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Wagner: The Ring Cycle. Diffinitive Lp Pressing?

After looking for a complete (slightly abused) volume of Sir Georg Solti's studio version on Decca in vain here in the states for some time now I see Testament Records is pressing Joseph Keilberth's live version of this Wagner masterpiece on vinyl as a 19 record set in the near future. Many performances appear on those shiny little silver discs and unfortunately that is the way I have been introduced to four versions of this opera conducted by Karajan, Clemens Kraus, Karl Bohm, and lastly Georg Solti. My query is this, what do you think of the current selection of available media quality CD, Lp, etc, then interpretation and performance, and finally pressing quality on vinyl. What is the definitive collection to own, if there is just one? I presently prefer Solti with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra on Decca vinyl both for sound quality (especially the air and dynamics) and performance although I admit there is much debate about the different performances. Some say Solti/Decca have the best recording of all time, with great names that were well past their prime and left the performance somewhat flat and two dimensional while others accuse him of being too bombastic as in his other ventures. Understanding performance differences is still my weak spot as I am relatively new to opera and this is one huge undertaking, but I enjoy what I hear.
What do you think?

Happy Listening!
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Showing 3 responses by rushton

rushton's avatar
rushton
2,445 posts
 
Rcprince, I'm kicking myself that I missed an opportunity to meet you at Lloyd Walker's house a couple of weeks ago. I was there for a little over an hour and did manage to meet Arnie B. Sorry I didn't know you were there so I could introduce myself.

All the best,
rushton's avatar
rushton
2,445 posts
 
I am a fan of the Solti cycle on London/Decca. For my tastes, it continues to rise above others for both performance and recording quality. Of the various pressings I have, I find the late English London pressings to be very good. The Dutch pressings have greater clarity, the English a bit more body and bass impact. I vacilate in my preference between them. I don't care for the early pressings, and the two Deccas I have don't sound better that the Londons.

And keep in mind, as much as I like these recordings and performances, they have a place in recording history that makes them more important than their inherent sonic qualities would otherwise merit on their own. Don't chase a sound quality chimera here in an exhaustive pressing-by-pressing search. For superb sonics in an opera, Britten's "Billy Budd" or "Death in Venice" (Decca/London) or R.Strauss "Die Agyptische Helena" (Decca/London) are sonically far superior. So, enjoy the Solti/Wagner for a great performance of incredible music, good (but not superb) sonics, and great historical significance.

Hope this is of some help.
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rushton's avatar
rushton
2,445 posts
 
Rcprince, I remember our conversation! Thanks for connecting the conversation, the face, and the name for me. I look forward to hearing from you in a separate email.
Cheers,
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