Excelente sonido, no aprecié nada de fallos en la grabación, está perfecto todo.

It was so easy to take these performing forces for granted. From start to finish there are no wobbly, screechy voices and the orchestral forces are superb. Stein was an underrated conductor who knew how to pace the Ring and does a fine job here. I won't single out any of the singers because my individual thoughts about each opera are already available. Suffice it to say that a cast that sings like this could not be assembled today. Except for a few moments of odd and fleeting file corruption here and there, the sound is superb.I suspect Wolfgang Wagner's production was not, in and of itself, that revelatory; on a broadcast recording though it doesn't matter. I strongly urge all Ring lovers to acquire this set; you will be very glad you did.

The sound quality on this '72 ring cycle is superior to Stein's Bayreuth cycles from '70, '74, and '75. You can actually hear the Bayreuth echo on the voices. The "skipping" Andy refers to in Das Rheingold and Siegfried is only intermittent light ticking noises just audible through headphones. As far as the performance, this Ring is more consistent than Stein's '74 and '75 cycles (although both of these have their moments). It also edges past '71 mainly due to the presence of Stewart's Wotan/Wanderer, but it falls slightly behind the '70 Ring as an overall conception. Ligendza is more than acceptable as Brunnhilde displaying great vocal control, surprising power, and pitch accuracy. It's for the latter reason I prefer her to Gwyneth Jones in '75 despite Jones' often thrilling vocal dynamics.

Here in its 3rd season, Stein's taut, forward-moving cycle boasts many strengths--and I don't detect any of the "intermittent skipping" Andy warns us of, just occasional obtrusive editing from Bavarian Radio's production crew (e.g., Siegfried Act 2, tr. 4 @ 5:13). Otherwise this is airy, transparent, perfectly enjoyable analogue stereo.Many in its cast are unsurpassed: the grand veterans Neidlinger (Alberich) and Hoeffgen (Erda); Stewart's Wotan, the most firmly sung and fully characterized of that era; Ridderbusch's rich-voiced bad guys; Reynolds' shrewdly phrased Fricka. Jones (Sieglinde) is as before, lush but sometimes tremulous; ditto Cox's Siegfried, credibly youthful but scooping and raw at the break (he's firmer and tidier as his elder self). Welcome newcomers include King's stalwart Siegmund and Zednik's adroit Mime.Alas, Ligendza's Bruennhilde is a major blemish. Attractive and personable in midrange, she's often hooty and under pitch across the passaggio (F5 to A5). This is audible at her 1st entrance, recurs at many climaxes, and is positively ruinous during her outbursts in Goetterdaemmerung Act 2. So she's no competition for Lindholm's integral valkyrie from 1970--a genuine dramatic voice in secure working order. Stein's initial Bayreuth "Ring" is, then, his supreme achievement and among the 3 finest cycles broadcast from the festspielhaus.Now if only Andy (or Orfeo) could lay hold of the original 1970 tapes and give us an edition in optimum stereo!