Wagner fans: What's the best complete "Ring" on CD?

[Westegg]

It's a big financial investment, so I can only buy one...

[stopbush]

1. I'd go for Karajan on DGG Originals.

Everyone seems to default to the Solti on Decca, but I find that Karajan's has both great sweep AND repose (the repose is missing from Solti).

There are now so many good to great Rings around that we're spoilt for choice. I think I own about 10 complete versions. You may want to check out some of the live versions as well - Knappertsbusch, Furtwangler and Clemens Kraus spring to mind.

You know, you could also go for a DVD version for about the same price as a CD version. I'd suggest the Boulez on Philips...if you can find it.

[Blue-Jay]

13. I was just going to suggest Herbert von Karajan

with the Berlin Philharmonic. weird.

[Rabrrrrrr]

2. Let the flame wars begin!

So let me go back to historical times, and suggest you check out Furtwangler's recordings - they are much cheaper (though also done a long time ago, and so the sound quality isn't anything like what one would expect today), but very good. And flamers, please, no need to mention about his ties to Nazi Germany yada yada yada... it's great music.

I very much like those recordings.

I have a modern recording of it, but you know, I can't remember by whom. I think it's by the Met, from the late 80s, and while sung and performed excellently, the recording quality seems sometimes dampened - like the brightness and highs have been squashed in order to increase the level of munge. Not sure why they did that. I'll go check what that recording is, and get back to you, so you don't buy it.

[Westegg]

3. Furtwangler is a good suggestion...

...and I thank you for it. I'm looking for something a bit more "modern" in terms of recording. My father the opera buff recommended James Levine... Any thoughts?

[Rabrrrrrr]

7. I haven't listened to any Met recordings

But, as I said in the other thread, I've stood through the Ring a couple times at the Met and also a few extra performances (Rheingold a few times, Die Walkure once), and I have to say: that's an amazing cast, and amazing performances.

So I'd think they'd make a good recording. Get James Morris as Wotan, Jane Eaglen (or Gwyneth Jones!) as Brunnhild, Matti Salminen as Fafner and Hagen, Placido Domingo as Siegmund

Domingo, oddly enough, really does a good job with Siegmund.

I love Wagnerian singers. I always love to rub it into the Italian singers by saying, "Okay, fine - maybe the Italian opera lead does his/her little 3-5 minute aria, and then there's a chorus and he's/she's off the hook. In Wagner, you get two people singing a duet, at full forte, for f-ing 20 minutes, sometimes almost 45 minutes, with almost no repeat of melodic material. THAT takes *true* endurance."

[stopbush]

9. Of course, the Met Ring has been enshrined on both CD and DVD

with a few cast changes (Reiner Goldberg is Siegfried on the CD, Siegfried Jerusalem does the honors on the DVD. Neither is very good). It's good to see in the house, but on film/CD, it's not really competitive, IMO.

I hate to disagree, but Domingo is simply awful in Wagner...and I'm not just talking about his piss poor sung German (which is strange, because I understand he speaks the language just fine). I just can't stand his throaty and strained yelping. Ugh!

[Rabrrrrrr]

12. Oh, yes, ugh - I saw Jerusalem at a performance

horrible. I was very underwhelmed.

The times I've seen Domingo sing Siegmund, I've really liked him. But then, I like his voice normally, anyway. But, such is music. Agree to disagree. If we all liked the same people, there'd be a LOT of musicians out of work. :-)

[Rabrrrrrr]

4. Here's the actual recording I have

Forget the Met crap - I was wrong.

it's the Bayreuth Festspiele, conducted by Bohm, put out by Philips. it's a live recording, from 1973. I bought it late 80s, and until just now, actually thought it was a new recording at the time. oops!

But that explains the somewhat mungy sound quality - sadly, the recording technology (and engineer's ears) in the 70s was worse than it was in the 50s, I think. So much stuff form the 70s, classically speaking, sounds so bad, in comparison to stuff from the 50s and 60s and mid-80s and later.

probably too many drugs beign done by the engineers in the 70s. Or the sideburns interfered with their hearing. :-)

[stopbush]

8. That recording has great conducting on it, and Nilsson is a great

Brunnhilde, but I can't stand Windgassen as Siegfried. Extremely underwhelming.

There's also the unfortunate cut in Gotterdammerung (Gutrune's scene after Siegfried's murder - gone!?).

Still, it's worth owning.

[Rabrrrrrr]

10. Oh, totally - it's an excellent performance

pretty much all the way around. I can't fault the performers (and I haven't listened to it in a couple years, so I can't comment on particular performers, though I'll check out Windgassen. I do know Nilsson is great!). It just sounds compressed or something.

[stopbush]

17. That "compressed" sound you're hearing may be a result of

the covered orchestra pit at Bayreuth. The front of the pit is shielded from the view of the audience while open to the singers on stage. The effect in the house is to slightly muffle the sound and take the edge off the orchestra.

In addition, the Böhm recording is an analog recording made from microphones placed in the house. But I love the sweep and the excitement of the performers caught on the fly.

[Rabrrrrrr]

19. Ah, yes - I'd forgotten about the cover over the orchestra

I would assume the microphones WERE out in the audience, and that would explain some of it. Plus being 1973.

And yeah - I'm totally for live performances. I much prefer them to studio performances, especially in rock music.

[Westegg]

15. But I'm intrigued by this!

Bayreuth/Bohm---live recording. I agree about '70s versus '50s/'60s recordings. But is it really THAT bad? If it's reasonable, I will probably make this one my choice. Unless I'm otherwise swayed....

[Rabrrrrrr]

16. No, it's totally reasonable

and if memory serves, it was at a discount price. But who knows if it's even available any more? I sure don't. Amazon doesn't have it, but they only have three sets.

And this conversation inspired me to listen to it again, and I'm not finding it as mungy as I had before - but it is noticable. But not a deal breaker at all.

[Kellanved]

20. seems to be out of stock everywhere

:shrug:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0000040YY/qid=1076500895/sr=1-3/ref=sr_1_3/102-8676909-5306530?v=glance&s=classical

[Rabrrrrrr]

22. No, the page you linked to has some in the "new and used"

option. Oddly, the three copies that are available, are all available from the same person, but are priced at $106, $107, and $108. :shrug:

Certainly worth the money. :-)

[Kellanved]

5. Berliner Philharmoniker, Karajan conducting

Deutsche Grammophon.
But I'm biased ;-) .


It might be cheaper to import that one from Germany; It's around €100 here.

[curse10]

6. Ugh

Why don't you save money and not by any. Wagner is awful. :P

[Westegg]

11. "No by any"? Not "buy" a long shot!

[slack]

14. Herbert von Karajan

with the Berlin philamornic orchestra.

[HEyHEY]

18. hey I like your name - clever

[AliceWonderland]

21. Vienna Phil + Solti

Better on vinyl than CD; recent remaster not so hot.

So sayeth the SO, Wagner buff.