Das Rheingold is the one opera in the Ring that is truly an ensemble piece. It features many extended scenes with multiple characters delivering exposition that will create the framework for the ensuing evenings. To pull it off it requires a cast of great singing actors and when one is assembled it can create a dramatic experience more akin to a great play than an opera. This performance has just that, headed by the Wotan of Hans Hotter who sings with majesty and sensitivity. Otakar Kraus, a singer whose career centered mostly around Covent Garden, delivers a masterful performance as Alberich favoring a more sympathetic interpretation over the overblown caricature that has become the norm.