# Best Boulez Ring?



## Guest (Jan 14, 2019)

Which one do people think is the best of these? I recently bought the 1977 but I have my eyes on the 1976 one as well......I've listened to the 1979-80 Ring on Philips but it seems lacking something just a bit, not sure what it is.


----------



## Guest (Jan 15, 2019)

So, one vote so far for the 1977 ring. Does anyone have any thoughts on these?


----------



## WildThing (Feb 21, 2017)

Wish I could help, but I'm simply not very fond of Boulez conducting Wagner. Sorry!


----------



## wkasimer (Jun 5, 2017)

I need to listen to 1976 and 1977 again. The casts are very, very similar. I certainly wouldn't choose the 1979-80 cycle - Gwyneth Jones' voice aged a bit during those few years, and Manfred Jung is a pretty poor Siegfried.


----------



## Guest (Jan 16, 2019)

wkasimer said:


> I need to listen to 1976 and 1977 again. The casts are very, very similar. I certainly wouldn't choose the 1979-80 cycle - Gwyneth Jones' voice aged a bit during those few years, and Manfred Jung is a pretty poor Siegfried.


I've heard from a number of sources that the 76 and 77 are superior to the later one. So far the poll is showing the later one as the preferred recording, however, I'm interested to know why...........


----------



## DarkAngel (Aug 11, 2010)

I think most of us at historical wagner thread like the 77 better, the new production ran from 1976-80 and the crowd is adjusting to new sets in 76 with some vocal displeasure (very rare at bayreuth) and like WK says Jones is in freshest voice in first two seasons........as always with operadepot wait for 50% off sales that happen many times each year

McIntyre not the greatest wotan/wanderer but at least in 77 you get young Kollo in Siegfried, G Jones is the main draw excellent live sound quality.....


----------



## JoeSaunders (Jan 29, 2015)

Haven't got the others to compare, but I do have the 1976 one and I absolutely cannot recommend Jess Thomas as the Gotterdammerung Siegfried. Though hefty, his voice is incredibly tired sounding, inflexible and forced. If having a good older Siegfried is important to you I'd skip the 1976 one and go for one with Jung, despite his own flaws.


----------



## Itullian (Aug 27, 2011)

I am very happy with the 79-80 one.
The recorded sound is worth any flaws to me.


----------



## wkasimer (Jun 5, 2017)

JoeSaunders said:


> Haven't got the others to compare, but I do have the 1976 one and I absolutely cannot recommend Jess Thomas as the Gotterdammerung Siegfried. Though hefty, his voice is incredibly tired sounding, inflexible and forced. If having a good older Siegfried is important to you I'd skip the 1976 one and go for one with Jung, despite his own flaws.


Although I'm a little more charitable toward Thomas than Joe is - after all, Thomas probably should never have sung Siegfried at all, and was approaching the end of his useful career - I think that he's correct. Jung in 1977, singing only the elder Siegfried in Gotterdammerung, actually sounds OK. He's much fresher here than he was a few years later, singing the role in both operas.

So assuming equivalent sonics, I'd go with 1977 if I were to have only one Boulez RING.


----------

