# Wagner Ring Cycle -- I have Solti and Keilberth . . . recommendation for next step?



## radiodurans (Dec 8, 2018)

I currently own the Solti (2009 re-release) and Keilberth (1955) on Testament recordings of the Wagner Ring Cycle. I'm thinking about next steps in my Wagner library . . . what would you all recommend? I could start saving my pennies on another Ring recording (like a more modern one or an earlier one) or maybe this time go for a video version, or save my pennies for a different Wagner opera recording. I think I might also really like to see it performed live some day as another possible option. Looking forward to the feedback.


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Or you could download the seventies' Boulez for free here.


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## bigshot (Nov 22, 2011)

I would recommend a video Ring so you can see it. Mehta Valencia (my favorite right now), Boulez Bayreuth and the second Met are good video Rings too. Barenboim is good sounding, but I don't care for the staging. It can be had for dirt cheap though. Karajan's Rhinegold on DVD is a must have too.


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

As bigshot says, a video Ring is very important. Become familiar with the Ring on video and then when you listen to audio only it will have some imagery in your head to associate it with and you will be better able to follow the story. Now this works great for most operas, but the Ring is about 15 hours long. I confess to having only watched one video set with English subtitles. But I do have two more in my unwatched pile. The hurdle is jumping in. It is easier to pick one of many 2-hour operas in my pile, but at some point I need to do another video Ring. Alternately, there is Goodall's audio Ring sung in English, but that is harder too follow IMO than the video with subtitles.

As for audio Rings I am really liking the Sawallisch 1968 Roma Ring.


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## wkasimer (Jun 5, 2017)

Since you have two cycles that are fairly well cast and in excellent sound, I think that your next should be one of the Furtwangler cycles, which demonstrate what a great conductor can do with a 2nd rate orchestra. My preference is for the 1953 RAI set, which should be available cheaply.


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## gardibolt (May 22, 2015)

Don't sleep on the 1976 Boulez for free that Art Rock linked to. It's an excellent performance in very good sound (the booing of the crowd notwithstanding).


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

wkasimer said:


> Since you have two cycles that are fairly well cast and in excellent sound, I think that your next should be one of the Furtwangler cycles, which demonstrate what a great conductor can do with a 2nd rate orchestra. My preference is for the 1953 RAI set, which should be available cheaply.


I have a Furtwangler set, can't remember which one, but it is quite good!


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## JB Henson (Mar 29, 2019)

https://www.amazon.com/Wagner-Great-Operas-Bayreuth-Festival/dp/B00159679S <- this is a very good set if you want a complete (IE: sans Die Feen, Liebsverbot, and Rienzi), live run through of the Bayreuth canon for not much money. Most of the recordings are drawn from the mid-60s at the height of the Wieland years, although why they picked James Levine's centennial Parsifal over the superior '62 Knappertsbusch is a bit of a headscratcher. The only real clunker is Silvio Varviso's rather unfortunate centennial Die Meistersinger, which is a piece that never seems to do well on record. Also bare bones liner notes and no librettos since its a bargain box.


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## wkasimer (Jun 5, 2017)

JB Henson said:


> https://www.amazon.com/Wagner-Great-Operas-Bayreuth-Festival/dp/B00159679S <- this is a very good set if you want a complete (IE: sans Die Feen, Liebsverbot, and Rienzi), live run through of the Bayreuth canon for not much money. Most of the recordings are drawn from the mid-60s at the height of the Wieland years, although why they picked James Levine's centennial Parsifal over the superior '62 Knappertsbusch is a bit of a headscratcher.


Probably because they figured that most people already had the 1962, one of the greatest Wagner recordings. I hadn't heard the Levine, and that was one of the reasons I bought the set (I already had the Tristan and Ring).



> The only real clunker is Silvio Varviso's rather unfortunate centennial Die Meistersinger,


Too bad that was Decca's only choice. It's pretty bad.



> which is a piece that never seems to do well on record.


I must disagree with you here. There have been several good to excellent recordings of the opera - Solti 2, Karajan 2, Sawallisch, and especially Kubelik. Although it wasn't always the case, Meistersinger has done about as well on record as any of the other Wagner operas, and has done considerably better than Tannhauser.


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