Description:

This live broadcast from Bayreuth captures a constellation of legendary voices in what is perhaps the most vocally luxurious Ring Cycle ever assembled. At the center is Birgit Nilsson, whose Brünnhilde showcases the heroic stamina and gleaming top notes that made her the defining voice in this role. Her vocal power remains undiminished, but it's her emotional range—especially in Götterdämmerung—that impresses most. Wolfgang Windgassen appears in double duty as Siegfried and Loge, bringing his signature blend of vocal agility and lyrical charm. Even after two decades at Bayreuth, he still manages to imbue Siegfried with youthful energy and charisma.

Theo Adam offers a commanding Wotan, characterized more by intellectual gravity than sheer vocal warmth. Leonie Rysanek and James King as Sieglinde and Siegmund are ideally matched, their duet in Act I of Die Walküre a perfect union of emotional urgency and expansive phrasing. Martha Mödl, by then transitioning into mezzo repertoire, delivers a riveting Waltraute, her famed commitment to text and psychological nuance on full display in the narrative scene—perhaps her most haunting recorded version of it.

The smaller roles are cast from strength: Thomas Stewart is an imposing Gunther; Anja Silja shines in both the Third Norn and Freia; Erika Köth brings crystalline clarity to the Waldvogel; and Karl Ridderbusch lends Fasolt a bass of rare nobility. Conducting duties are shared between Karl Böhm and Otmar Suitner, each bringing distinct strengths—Böhm’s taut, urgent pacing and Suitner’s more lyrical finesse. Although the stereo sound is generally good, it lacks some of the polish of the commercial release.

A WORD ABOUT THIS CYCLE:
These recordings mark the only time that Bayreuth used two different conductors for the same Ring. Initially the Cycle was scheduled to be recorded in 1966, but Birgit Nilsson, already tasked with recording the now legendary Tristan und Isolde with Karl Böhm, became concerned about the grueling schedule. So the management came up with the compromise that they would record Rheingold and Siegfried in 1966, both of which don't demand as much of Nilsson (particularly Rheingold), and Walküre and Götterdämmerung in 1967. This, unfortunately, meant displacing the esteemed conductor Otmar Suitner from some of the performances in 1967. Incidentally, Wolfgang Windgassen, who was also singing in the 1966 Tristan, didn't have any issues with the schedule.

These performances were the live broadcasts from the summer of 1967, whereas the commercial recording was a composite of the runs from 1966 and 1967. Recording engineers generally favor musical accuracy, which meant that a singer could be in phenomenal voice and then one botched entrance would doom that take to the cutting room floor. Despite the musical mistakes, there is an energy at times missing from the commercial recordings in this unique set.

In Stereo

OD 11623-12