Wagner: Der Ring des Nibelungen [Deluxe numbered limited edition] [CD+DVD, Deluxe Edition, Box set]

A luxury this may be, but a beautifully presented edition of this now landmark recording which has (again) been remastered offering even better sound quality than the last (1997?) CD version. It is more transparent and "airier" and belies the fact that the recording is in part over 50 years old! The BluRay disc offers potentially even better sound, but I noticed that the sound was more congested when played on the new Panasonic BluRay recorder/player than when I used an early (but quite esoteric) Pioneer player, in both cases feeding a very good receiver fed directly by HDMI connection. On my system, the BluRay sounds more natural in Stereo than in pseudo-surround mode; I would love to hear the BluRay version played on a high-end universal player with top-quality analogue outputs through my system; only then could I make a fair comparison with the CD version as played through a reference CD player.
As far as the performance goes, it still remains one of the first choices for a complete recorded Ring cycle; I do find Solti a little overdriven at times, although many of the tender moments are handled with surprising delicacy. The orchestra is peerless, and of the course the cast generally represents the best Wagner singers of the post-war period. The greatest gain of the latest remastering is the extra sense of presence and transparency of the voices; for example, Hotter sounds much fresher to me, and Nilsson warmer and less relentless...... (just a subjective reaction, no offence to fervent fans of this great soprano.....)
Is it worth the money? Well, I'm sure this excellent remastering will be available more cheaply in more basic packaging, but there is something satisfyingly indulgent about owning this special edition; considering the many extras and the nostalgic inducing quality books/booklets etc. then in my opinion it is. The included DVD documentary is available on it's own on amazon for prices up to £38! That makes the remaining 17 CD's plus the BluRay less than £10 apiece............

This cost a lot of money for a set that's been out for such a long time, so my three stars reflects value as well. For anyone wishing to mark Wagner year and honour this famous recording, this box is worth having. It's packaged in four heavy books, each about the size of an LP set. In one you'll find the full text of Culshaw's marvellous account of the recording of the Solti Ring, The Ring Resounding. If you have the original book you'll have clearer print and far better reproduction of the photographs, which are rather poor here, but if you don't, this is wonderful to have. Another volume very usefully prints the text and music examples of Deryck Cooke's An Introduction to Der Ring des Nibelungen, which you also get on two CDs; this is another strong incentive to buy this set. The reproduction of extracts from Solti's conducting scores, including several pages from the opening of Die Walkure, Act III (Ride of the Valkryies) is fascinating for the light they shed on the way Solti communicated with the Decca production team. Another huge bonus.

I also enjoyed the fine reproduction of pages from the Gramophone relating to the Ring project, including Decca's detailed advertisements, all with wonderful pictures. But the large-format photographs given separately are not of high enough quality to get me excited.

The librettos are given, of course, in another book, but the question a lot of people will ask is whether the latests CDs and blu-ray disc give us a significant improvement over the last version, which is now available very cheaply indeed. The answer is not enough. Decca didn't do a new transfer for this edition; they merely had another crack at the digital tapes made in 1997, because the analogue tapes were found to be unplayable. This is a tragedy, reflecting little credit on Decca, for I am not convinced that we are yet hearing the full potential of those famous master tapes. There is certainly some improvement, but I listen to a lot of Decca recordings from around this time, and many sound better than this. I also play the LPs of the Solti Ring, which also have a bite and warmth that seems to be missing in these CDs.

The 24 bit, 48000 blu-ray files certainly sound impressive. They undoubtedly reveal a little more than the CDs, but the improvement on my system was fairly modest (I was listening on Music Fidelity power amps and B&W 802 Matrix speakers). Just before listening to some of these Ring discs I had been overwhelmed by the beauty of the Sofiensaal sound in Brahms, Symphony No. 2 conducted by Kertesz, which has just appeared on Eloquence. It's a fair comparison because it's the same venue, the same year as the Gotterdammerung (1964), and same orchestra. The Brahms sounds far more like I feel the Ring should sound -- warm, enveloping, massively detailed, punchy at climaxes, etc.

It's hard to know what to recommend. If you just want the Solti Ring and are not too cranky about sound quality, the new Solti Wagner package is incredible value (Solti, Wagner: The Operas). If you want the last drop of sound quality that Decca is prepared or able to get out of it, get the limited edition, but don't expect too much: the print is not always easy to read (compared with the LP booklets and Culshaw book) and the sound isn't revelatory. This is around £200 after all.

It was delivered last night from amazon uk and I am delighted with the sheer quality of this box set's production quality.

I have many expensive box sets, some nearly as expensive as this one but this collection is by far the highest quality. Is it value for money? Absolutely not. If it was value for money you are after you would buy another shoebox sized set from Brilliant Records (I have a good many).

No, what is on offer here is quality, a thing of beauty, something to treasure over the years.

I have listened to rhinegold so far and I hear a noticeable improvement in noise floor and a general sharpness in audio detail over the 1997 remasters. It's hard to believe it was recorded before I was born, such is the clarity and width of the sound field.

I really enjoy old style stereo recording techniques. I find most modern recordings emphasise the centre of the stereo image too much producing a narrow sound field. Solti's Ring is an outstanding example of how stereo sound should be, ie wide from side to side and deep from front to back. There is a clear differentiation between left and right channels here giving a three dimensional feeling like you are on the stage with them.

I listen exclusively with headphones (Audeze LCD2) so this is especially noticeable.

In conclusion; a beautiful set in itself with the added bonus of the definitive version of one of the best sound recordings ever made.