Richard Wagner - Der Ring des Nibelungen - Hotter, Varnay, Windgassen, Neidlinger, Greindl, Uhde - Clemens Krauss 195314CDs - Mono - Opera D'Oro 1997
Conductor: Clemens Krauss
Orchestra/Ensemble: Bayreuth Festival Orchestra, Bayreuth Festival Chorus
Live Festspielhaus Bayreuth, Germany, 1953
Das Rheingold: Ludwig Weber, Josef Greindl, Gustav Neidlinger, Hetty Plümacher, Gerhard Stolze, Erika Zimmermann, Hermann Uhde, Maria von Ilosvay, Ludwig Weber, Ira Malaniuk, Hans Hotter, Erich Witte, Josef Greindl, Paul Kuen, Bruni Falcon, Gisela Litz
Die Walküre: Liselotte Thomamüller, Brünnhild Friedland, Josef Greindl, Regina Resnik, Erika Schubert, Hans Hotter, Bruni Falcon, Josef Greindl, Ira Malaniuk, Brunnhild Friedland, Astrid Varnay, Ramon Vinay, Lise Sorrell, Regina Resnik, Liselotte Thomamüller, Maria von Ilosvay, Sibylla Plate, Gisela Litz
Siegfried: Paul Kuen, Rita Streich, Josef Greindl, Hans Hotter, Astrid Varnay, Maria von Ilosvay, Wolfgang Windgassen, Gustav Neidlinger
Götterdämmerung: Gisela Litz, Gustav Neidlinger, Regina Resnik, Hetty Plümacher, Natalie Hinsch-Gröndahl, Erika Zimmermann, Astrid Varnay, Ira Malaniuk, Josef Greindl, Hetty Plümacher, Wolfgang Windgassen, Gisela Litz, Maria von Ilosvay , Regina Resnik, Natalie Hinsch-Grondahl, Hermann Uhde
This is a glorious Ring Cycle -- this one tells us everything about Wagner's great vision. It is the one for the desert island.
This performance "is an exhilarating ride, lifted into a very special class by the quality of the singing. On balance, this is the most impressively cast Ring you can get. Outstanding contributions include a young, remarkably weighty Siegfried from Wolfgang Windgassen, a threatening Wotan from Hans Hotter, an explosive Siegmund from Ramon Vinay, and a heart-stopping Brünnhilde from Astrid Varnay, one of the greatest Wagner sopranos." -- Rough Guide to Opera
"I have never lost faith in its values: a truthful, admirably paced, deeply felt traversal, performed by a real ensemble of singers working in dedicated fashion over a short span of time...you hear the work in a theatrical perspective and a live acoustic. The earlier operas are dominated by Hans Hotter, singing Wotan at the peak of his achievement...Over all presides Krauss with a judicious blend of the dramatic and spiritual, and the rare gift of maintaining line and musical argument through even the slowest passages. Where physical energy or incandescence are of the essence, Krauss inspires his orchestra to provide them." -- Alan Blyth, GRAMOPHONE
"Everything about it is first-rate. The packaging is attractive. The essay is informative. The cast lists are complete. The picture discs in plastic sleeves are lovely. And the remastering is, far and away, the best the Krauss Ring has ever had: old, yes, and live, certainly, but transparent and filled with color and light. Those who love Wagner owe it to themselves to hear this set." -- All Music Guide
"What else is there to say about the justly acclaimed Krauss Ring? It arguably has the best cast ever assembled, including Astrid Varnay's Brünnhilde, Hans Hotter's Wotan, Wolfgang Windgassen's Siegfried, Regina Resnik's Sieglinde, and Gustav Neidlinger's Alberich. All are at the top of their form, and Krauss leads the orchestra in an interpretation that effortlessly catches the music's ebb and flow. This performance has fewer dead spots than just about any other, and while the mono sound is limited, it never gets between you and the performance, with the voices clearly caught. It's all been repackaged in a handy slim box with terrific notes by Classicstoday.com's own Robert Levine. A must-have for Ringers everywhere." -- David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com
Listen to the tracks at Barnes & Noble
