great. Now for the orchestras. The Vienna Philharmonic is great- very great. Roland Berger plays Siegfried's horn calls brilliantly. I think that Vienna is the greatest orchestra in the world, bar none. The Bayreuth Orchestra, for just a festival ensemble, is excellent. Towards the end of Gotterdammerung, the brass is starting to suffer from intonation problems, but they have been playing for several hours without much of a break. Cut them some slack.

Point three: the conductors. Each has his own unique qualities. Bohm's tempos are fast but they work really well, even in the Immolation Scene (which Mrs. Nilsson slows down somehow.) Bohm's interpretations are more along the lines of Strauss, who was a brisk conductor. Solti? Well, there's a reason he won 31 Grammies. Yes, he is fast in Mahler, but not so for Wagner. Solti was a great conductor, period.

So, this is my take on Solti and Bohm. Personally, I would pass over the Karajan. If I had to go to a desert island, I would take both.

Bravi tutti!

I find this ring cycle to be close to perfect. For those new to the opera, I discourage Solti because of Hotters vocal debilitation. I simply cant listen to acts II and III of Die Walkure[Hotter sounds like a wounded alligator-and he is my favourite Wotan of all time so I am not a hater]. IF you are new to the ring, I would recommend the Barenboim set, or this one, though I do not enjoy THeo Adam as Wotan. He is a talented singer, but I do not feel like he comes through with the depth and authority required for the ruler of the gods. Everyone else is fantastic. Bohm does a wonderful job, especially in Gotterdammerung, which I consider one of the finest available.
IF you are only going to buy one ring cycle, get the recently unified Keilberth set on Testament. It is older but still in stereo and is, in my opinion, the all-around best ring cycle available.

It is hard to write a review of a recording of Wagner's Ring Cycle without making it too long. I will try not too. I cannot help but give this Ring five stars, mainly due to Bohm's amazing control of the orchestra and what is going on onstage. It is hard to believe this is live because it is so together. He uses a bunch of the same singers as Solti did in his earlier studio recording. As far as sensitivity to the music, Bohm generally does a better job. Bohm's pacing and sensitivity in Die Walkure is better than Solti. I don't want to make this review a Solti to whoever comparison. That is for the listener to judge.
Bohm's reading of Das Rheingold is the most beautiful I have heard to date. The beginning build up of E flat major is stunning beginning with the brass, going to the winds and the strings. His crescendo is stupendous there. The Rhinmaidens are all good int the beginning. No wobbling. Gustav Neidlinger sounds younger than his late 50s as Alberich. He is my favorite Alberich, and by this point is a seasoned veteran. Theo Adam sings a moving Wotan in addition to being a strong authority figure. He sings the words with the clear sentence structures in mind. Martti Talvela and Kurt Boehme are perfectly cast as the giants Fasolt(the good giant), and Fafner(the bad giant). Although Fafner turns himself into a dragon, keep in mind that Alberich is the main villain of the story. Anna Silja does a beautiful job as Friea. This is her early years.
Karl Bohm gets Die Walkure. Act II can be very tiresome for me to listen to personally. Bohm makes it so that is not the case. In addition Theo Adam's handling of the monologue Wotan sings keeps me engaged. Birgit Nilsson is not my favorite Brunnhilde, however it is hard not to be impressed with her easy sounding trumpet like soprano. Musically I like Flagstad and Varnay better. James King raises his characterization of Siegmund to another level in this performance. His cry of "walse" is very impressive here That is not an easy moment for the tenor singing Siegmund. It is right on the passagio after singing for a long time. Very taxing. Rysnak is terrific as Sieglinde in this recording. I am almost always a fan of her expressive singing. The 8 Walkure's are all good. In a lot of recordings they can prove to be inconsistent. That is not the case here.
Wolfgang Windgassen is past his prime vocally as Siegfried. I'm just stating fact in comparison to the Keilberth recording in 1955, where he is at his best. But, who am I to judge? Afterall, how many people can sing Siegfried and not scream, like Windgassen could? He not only sings it, he also adds humanity to the character. Erwin Wolfhart is a terrific Mime. One of the best for sure. Kurt Boehme's roaring as the dragon is hillarious. Also, his dark voice is menacing. Theo Adam is stellar as the Wanderer. It's interesting that there is a sort of rematch between Wotan and Alberich in Siegfried, years later. One is the good and bad side of the other. I think both are equally greedy and after the Ring. Question is are there good guys in this opera. I can't really answer that. Siegfried is a hero, but he is not really likeable.
Gotterdammerung is the weakest opera in this set, but still has brilliant moments. Such as the mens chorus in Hagen's summoning of the vassals. Joseph Greindl is not as good as other recordings vocally here. However, I tip my hat off to him for singing Hagen for so many years. Martha Modl is wobbly as Waltraute. I think Christa Ludwig is far superior. Thomas Stewart is terrific as Gunther. I have to compare with Solti on this set. Solti got Gotterdammerung. He just had a natural feel for it. Bohm lacks Solti's firepower on this one.

I've said often that there is no perfect Ring recording. Here is another. It has been around since its release on vinyl in the late 60s; Ring junkies will know from the cast, the conductor, the house, and the year what this Ring is more or less like. Though the price is right, newcomers should not make this Ring set their first. It has no libretti nor the fascinating essays that elucidate (or maybe obfuscate) the Jungian foundation of Wieland Wagner's conceptualization of the text and staging. Worse, the graphics inside are low resolution B&W. The first release of this Ring on CD in the late 1980s was a tad more elegant, also more expensive.
Many of the veteran Bayreuth stars (Windgassen, Rysanek, Neidlinger, Greindl, and so on) are caught in better voice on earlier releases, but the addition of the formidable Birgit Nilsson to the roster is what makes the set stand out from other Bayreuth releases. I like Wohlfarht's Mime and Talvela's Fasolt, among others.
Bohm takes it generally faster than other conductors. He sometimes rushes over moments I'd prefer he linger on. But he is consistently so and therefore once one is immersed in his Ring, one gets the overall conception of it, just as once in Furtwangler's RAI Ring, one gets the overall conception of it. The beauty of recordings is that one can have both and play one or the other as suits one's mood.
My 'desert island' Rings, not in order of preference, are Furtwangler RAI, Solti, Keilberth, Barenboim, and maybe Krauss and Thielemann. I'd add the Bohm to the island list. Not perfect, but well worth the listen, however frequently that happens with all the other Rings in the world.

A performance from Bayreuth 1966 with the nerve of the live performance.
Very well casted, esp Birgit Nilsson in her all over whelming role as Brünnhilde.

With the re-appearance in stereo of Joseph Keilberth's Ring cycle from Bayreuth in 1955, Bohm's no longer rules the roost for being in modern sound. (In fact, Decca's engineers did significantly better sonically for Keilberth; the sound remains cramped and stage-bound on Bohm's cycle.) Bohm's Ring has held sway for forty years among Wagnerites who want the realistic perspective and on-stage drama of Bayreuth. When I first encountered it, his often curt, brisk way with the orchestral part lacked appeal, and I felt that the stalwart, unimaginative Wotan of Theo Adam (not to mention Adam's gravelly, gargly voice) gave me another reason to stay awzay. Nevertheless, many critics and listenes disagreed.

Now we have Bohm's Ring in better sound, though hardly ideal, and it can be compared with stereo Bayreuth Rings from both Keilberth and Boulez (1976, on budget Philips). As far as the conducting goes, I am attracted by Boulez's refined, detailed approach, but Bohm's technical skills produce decidedly better execution than under Keilberth -- there's no comparison, really. What Keilberth has going for him is a flexible beat that adapts beautifully to the singers--he's more touching in the tender parts than either of his rivals. For sheer galloping excitement, bohm wins.

As for casting, Boulez must be considered the weakest. Even though the young Gwyneth Jones is inspired in her characterization of Brunnhilde, not to mention Peter Hoffmann as a charismatic Siegmund (especially in the DVD version), Boulez's cast scores more for drama than for vocal splendor. HIs Rheingold has an even, highly satisfactory cast. I don't like the bluff and rough Donald MacIntyre's Wotan -- Adam is more idomatic and varied.

The race gets closer between Keilberth and Bohm. Commanding as Nilsson is, Atrid Varnay makes for a great Brunnhilde in 1955, more human and touching than her rival. Both sets have Windgassen as Siegfried, but he's older and more tired for Bohm and in his glorious youthful best for Keilberth. For that reason alone, Keilberth's Siegfried is the high point of his whole cycle. I find the pairs of Siegmund and Sieglinde about even, with a special nod to James King under Bohm for giving us a more committed characterization than he ever managed in the studio for Solti. Rysanek made Sieglinde a signature role, but I'm not sure she's vocally at her best for Bohm. The other characters are well sung in both sets.

Forty years ago I didn't want to hear a muffled Bayreuth orchestra, but none of these sets is really guilty on that account. Bohm's engineers put the voices far forward, but there's plenty of splendor from the pit. Boulez has better orchestral sonics, I think, and he gets just as good playing, yet many listeners will prefer Bohm's headling rush in the exciting scenes (such as the entire third act of Walkure).

I've tried to give a fairly objective summary of where Bohm's by now vintage Ring cycle stands, which may not be at the very pinnacle but is quite high nonetheless. For their various virtues and shortcomings, I can't pick a clear winner among any Ring cycle to date. The wise buyer should still pick and choose among the four operas.