My formative experience with the Ring Cycle was the 1967 Philips set from Bayreuth featuring Birgit Nilsson, Wolfgang Windgassen, Leonie Rysanek, and Karl Böhm. For years, it stood in my mind as the gold standard—an insurmountable achievement in Wagner performance. But after spending time with this 1970 Horst Stein cycle, I'm starting to think that my favorite Ring may have finally met its match.

Berit Lindholm, in her only Bayreuth outing singing all three Brünnhildes, is nothing short of astonishing. She finds lyrical beauty even in the score's most treacherous passages and seems vocally inexhaustible. Jean Cox, who would go on to make Siegfried a signature role in the early '70s, sounds fresher here than anywhere else I've heard him. Thomas Stewart tackles all three Wotans with ringing authority and exceptional nuance. Gwyneth Jones, known for her dramatic intensity, sings a Sieglinde of extraordinary passion.

There isn't a weak link in the ensemble. Karl Ridderbusch makes an unforgettable impression as both Fasolt and Hagen, Janis Martin doubles effectively as Fricka and Gutrune, and Norman Bailey makes a strong impression in his sole Bayreuth appearance as Gunther. Helge Brilioth's Siegmund, Gustav Neidlinger's indelible Alberich, and Liane Synek's cameo as the Third Norn round out an extraordinary cast. Horst Stein's musical leadership is everything one could hope for—firm, expressive, and impeccably paced.

Over two hours of excerpts are included.