As Brünnhilde, Astrid Varnay is heard at the height of her powers, bringing over a decade of Wagnerian experience as well as a voice that still retained its youthful radiance and seemingly effortless command of even the most formidable passages in the score. By contrast, her Siegfried, Max Lorenz, sounds somewhat past his prime, occasionally straying sharp and lacking the interpretive nuance of his partner. Nonetheless, he handles the role with stamina and assurance, never flagging vocally.

Josef Greindl, who would go on to define Hagen and other major bass roles for two decades, shows a different aspect of the character in this earlier performance. His voice retains a freshness that later recordings would lack, allowing him to imbue the role with a rare, if unsettling, charm. Hermann Uhde contributes a firm, resonant Gunther, partnered effectively with Martha Mödl as Gutrune. Mödl also appears as the Third Norn, reminding us all that there are no small parts in opera.

Joseph Keilberth shapes the drama with deft control, illuminating Wagner’s orchestral writing with a perceptive grasp of both text painting and motivic structure.