Solti - The Golden Ring - The Making of Solti's "Ring" (Wagner Ring Cycle, 1965)Actors: Birgit Nilsson, Wolfgang Windgassen, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Gottlob Frick, Claire Watson
Directors: Georg Solti, Humphrey Burton
The tremendous success of the Boulez/Bayreuth Ring on DVD has inspired this DVD release of the classic documentary on the first-ever audio recording of the Ring. Recorded in the late 1950s and early 60s in Vienna's Sofiensaal (sadly lost to fire last year), Solti's legendary cycle, with the Vienna Philharmonic and a cast of great Wagnerian singers, remains the definitive Ring for many enthusiasts. Filmed during the recording of Götterdämmerung, The Golden Ring is similarly one the first and greatest music documentaries ever made for TV.
In addition to a fascinating look “behind-the-scenes” of the recording, we hear Sir Georg Solti talking about the issues in committing the Ring to disc, we see such great singers as Birgit Nilsson, Wolfgang Windgassen, Gottlob Frick and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau in rehearsal, and witness the recording of several of the “final takes” that made their way onto the recording.
As well as the original English-language version of The Golden Ring, the DVD also includes the special German version of the programme, Hinter den Kulissen der Götterdämmerung, with German narration and with the Solti interviews conducted in German.
Finally, as a special bonus to Ring enthusiasts, also included are almost 70 minutes of Ring audio highlights (see track listing), taken from the legendary recording itself and presented for the very first time in 5.1 Dolby Digital surround sound.
AUDIO HIGHLIGHTS FROM SOLTI'S RING
1 Entry of the Gods into Valhalla
2 Ride of the Valkyries
3 Magic Fire Music
4 Forging Scene
5 Forest Murmurs
6 Siegfried's Funeral March
7 Immolation Scene
