What a relief to listen to a Wagner performance where one doesn't have to worry about whether or not the singers can handle their roles. It's a far cry what we usually hear today. Stewart is magnificent as the arrogant, power-hungry young Wotan and Reynolds sings Fricka extremely well. Neidlinger was in his 60s by this time, but you'd never guess it. He continues to be the Alberich against which others are judged. Esser is a great Loge, Zednik a wonderfully sniveling Mime, Feldhoff a thrilling Donner, and Höffgen a memorable Erda. The Rhinedaughters sing gloriously together and individually (Kawahara has a great top C for the ensembles). There are no weaknesses in the cast. The orchestra under Stein's sharp, fluent direction plays with passion and precision.I listened to the stereo version of this performance and yes, there is some minor (and odd) file corruption, but it never really gets in the way and is only intermittent anyway. Andy provides a mono version without the "skipping" if it's too disturbing, but I expected it to be much worse than it was.These Bayreuth cycles are a true treasure. Onto Die Walküre!