Favourite Opera Recordings

I think the Solti has always been my favourite Ring Cycle. I have the Karajan cycle, a wonderful Christmas present from a friend a few years ago, when he was cutting right back on his vinyl.

Pristine Audio has some very wild and amazing remasters of golden age Wagner stuff, highly recommended, prices are reasonable. The iconic Furtwangker stuff for example, and much more.

For the Ring cycle, the old Solti stereo recordings are pretty good for sound quality.  

Now for something quite different.  I like the music, performance and sound quality of the Janacek Katya Kabanova with Elisabeth Soderstrom on Decca.

Now for something REALLY different and wonderfully weird: Rued Langgaard's "Antikrist" on the Dacapo label.  

My favourite is Wagner’s Ring Cycle conducted by, Daniel Barenboim on Warner Classics, 14 CD’s and also on DVD. It is probably the best of the modern Ring Cycles and whilst maybe not wipe the floor with Solti’s Ring Cycle it is definitely head and shoulders above it sound wise. In The new one it has in it’s Wotan a magisterial John Tomlinson whose first entry in Das Reingold sets the hairs rising on the back of your neck. This is a live performance from Bayreuth in the 90s so there is quite a bit of noise on stage but easily forgiven when you start listening. The sound from the orchestra has you on the edge of your seat, This is not a set of operas to lull you to sleep. Barenboim is superb, rarely have I heard Seigfried’s Death and funeral march so full of tragedy yet so beautifuly played. There are so many wonderfull things going on that the time flies in and you are at Gotterdamerung before you know it and yes I have listened to it in a full sitting.