Der Ring Des Nibelungen

Back in the 60s, I bought this recording of the Ring on LPs which was the only format available at that time. I sold the records subsequently and haven't heard this recording in over 45 years!! Listening to this Pure Audio Blu-Ray was just mind boggling! With score (partitur) in hand, I followed every note and although I have Ring cycles by Solti (the first modern recording) Thielmann, Boulez and Levine, I can honestly say that the Berlin Phil plays this music in a most beautiful way--every pizzicato exact. Some reviewers have talked about Von Karajan's "chamber music" approach, but there's nothing small or confined about this sound. Karajan takes the longest to get through the music (about 14 hours and 58 minutes) far longer than Boulez, Leinsdorf, Levine, Solti or any other that I could find. But when listening to this Ring the fast passages are lively and the introspective passages are taken at a slower tempo than most. The pace never seems too slow nor too fast. I suspect this is Karajan's way of taking care of all the details beautifully and translating them to the fabulous Berlin Philharmonic.As to vocal casting, I think this is pretty subjective and could find no fault in any of Karajan's selections. There are some very famous singers used. But the star of this show is the Berlin players.Caveat emptor: This set contains only ONE disk. Yes nearly all 15 hours are on a Blu-Ray disk that will NOT play in a CD or DVD player. You must have a Blu Ray Player to play it on a hi-fi system or it will play on a computer with appropriate Blu-Ray software. At last, the complete Ring with no side changes or interruptions. It will in fact when choosing "Play All" start with the low E-flat Rhine theme and go all the way to Brunnhilde's immolation scene. without stopping!! A 402-page booklet is included which contains short essays on each opera along with a German/English libretto. Complete orchestral scores are available from Dover Publishing Co.

The Karajan Ring will always remain somewhat controversial as well as the subject of debate centering on Solti vs Karajan. All these years later however, we can look back and see the virtues of both, and I, for one, would not be without both versions. The debate can continue about the "chamber version" and some of Karajan's choices for singers, but this remains a great Ring: superbly played and with many very fine singers; indeed, Thomas Stewart was one of the greats, though under-valued by the recording industry. Be all that as it may, the question that must be asked about this issue is whether the Blu-ray is an improvement, and whether it is worth it. To this, I would answer an emphatic "Yes." The clarity of the Blu-ray sound is revelatory, presenting a wider, deeper stage image which at times sounds more "live" than many live recordings. I have never favored the Karajan Ring as highly as the Solti (among studio recordings: I greatly enjoy the Boeh and the Keilberth Rings, both live and in very good sound), but the added "space" that the Blu-ray release reveals leaves me now undecided. Better NOT to decide: both are great, both stand even higher in their Blu-ray versions, and both belong on the shelf of any Wagner aficionado. Very highly recommended!I've now made my way through the entire Ring, and most of my initial impressions hold true vis-a-vis the sound. However, with Siegfried the problems of the singers begin to get in the way for me - which must be largely a matter of individual taste, and therefore can't be taken as more than an individual opinion: I find Jess Thomas' Siegfried uncomfortable vocally - he is simply out-parted, though intelligent. Thomas Stewart does better, but the Wanderer is a size to big for his baritonal voice; something deeper is needed. And alas, I find Helge Dernisch vastly over-parted and simply wrong for the part (opinion, again!). In Gotterdammerung the problem is worse: Brilioth's voice is uneven, with bright spots and less bright spots, and not enough power or experience in the role of Siegfried. Ridderbusch's Hagen is wonderfully sung, but sounds too nice, and Dernisch is again out of her vocal depth. Thomas Stewart is a superb Gunther, a part that fits his voice far better than Wotan.So: for Rheingold and Walkure we have fine casts, and throughout the sound and the playing of the Berlin Philharmonic remain absolutely wonderful. I'd hate to be without the first two operas, but for the whole Ring, I'll turn to Solti (in Blu-Ray!) and Keilberth's live Ring. Ridderbusch is superb elsewhere (Pogner...) and Stewart remains a very great Sachs or Telramund or Gunther.Still recommended, but with casting reservations. Superb sound!

(Review of the Blu-ray release/2017.)With more warmth, a little more detail, and a “firmer” presence overall, this new blu-ray is the best version of Karajan’s Ring available. However, even the blu-ray cannot correct the one inherent flaw that I have always heard in these recordings, which is a somewhat constricted and forced-sounding brass section apparent throughout the four operas.Even with its limitations in voice, Karajan’s transversal has always been my favorite studio-bound Ring. I only wish DG supplied the same excellent sound previously allowed for HvK’s famous Beethoven set just a few years earlier. I sometimes wonder if this was Karajan’s own doing, in that he wanted a different sound than what Decca had given Solti, which was very close-miked and in-your-face. Perhaps Karajan wanted a loftier, more objective sound to match his more sweeping, organic interpretation. I can almost hear Karajan telling Gunter Hermanns “move the microphones back, back!”. Unfortunately, the more distant sound only left the large brass section in a tight little zone of the soundstage, which made the great Berlin brass players sound somewhat harsh and not very penetrating.Even with these original sound-flaws, Karajan’s Ring remains a mesmerizing transversal of this great work for those who’re seeking something more human, and perhaps a bit more musical than what you get with Solti’s muscular reading.

Des heures d’écoutes. Excellente version. La qualité audio du Blu-ray est remarquable. Je recommande fortement

Increíble sonido y calidad. La oiré vez tras vez. Es un “must” para los melómanoa

Un des plus beaux enregistrements de l'histoire du disque tout simplement ....

It’s very handy to navigate through the whole series of songs just by clicking indexes. The sound is of course excellent！

Non perdo tempo a enumerare i pregi di questa edizione leggendaria. Fu il mio primo Ring tra gli anni 70 e 80 e questa versione in blu ray audio rende giustizia rinnovata alla seta caratteristica dei Berliner e alla lettura singolare concepita da Karajan. Confezione splendida anche se...... Raffrontando le foto in rete alla mia copia, sulla mia versione manca il logo blu ray sulla costa del box esterno e TUTTE LE SPECIFICHE di ogni opera sul retro del medesimo. Spazi neri in poche parole. Chiedo una cortesia a chiunque l'abbia acquistata: HO SOLO IO QUESTO ERRORE DI STAMPA O È NORMALE?