With colossal talents like Birgit Nilsson, it’s tempting to imagine that she emerged fully formed from the forehead of some deity. Listening to her in the early 1950s, the unmistakable Nilsson sound is already there—yet alongside the familiar brilliance, there is a striking plangency to her tone, a quality that would later be tempered by the formidable steel of her mature voice. She is joined by the seasoned Set Svanholm, who, approaching 50, still delivers youthful, virile tones. Josef Greindl is a dark and imposing Hunding, bringing a commanding presence to the role. Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt conducts with urgency, shaping Wagner’s phrases with a keen sense of forward momentum and nuance.