# Solti's Ring is being reissued yet again



## Otis B. Driftwood (4 mo ago)

*https://www.soltiring.com/*

*







*

Commemorating the 25th anniversary of Sir Georg Solti’s death (5 September), Decca Classics is proud to announce a new high-definition transfer of the original master tapes of his most celebrated recording: the first stereo studio production of Wagner’s complete Ring Cycle, twice voted “The greatest recording of all time”.

Recorded in Vienna between 1958 and 1965, and masterminded by Decca’s pioneering producer John Culshaw, this recording has always been regarded as the perfect marriage of art and technology and boasted a cast including Birgit Nilsson, Hans Hotter and Kirsten Flagstad. These new transfers of the 38 original stereo master tapes have been made at 24 bit/192kHz resolution, allowing greater detail and dynamic range than ever before. The transfers have allowed the original recording to be remastered for Dolby Atmos; the spatial audio technology which recreates a multi-dimensional experience true to Culshaw’s vision of a “theatre of the mind”.

Dominic Fyfe, Decca Classics Label Director and Audio Producer of this reissue, says: “Back in 1966 producer John Culshaw expressed the hope that this Ring would set a benchmark for years to come. Half a century later it is still the artistic and technical gold standard. Culshaw was above all an iconoclast and a visionary who rejoiced in new technology. I have no doubt he would approve of our efforts to utilise Dolby Atmos and the latest suite of remastering tools to make this new HD transfer the most immersive and vivid yet.”

The remastered Ring will be available in the most extensive suite ever of deluxe physical and digital products including:
• The first vinyl releases of the recording in 30 years. Half-speed mastered at Abbey Road Studios and pressed on 180g audiophile vinyl.
• The first international release of the recording on Hybrid SACDs, allowing listeners to hear the enhanced resolution of these new transfers and playable on all CD players
• The first and only complete Wagner Ring cycle available in Dolby Atmos

The physical products will be accompanied by lavish booklets including facsimiles of the original conductor and producer scores, rare session photographs, newly discovered curios and full libretti. The four operas of the Ring cycle will be released in instalments between November 2022 and May 2023, with The Golden Ring, a selection of the greatest scenes from the cycle, released on 30 September 2022.


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## prlj (10 mo ago)

Bring it on! 

I may even consider investing in the vinyl set, but my record shelves are running out of space.


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## MAS (Apr 15, 2015)

Didn’t Decca claim the master tapes were too deteriorated when they remastered the *Solti Ring *in 2012? Did they miraculously un-deteriorate?


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## MAS (Apr 15, 2015)

MAS said:


> Didn’t Decca claim the master tapes were too deteriorated when they remastered the *Solti Ring *in 2012? Did they miraculously un-deteriorate?


I have the Blu-ray Audio version on 1 Blu-ray disc. The sound is fantastic. I don’t think I need more - unless they come out with a new Blu-ray with a vid of the libretto!


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## Otis B. Driftwood (4 mo ago)

MAS said:


> Didn’t Decca claim the master tapes were too deteriorated when they remastered the *Solti Ring *in 2012? Did they miraculously un-deteriorate?


I was wondering the same thing myself. Here is the blurb from the official website;


> For this 2022 edition we have utilised a completely new set of high-definition 24bit/192kHz transfers of the original two-track stereo master tapes. Almost every tape box is marked “Edited & Passed: JC” where John Culshaw personally initialled each reel as passed for production. These transfers were made as part of Universal Music’s preservation project at the Arvato facility in Gütersloh, Germany. Overseen by Andrew Wedman, formerly of Emil Berliner Studios, the tapes were aligned and played on Studer A820 machines coupled with Weiss analogue to digital converters and a proprietary workstation to record the output.
> 
> Working with 38 reels of original mastertapes –some up to 65 years old and spanning seven years of recording–there were inevitably instances where some individual tapes needed edit repairs or suffered oxide shedding. Tapes in poor condition were baked for ten hours at 55°C to restore their integrity. The playback alignment was greatly helped by the fact that the first tape reel in each opera has an announcement from engineer James Brown or, in the case of Die Walküre Culshaw himself, with left/right identifiers and a series of tones to ensure the correct calibration of the tape head. Decca’s 1950s Ampex-designed AME noise reduction circuit –a precursor of the Dolby circuitry to reduce tape hiss –was not deployed such that we could use the very latest noise reduction software at the remastering stage.
> 
> ...


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## mbhaub (Dec 2, 2016)

Hmmm. I'd like to know how they managed the Dolby Atmos rendering...could be interesting. Will the Valkyrie fly over my head? The Blu Ray is excellent, but an Atmos disk will be interesting.


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## sworley (6 mo ago)

There's a certain point where you have to wonder if for most ears the difference is going to be audible or at least worth the expense.


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## MAS (Apr 15, 2015)

I have both the latest (before now) CDs and the Blu-ray Audio. I will wait to read the reviews. Anyway, I no longer have top of the line equipment, thanks to downsizing after I retired, so the benefits to me will likely be slight.


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## Becca (Feb 5, 2015)

This is kinda funny as I am in the process of trying to unload my vinyl collection including parts of that Ring which I've had forever!!


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## MAS (Apr 15, 2015)

It’s interesting that they’re going now from a digital medium to vinyl, which should be an analog product (or was). Unless they’re producing their LPs from a strictly analog process.


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## Couchie (Dec 9, 2010)

Just give us the FLAC files to download for a fee, please. Does anybody younger than 70 care about the pomp and circumstance of physical media anymore? "180g audiophile vinyl"... "lavish booklets"... they are pushing horse carriages when the world has moved on to automobiles.


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## Otis B. Driftwood (4 mo ago)

Funny how the marketing materials says "The first all-new transfer in over twenty-five years". That's like throwing their own previous remasters under the bus...


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## Monsalvat (11 mo ago)

Couchie said:


> Just give us the FLAC files to download for a fee, please. Does anybody younger than 70 care about the pomp and circumstance of physical media anymore? "180g audiophile vinyl"... "lavish booklets"... they are pushing horse carriages when the world has moved on to automobiles.


I've seen bookstores selling pop music on vinyl. It's back in style now. Though I agree (CDs are fine, but no need for anything more exotic)... but I see no reason to shell out money for a new remastering of a recording I already have in good stereo sound.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Couchie said:


> Just give us the FLAC files to download for a fee, please. Does anybody younger than 70 care about the pomp and circumstance of physical media anymore? "180g audiophile vinyl"... "lavish booklets"... they are pushing horse carriages when the world has moved on to automobiles.


I'm increasingly sympathetic to this, somewhat to my surprise. Although I'm over 70 and retain an affection for physical media - and remember some LPs nostalgically - I've never had much affection for the CD. It was a great invention for saving space, but it rarely equals the aesthetic value of the LP, and the microscopic print of opera librettos is offputting at best. A desire to strip down my possessions in old age has prompted the shrinking of my CD collection, and I now listen to music largely online. A new edition of the Solti _Ring_ will no doubt please a limited audience, and that's all any product needs to do. I won't be part of that audience,


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## wkasimer (Jun 5, 2017)

sworley said:


> There's a certain point where you have to wonder if for most ears the difference is going to be audible or at least worth the expense.


Exactly. At the moment, I see no reason to buy this recording a fourth time. But I'll wait until I read reviews from someone reliable - if there really is a significant improvement, I might be willing to shell out for Siegfried and Götterdämmerung, the only two parts of this Ring that I ever listen to.


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## Otis B. Driftwood (4 mo ago)

FYI, the highlights disc "The Golden Ring" can already be found on streaming services (Spotify, Apple Music, etc.), although it doesn't officially launch until Sep. 30th.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Deleted.


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## MAS (Apr 15, 2015)

Seattleoperafan said:


> My brain doesn't always work but I thought the Ring from Bayreuth with Varnay in the early 50's ( 53???) was the first stereo Ring. It was the first "something".


Presumably the first stereo one was the live performance conducted by Keilbetth that Culshaw’s Decca team recorded in Bayreuth in 1955 - Culshaw suppressed it because he wanted his studio *Ring *to succeed.

I think Testament finally issued it in the 2000s?


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## Monsalvat (11 mo ago)

MAS said:


> Presumably the first stereo one was the live performance conducted by Keilbetth that Culshaw’s Decca team recorded in Bayreuth in 1955 - Culshaw suppressed it because he wanted his studio *Ring *to succeed.
> 
> I think Testament finally issued it in the 2000s?


Correct. It was issued in 2005 or 2006 (phonographic copyright 2006), fifty years after it was recorded. Peter Andry, one of the original producers for the project, wrote a note for the liner of Testament's release, which was pretty neat.


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## Montarsolo (5 mo ago)

I have read that Culshaw wanted to record a Ring. Therefore two Rings were recorded live in stereo. The sound quality was judged to be unsatisfactory. That is why it was decided to record a Ring in the studio after all.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

MAS said:


> Presumably the first stereo one was the live performance conducted by Keilbetth that Culshaw’s Decca team recorded in Bayreuth in 1955 - Culshaw suppressed it because he wanted his studio *Ring *to succeed.
> 
> I think Testament finally issued it in the 2000s?


I listened to it when it came out and that explains it.


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## AndorFoldes (Aug 25, 2012)

MAS said:


> Didn’t Decca claim the master tapes were too deteriorated when they remastered the *Solti Ring *in 2012? Did they miraculously un-deteriorate?


Don't ask questions like that, only the latest remastering has good sound quality, and that includes the future 32 bit/256 kHz remastering that will appear in about five years on five different esoteric formats, including a holographic projection of the singers in your living room.


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## Red Terror (Dec 10, 2018)

Unless this edition includes skeletal fragments extracted from Wagner's remains, I won't be buying, thanks!


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## The Conte (May 31, 2015)

Red Terror said:


> Unless this edition includes skeletal fragments extracted from Wagner's remains, I won't be buying, thanks!


Don't give them ideas!

N.


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## LeoPiano (Nov 1, 2020)

Those Hybrid SACDs aren’t cheap! Rheingold alone is $88 on Amazon. Unless the sound improvements are incredible or they reduce the price I’m unsure why people would get this remastering over the perfectly fine 2014 CD edition, which for $50 you can get the whole cycle. Hopefully they’ll put it into a budget box in a couple years like they did for the 2014 remastering.


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## RobertJTh (Sep 19, 2021)

I'd rather seen them investing all the money and effort into restoring another Ring and make it sound as good as possible. Because I can think of at least half a dozen Ring recordings that I find more musically (not sonically) satisfying than the Solti. I've got it on cd in one of the older incarnations, but never return to it, except sometimes for Götterdämmerung, which is of course marvelous.


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## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

I ordered the first part .

*11.11.2022.*


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## The Conte (May 31, 2015)

RobertJTh said:


> I'd rather seen them investing all the money and effort into restoring another Ring and make it sound as good as possible. Because I can think of at least half a dozen Ring recordings that I find more musically (not sonically) satisfying than the Solti. I've got it on cd in one of the older incarnations, but never return to it, except sometimes for Götterdämmerung, which is of course marvelous.


The Keilberth Rings are more worthy of a revamp.

N.


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## MAS (Apr 15, 2015)

Woodduck said:


> I'm increasingly sympathetic to this, somewhat to my surprise. Although I'm over 70 and retain an affection for physical media - and remember some LPs nostalgically - I've never had much affection for the CD. It was a great invention for saving space, but it rarely equals the aesthetic value of the LP, and the microscopic print of opera librettos is offputting at best. A desire to strip down my possessions in old age has prompted the shrinking of my CD collection, and I now listen to music largely online. A new edition of the Solti _Ring_ will no doubt please a limited audience, and that's all any product needs to do. I won't be part of that audience,


Do the streaming services stream *Ring *operas?


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

MAS said:


> Do the streaming services stream *Ring *operas?


I don't know what's available. The only _Ring_ I've seen or heard complete in recent years came over the Met's web site.


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## wkasimer (Jun 5, 2017)

MAS said:


> Do the streaming services stream *Ring *operas?


Yes, with the exception of those on labels that never stream (e.g. Testament).


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## sacdman (2 mo ago)

WARNING: From what I have heard about this new release, they have compressed the dynamic range on these upcoming SACDs. I am very disappointed and rather surprised. This has been compressed for Spotify and it appears that the SACD's will be too. I am not buying this until I know for sure that the SACDs are going to have full dynamic range. Pass this on.


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## Barbebleu (May 17, 2015)

Is this not a director’s cut with extra arias and orchestral passages adding an extra two hours of material?😂


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## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

Barbebleu said:


> Is this not a director’s cut with extra arias and orchestral passages adding an extra two hours of material?😂


Now there is a thought , we keep you informed .


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## LeoPiano (Nov 1, 2020)

If anyone is curious, the the highlights disc can also be heard on YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mXJpBJmhIApHA7AYyci49dhU8Dz1X18FM

To me everything sounds a lot more balanced and less "flashy," with the voices being integrated better in the sound picture. The brass is warmer too, and overall the recording sounds a lot more modern and natural. The effects like Siegfried cutting the anvil at the end of the forging song or him cutting the reed in the Forest Murmurs come across much more clearly and realistically too which is a plus. However for me I don't think the improvement is great enough to buy the whole Ring again, especially for the price they're asking for ($427 for the whole set!). I might buy the highlights disc though because I do hear improvement in the sound, it's just not enough to invest in the whole set. One upside to this being released again is that there will probably be some good used sets being sold on eBay of older remasterings which I might check out.


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## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

I've just got an e-mail. and my copy arriving in two days.


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## Neo Romanza (May 7, 2013)

Here's a question for you guys: I own this 1997 set of Solti's _Ring_ -










Should I buy these newer remasters or does this set pictured above have sufficient audio quality that I don't really need to invest in another set?


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## ewilkros (8 mo ago)

Montarsolo said:


> I have read that Culshaw wanted to record a Ring. Therefore two Rings were recorded live in stereo. The sound quality was judged to be unsatisfactory. That is why it was decided to record a Ring in the studio after all.


I have the Testament issue and though I'm glad to have it, the bass seems overdone to me--loud and sonically hashy to boot. Is/was the Bayreuth acoustic really like that? Does every bass chord really sound like GR-ROOOMPH?

- PS - I uploaded it to my old Adobe Audition software to see if I could tame it down a little, and the _Siegfried_ (and not the rest) seems to be badly clipped--the graphic display looks lilke a lawnmower ran over the whole thing, shearing the tops of the peaks as flat as a tabletop--

Did anybody get the vinyl issue that Testament put out at the same time?


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## Itullian (Aug 27, 2011)

Neo Romanza said:


> Here's a question for you guys: I own this 1997 set of Solti's _Ring_ -
> 
> 
> 
> ...


The one you have is sufficient, imo.


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## The Conte (May 31, 2015)

ewilkros said:


> I have the Testament issue and though I'm glad to have it, the bass seems overdone to me--loud and sonically hashy to boot. Is/was the Bayreuth acoustic really like that? Does every bass chord really sound like GR-ROOOMPH?
> 
> - PS - I uploaded it to my old Adobe Audition software to see if I could tame it down a little, and the _Siegfried_ (and not the rest) seems to be badly clipped--the graphic display looks lilke a lawnmower ran over the whole thing, shearing the tops of the peaks as flat as a tabletop--
> 
> Did anybody get the vinyl issue that Testament put out at the same time?


I agree about the overdone bass (and no, that doesn't represent Bayreuth's acoustic). Whilst it's a shame that the sound isn't studio quality stereo of the time, the performances are superb (whether you are a Varnay or Modl bod). The only performance of the Ring that I prefer is Keilberth's from two years earlier (which is in terrible radio mono and therefore even worse).

I take the rough with the smooth when it comes to the first stereo Ring. The sound could be better, but it could have been worse.

N.


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## iroman (2 mo ago)

Rogerx said:


> I've just got an e-mail. and my copy arriving in two days.


 Pls comment on the vinyl impressions!


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## BachIsBest (Feb 17, 2018)

Woodduck said:


> I'm increasingly sympathetic to this, somewhat to my surprise. Although I'm over 70 and retain an affection for physical media - and remember some LPs nostalgically - I've never had much affection for the CD. It was a great invention for saving space, but it rarely equals the aesthetic value of the LP, and *the microscopic print of opera librettos is offputting at best*. A desire to strip down my possessions in old age has prompted the shrinking of my CD collection, and I now listen to music largely online. A new edition of the Solti _Ring_ will no doubt please a limited audience, and that's all any product needs to do. I won't be part of that audience,


Evidently the target audience is new young CD collectors with great eyesight.





On an unrelated note, does anyone ever wonder why sales of this stuff is down?


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## The Conte (May 31, 2015)

BachIsBest said:


> Evidently the target audience is new young CD collectors with great eyesight.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Depends what you mean by "this stuff". 

1) I would expect sales of older recordings to be down because those that want them already have them in previous physical incarnations.

2) New recordings of standard rep won't sell many copies as most opera fans seem to prepare the singers in the older recordings (see point 1).

N.


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## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

iroman said:


> Pls comment on the vinyl impressions!


On this moment the only thing I can do is stare at it, iI looks stunning and I have to start but I am so scared it's getting sticky fingers or some kind of silly accident . I will let you know in time.


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## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

iroman said:


> Pls comment on the vinyl impressions!


I just received this, now I can spin the whole lot .


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## iroman (2 mo ago)

Rogerx said:


> I just received this, now I can spin the whole lot .


I compared 2012 vs 2022 in Qobuz and I am pretty confident to the point of ordering the vinyl too (looks promising). 

2022 sounds apparently louder (some people claim the same) but when you compare both during low volume passages, both sound very close, only when volume rises it is when 2022 seems louder, either by mastering compression or reaching higher dynamics. ¿?

Due to the slight brighter sound of 2022, I would say it is compression due to remastering choices reviving old tapes, however the tone seems to be (by far) more correct than 2012. 
2012 edition has a common colour that affects every voice, instrument, etc. and in 2022 this is gone and tone seems truer to the nature of the instruments, maybe due to closer fidelity at 24/192 on original tapes)

I believe however this certain brightness may well be tamed in the vinyl edition, getting the best of both worlds: detail but also certain warmth. 

More thoughts on this when I have the vinyl. 
Also lookig forward to the comments of Rogerx!!!


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## stanzanim (17 d ago)

I listen to the

original LPs (I got the from ebay: original UK pressing 5 years ago at 250 pounds)
Bluray [email protected]
Qobuz (just Walkure and Rheingold)
did somebody compared this new remastering against the Esoteric SACDs? I got the ISOs from the torrents since they are out of print.


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## stanzanim (17 d ago)

You can find the thielemann ring stramin here


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

I haven't heard this since I was a teen in Mississippi but upon all the good critical praise I decided to buy a near mint condition LP version of Solti's Gotterdammerung at a very good price, although more than any other vinyl I have been buying lately. I look forward to hearing it's supposed virtues. I wanted to get Varnay's version with Knapperbusch ( sp?) but they were over $100 and that is too rich for my blood. I got the Time Life edition which I suppose is the same as the regular initial version. I am very excited. It is one of my 2 or 3 favorite operas.


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## MAS (Apr 15, 2015)

Seattleoperafan said:


> I haven't heard this since I was a teen in Mississippi but upon all the good critical praise I decided to buy a near mint condition LP version of Solti's Gotterdammerung at a very good price, although more than any other vinyl I have been buying lately. I look forward to hearing it's supposed virtues. I wanted to get Varnay's version with Knapperbusch ( sp?) but they were over $100 and that is too rich for my blood. I got the Time Life edition which I suppose is the same as the regular initial version. I am very excited. It is one of my 2 or 3 favorite operas.


The Time-Life was super deluxe in the day. iIt should sound sumptuous.


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## marlow (11 mo ago)

Frankly this is just another money-spinning exercise by Decca. Unless you have superlative equipment (which I haven’t) or the hearing of a bat (again wanting) you are not going to tell a lot of difference apart from that which your mind tells you - that because you spent £400 it must be better!


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## damianjb1 (Jan 1, 2016)

MAS said:


> Do the streaming services stream *Ring *operas?


Yes. You can get several on Idagio (both well known studio recordings and private recordings from 1950's Bayreuth to present). Spotify has even more options. Here is a sample of what is available on Idagio for Gotterdamerung.

Lots of duplication but there's a pretty good selection there.


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## WorldEnd (14 d ago)

Greetings from a (very) new member prompted to join by this very interesting and erudite thread - thanks to all.
I only have the original 15 CD release (1984?) of the wonderful Ring recording produced by John Culshaw and his team (aided and abetted by Solti and Wagner, of course, and the magnificent musicians and singers).
I wish I had bought the Bu-ray reissue on release partly because of hoped for improved sound and placement but mainly because of the convenience of the whole shebang on a single disc!
My hi-fi is old (c1995) but decent - Quad 67/66/bi-amp 606s/Ruark speakers. My ears are also old (c1948) and not as good as they were particularly on the left channel.
I remain to be convinced that I would gain from “upgrading” at some expense but I really should spend more time listening to what I have!
Incidentally, I believe Culshaw moved Valhalla and Earth in trying to obtain the release of the Decca 1951 Bayreuth Knappertsbusch Götterdämmerung but even he was ultimately defeated by the legal bods at Decca and EMI over artists recording rights.
Best wishes for 2023 to all.


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## MAS (Apr 15, 2015)

WorldEnd said:


> Greetings from a (very) new member prompted to join by this very interesting and erudite thread - thanks to all.
> I only have the original 15 CD release (1984?) of the wonderful Ring recording produced by John Culshaw and his team (aided and abetted by Solti and Wagner, of course, and the magnificent musicians and singers).
> I wish I had bought the Bu-ray reissue on release partly because of hoped for improved sound and placement but mainly because of the convenience of the whole shebang on a single disc!
> My hi-fi is old (c1995) but decent - Quad 67/66/bi-amp 606s/Ruark speakers. My ears are also old (c1948) and not as good as they were particularly on the left channel.
> ...


Greetings!
It’s worthwhile to get the Blu-ray Audio release, though you’ll have to play it on your Blu player and thus your TV (no picture) - the sound is spectacular, especially if you have the first CD release.


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## WorldEnd (14 d ago)

Thanks for your advice; I’m sure you are right and my Blu-ray player can be played through the hi-fi so I’m not reliant on the 10 pound/dollar/euros worth of amp/speakers normally found in a TV set. The problem is a) extremely limited avaliability and b) extortionate _advertised _price of Solti/Ring Blu-ray Disc!
I wonder why an upgraded Blu-ray is not included in the latest Decca offerings?


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## MAS (Apr 15, 2015)

WorldEnd said:


> Thanks for your advice; I’m sure you are right and my Blu-ray player can be played through the hi-fi so I’m not reliant on the 10 pound/dollar/euros worth of amp/speakers normally found in a TV set. The problem is a) extremely limited avaliability and b) extortionate _advertised _price of Solti/Ring Blu-ray Disc!
> I wonder why an upgraded Blu-ray is not included in the latest Decca offerings?


You’re right, the prices ARE outrageous - I hadn’t checked before I wrote the above! When I bought mine it was around U.S. $60.


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## LeoPiano (Nov 1, 2020)

If people want to buy the Solti Ring in its new remastering, I can't see why they would buy the physical product when they can just download it. I looked on Qobuz and both Rheingold and Walkure can be bought in the same 24 bit/192 kHz format as the SACD for about $25 each. The downloads aren't the cheapest (the whole Ring would come to $100), but in comparison the SACDs are about $85 and $100 respectfully, which is way too steep for a single recording.


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## The Conte (May 31, 2015)

LeoPiano said:


> If people want to buy the Solti Ring in its new remastering, I can't see why they would buy the physical product when they can just download it. I looked on Qobuz and both Rheingold and Walkure can be bought in the same 24 bit/192 kHz format as the SACD for about $25 each. The downloads aren't the cheapest (the whole Ring would come to $100), but in comparison the SACDs are about $85 and $100 respectfully, which is way too steep for a single recording.


I don't do downloads. Whether I would pay about $385 for a new mastering of a Ring Cycle, probably not. (Although I would be tempted if it were the Keilberth 53 and the technology could produce a modern studio quality sound.)

N.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

I just found out that the Solti Gotterdammerung LP Set I bought is from the estate library of Kurt Masur! I have a celebrity recording!!! I am stoked. They sent me Siegfried by mistake and it was a Time Life Issue and was the most beautiful and impeccable boxed set I had ever seen. I listened to the duet and it was astonishing!!!!! The Gotterdammerung is in the mail.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Seattleoperafan said:


> I just found out that the Solti Gotterdammerung LP Set I bought is from the estate library of Kurt Masur! I have a celebrity recording!!! I am stoked. They sent me Siegfried by mistake and it was a Time Life Issue and was the most beautiful and impeccable boxed set I had ever seen. I listened to the duet and it was astonishing!!!!! The Gotterdammerung is in the mail.


You're bringing back nice memories of acquiring the Solti _Ring_ in my teens (omitting the _Walkure_, for which opera I preferred the Leinsdorf recording in RCA's magnificent Soria series). I have to say that life has been downhill ever since.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Woodduck said:


> You're bringing back nice memories of acquiring the Solti _Ring_ in my teens (omitting the _Walkure_, for which opera I preferred the Leinsdorf recording in RCA's magnificent Soria series). I have to say that life has been downhill ever since.


I listened in my teens to the one from the library that had Nilsson in her Valkyrie outfit on the booklet. I can't remember which one that was. I heard from the seller that someone famous signed my Gotter..... booklet. Please Please be Nilsson!!! I listened to Nilsson's Siegfried duet from the Time Life Series and her voice sounds much better on vinyl. I also perused and bought a Beethoven Complete Symphony set by Toscanni from the Masur private library collection. i am stoked.


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## Barbebleu (May 17, 2015)

WorldEnd said:


> Greetings from a (very) new member prompted to join by this very interesting and erudite thread - thanks to all.
> I only have the original 15 CD release (1984?) of the wonderful Ring recording produced by John Culshaw and his team (aided and abetted by Solti and Wagner, of course, and the magnificent musicians and singers).
> I wish I had bought the Bu-ray reissue on release partly because of hoped for improved sound and placement but mainly because of the convenience of the whole shebang on a single disc!
> My hi-fi is old (c1995) but decent - Quad 67/66/bi-amp 606s/Ruark speakers. My ears are also old (c1948) and not as good as they were particularly on the left channel.
> ...


Welcome to both the forum and the thread. I too have no faith that I would benefit from an upgrade. I have a reasonable hi fi and my ears are the same age as yours but my fault lies in the right channel!😂. If I live for another 74 years I may get to hear everything I have once more but I’m not putting money on it!


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## WorldEnd (14 d ago)

Thank you Barbebleu!
If we sat together facing the hi-fi with me to your right, each deploying our “good” ear, we _may_ benefit from the latest recordings!
Er……do you have £400 to spare?


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## MAS (Apr 15, 2015)

Seattleoperafan said:


> I just found out that the Solti Gotterdammerung LP Set I bought is from the estate library of Kurt Masur! I have a celebrity recording!!! I am stoked. They sent me Siegfried by mistake and it was a Time Life Issue and was the most beautiful and impeccable boxed set I had ever seen. I listened to the duet and it was astonishing!!!!! The Gotterdammerung is in the mail.


You should’ve kept the Siegfried! (In my opinion).


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

MAS said:


> You should’ve kept the Siegfried! (In my opinion).


Gotterdammerung is up with Aida and Norma as my favorite operas. Siegfried I LOVED LOVED live but not so much to listen to regularly.


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## philpam1 (2 d ago)

Couchie said:


> Just give us the FLAC files to download for a fee, please. Does anybody younger than 70 care about the pomp and circumstance of physical media anymore? "180g audiophile vinyl"... "lavish booklets"... they are pushing horse carriages when the world has moved on to automobiles.


That's very interesting. I'm very 73. I've never bought a FLAC download though I may do so in the future from sites like Pristine or Prestoclassical given how CDs are disappearing. Do you burn your FLAC downloads to disc for playing in a CD player or listen to them in some other fashion?


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