With "Siegfried," the stronger elements of Seattle's "Ring" cycle come to the fore. Raimund Herincx is surely the most underrated Wotan of the 20th century. He has the insightfulness of Hans Hotter, Norman Bailey and James Morris, if somewhat less tonal glamor than any of those gentleman. One is sorry to see him depart. But what of the title character? Siegfrieds were very, very thin on the ground in 1977 and Seattle was lucky to find James McCray. He's equal to the herculean demands of the role, articulates Andrew Porter's translation well and has a sympathetic affect. The one drawback is the lack of coloristic variety in his voice, something that tends to pall by the time he reaches the mountaintop in Act III. He has a worthy antagonist in Paul Crook, the nastiest imaginable Mime. The supporting roles are well-taken, particularly Noel Mangin's gargantuan Fafner. Margaret Kingsley keeps up with McCray as best she can but continues to be overparted. Although Henry Holt sounds like he's sight-reading the score, he at least keeps the proceedings on the move, particularly welcome in this "Ring" installment. The recorded sound continues to be top-notch.