Arnold Quennet conducts an adequate performance of Das Rheingold, one that if it never rises to exalted heights, at least gets the cycle off to a reasonable beginning. Randolph Symonette is a curious singer. There's no question the voice is first-rate - it's just not first-rate all the time. He sings his opening "Vollendet das ewige Werk" and the concluding "Abendlich strahlt" nobly and well. All the other stuff in between is a little hit-or-miss as he seems to go in and out of concentration. Richard Kogel is an excellent Alberich, bringing a strong voice and excellent diction to the role (record collectors will remember him as the Abimelech on the Patane studio recording of Samson et Dalila with Ludwig and King). Schachtschneider may not have the most mellifluous voice, but he knows exactly what Loge is singing about. He and Ditha Sommer (a very good Freia) would also sing on the Swarowsky studio Ring just a couple of years later (though Sommer sang Sieglinde and Gutrune on that occasion).Fraciskos Voutsinos has a beautiful bass voice and makes much of Fasolt's tender utterances and Helmut Fehn sings a surly Fafner no one should mess with. Hugh Beresford is heard here in his baritone days as a heroic Donner although he seems to be constantly upstage of the main microphone. The three Rhinemaidens are good (Henny Eckstrom doubles as Flosshilde and Erda and sings impressively in both). The sound is listenable with some distortion in louder orchestral moments.

Heribert Schachtschneider sang on Swarowsky's studio recording of Lohengrin, not the Ring. That was Fritz Uhl as Loge. My apologies!