Clemens Krauss' Das Rheingold begins with a mysterious, yet joyful account of the opening Prelude followed by the excellent singing of the three Rhinedaughters. Zimmerman's lovely top Cs crown the ensembles and Plümacher and Litz provide characterful support in the middle and lower parts. Neidlinger is on fire from his first entrance. It's so easy to take him for granted in this role. His curse is terrifying and heartbreaking all at once. Hotter is in superb form, the voice steady and sure with little of the woofiness that plagued him as he got older. Malaniuk is a fine Fricka as are Weber and Greindl as the two giants, both very distinct from the other. Witte's Loge is well-sung and expertly acted; he sings instead of shouting. Ilosvay demonstrates why she was Bayreuth's reigning Erda at the time with her sensual, almost baritonal contralto.There are a few glitches here and there. Falcon drops one of Freia's lines in Scene 2 and there is occasionally some misalignment between the stage and the orchestra, but none of this really matters (these are live performances after all). The sound is superb throughout - the Pirate Gods blessed Bayreuth that summer.The Krauss cycle is a classic. Get it and understand what I mean.