Wagner: Der Ring des Nibelungen - Nilsson, Windgassen, Adam, Rysanek, King, Greindl, Mödl, Silja, Talvela; Böhm. Bayreuth, 1966
$96.95
Description:
Pros:
- These recordings were made the summer before the set was recorded for Phillips.
- Definitive performances from Birgit Nilsson, Theo Adam, Leonie Rysanek, James King, Josef Greindl and Thomas Stewart
- Not even the smallest part in this Ring is spared the star treatment with cameos from Ludmila Dvoraková as Gutrune, Martha Mödl as Waltraute, Anja Silja as Freia and the Third Norn, and Liane Synek, Danica Mastilovic, Helga Dernesch as Valkyries.
Cons:
- Nothing to mention
Das Rheingold In Stereo
Die Walküre, Siegfried and Götterdämmerung in Mono
OD 11485-12
Listen to a Sample:
FranceImmortel bien sûr !
Ne pas oublier cependant que c'est l'année où Wieland a eu la malheureuse idée de couper la scène de Gutrune après la marche funèbre.
Terrific Ring Cycle!
Other commentors have already extolled the virtues of this cycle and I second all their opinions: it IS a very fine cycle with a great cast under a fine conductor who knows how to tell a story without getting bogged down in the details. For the Philips official (and now classic) release of the complete Ring Das Rheingold and Siegfried from 1966 were used, Walkure and Gotterdammerung from the next year (that explains the different Flosshilde). Patching from rehearsals was also used. It's fascinating to hear the original broadcasts though the sound, while mostly very good, doesn't equal the sonic richness of the published set. Gotterdammerung has some bleed-through from another performance during the quiet interlude in Act One and in Waltraute's scene, but it's not a deal breaker. Fans of these singers or of the Ring in general should get this. It's well worth the relatively small investment!
