[Seattleoperafan]

You're bringing back nice memories of acquiring the Solti Ring in my teens (omitting the Walkure, for which opera I preferred the Leinsdorf recording in RCA's magnificent Soria series). I have to say that life has been downhill ever since.

I listened in my teens to the one from the library that had Nilsson in her Valkyrie outfit on the booklet. I can't remember which one that was. I heard from the seller that someone famous signed my Gotter..... booklet. Please Please be Nilsson!!! I listened to Nilsson's Siegfried duet from the Time Life Series and her voice sounds much better on vinyl. I also perused and bought a Beethoven Complete Symphony set by Toscanni from the Masur private library collection. i am stoked.

 

[Barbebleu]

Greetings from a (very) new member prompted to join by this very interesting and erudite thread - thanks to all.
I only have the original 15 CD release (1984?) of the wonderful Ring recording produced by John Culshaw and his team (aided and abetted by Solti and Wagner, of course, and the magnificent musicians and singers).
I wish I had bought the Bu-ray reissue on release partly because of hoped for improved sound and placement but mainly because of the convenience of the whole shebang on a single disc!
My hi-fi is old (c1995) but decent - Quad 67/66/bi-amp 606s/Ruark speakers. My ears are also old (c1948) and not as good as they were particularly on the left channel.
I remain to be convinced that I would gain from “upgrading” at some expense but I really should spend more time listening to what I have!
Incidentally, I believe Culshaw moved Valhalla and Earth in trying to obtain the release of the Decca 1951 Bayreuth Knappertsbusch Götterdämmerung but even he was ultimately defeated by the legal bods at Decca and EMI over artists recording rights.
Best wishes for 2023 to all.

Welcome to both the forum and the thread. I too have no faith that I would benefit from an upgrade. I have a reasonable hi fi and my ears are the same age as yours but my fault lies in the right channel!😂. If I live for another 74 years I may get to hear everything I have once more but I’m not putting money on it!

 

[WorldEnd]

Thank you Barbebleu!
If we sat together facing the hi-fi with me to your right, each deploying our “good” ear, we may benefit from the latest recordings!
Er……do you have £400 to spare?

 

[MAS]

I just found out that the Solti Gotterdammerung LP Set I bought is from the estate library of Kurt Masur! I have a celebrity recording!!! I am stoked. They sent me Siegfried by mistake and it was a Time Life Issue and was the most beautiful and impeccable boxed set I had ever seen. I listened to the duet and it was astonishing!!!!! The Gotterdammerung is in the mail.

You should’ve kept the Siegfried! (In my opinion).

 

[Seattleoperafan]

You should’ve kept the Siegfried! (In my opinion).

Gotterdammerung is up with Aida and Norma as my favorite operas. Siegfried I LOVED LOVED live but not so much to listen to regularly.

 

[philpam1]

Just give us the FLAC files to download for a fee, please. Does anybody younger than 70 care about the pomp and circumstance of physical media anymore? "180g audiophile vinyl"... "lavish booklets"... they are pushing horse carriages when the world has moved on to automobiles.

That's very interesting. I'm very 73. I've never bought a FLAC download though I may do so in the future from sites like Pristine or Prestoclassical given how CDs are disappearing. Do you burn your FLAC downloads to disc for playing in a CD player or listen to them in some other fashion?

 

[Seattleoperafan]

I just got an incredible like new vinyl Solti Gotterdammerung and am halfway through listening to it. There are many wonderous things about it. The orchestra, the singers, the best booklet ever with a libretto from the Time Life series you can actually read. My problem is I like singers and the emphasis is 70% on the orchestra and 30% on the singers. Nilsson has a huge voice but I never get a thrill from it because it is always playing second fiddle to the orchestra. This did not happen in his Elektra with her. Am I the only person to feel this way about this otherwise monumental recording?????????? During the Brunhilde/ Waltraute scene if I wanted to get the full impact of the singers the orchestra put out my ears. I guess Solti thought his orchestra was the real star and made it so.

 

[MAS]

I just got an incredible like new vinyl Solti Gotterdammerung and am halfway through listening to it. There are many wonderous things about it. The orchestra, the singers, the best booklet ever with a libretto from the Time Life series you can actually read. My problem is I like singers and the emphasis is 70% on the orchestra and 30% on the singers. Nilsson has a huge voice but I never get a thrill from it because it is always playing second fiddle to the orchestra. This did not happen in his Elektra with her. Am I the only person to feel this way about this otherwise monumental recording?????????? During the Brunhilde/ Waltraute scene if I wanted to get the full impact of the singers the orchestra put out my ears. I guess Solti thought his orchestra was the real star and made it so.

Birgit didn’t like it, either! Complained all her life about the balance on the Ring recordings.

 

[Seattleoperafan]

Birgit didn’t like it, either! Complained all her life about the balance on the Ring recordings.

Her voice is HUGE and you never feel the impact of it like I am sure you would in an opera house. Politics!!

 

[Becca]

Her voice is HUGE and you never feel the impact of it like I am sure you would in an opera house. Politics!!

Nope .... Ego!!

 

[Becca]

If anyone is interested, I have the Solti Siegfried and Gotterdammerung available on vinyl, with booklets, also the HvK Walkure

 

[Seattleoperafan]

Nope .... Ego!!

I have the last act of Walkure with Traubel and Janssen and lord the voices are INCREDIBLE. It spoiled me. I am not sad I got the Solti, but it will never affect me like the Traubel/ Janssen record.

 

[Seattleoperafan]

Where it does work is with male voices which are much more prominent than the female voices and the bits with the chorus are simply amazing and so thrilling.

 

[Woodduck]

I just got an incredible like new vinyl Solti Gotterdammerung and am halfway through listening to it. There are many wonderous things about it. The orchestra, the singers, the best booklet ever with a libretto from the Time Life series you can actually read. My problem is I like singers and the emphasis is 70% on the orchestra and 30% on the singers. Nilsson has a huge voice but I never get a thrill from it because it is always playing second fiddle to the orchestra. This did not happen in his Elektra with her. Am I the only person to feel this way about this otherwise monumental recording?????????? During the Brunhilde/ Waltraute scene if I wanted to get the full impact of the singers the orchestra put out my ears. I guess Solti thought his orchestra was the real star and made it so.

It's Culshaw's fault, not Solti's.

 

[Seattleoperafan]

It's Culshaw's fault, not Solti's.

Was he the producer?

 

[Woodduck]

........................................................

 

[Woodduck]

Was he the producer?

Yes. The "Solti Ring" is the Culshaw Ring. He wrote a whole book about the project, Ring Resounding.

 

[Seattleoperafan]

Yes. The "Solti Ring" is the Culshaw Ring. He wrote a whole book about the project, Ring Resounding.

I don't like to "read" books after reading 1000 books in 4 years around the time i turned 50 but I may get this one. Before I do I plan to watch The Golden Ring, the documentary on making the "Culshaw Ring". I still do lots of books in audio form.

 

[philpam1]

I just got an incredible like new vinyl Solti Gotterdammerung and am halfway through listening to it. There are many wonderous things about it. The orchestra, the singers, the best booklet ever with a libretto from the Time Life series you can actually read. My problem is I like singers and the emphasis is 70% on the orchestra and 30% on the singers. Nilsson has a huge voice but I never get a thrill from it because it is always playing second fiddle to the orchestra. This did not happen in his Elektra with her. Am I the only person to feel this way about this otherwise monumental recording?????????? During the Brunhilde/ Waltraute scene if I wanted to get the full impact of the singers the orchestra put out my ears. I guess Solti thought his orchestra was the real star and made it so.

Try the Bohm Gotterdamerung where the orchestra-voice balance is better. Much of the Bohm Ring was spoiled for me by Theo Adam;s Wotan and the Solti Rheingold is much better generally. But the Bohm G. is just as good as Solti's in my judgement, maybe better.

 

[Seattleoperafan]

Try the Bohm Gotterdamerung where the orchestra-voice balance is better. Much of the Bohm Ring was spoiled for me by Theo Adam;s Wotan and the Solti Rheingold is much better generally. But the Bohm G. is just as good as Solti's in my judgement, maybe better.

I just found a bargain price on a near mint copy and ordered it. I don't regret the Solti but I might listen to the Bohm more. The booklet alone is worth the price for the Solti. I could sell it but it is too much trouble on Ebay. It was owned by Kurt Mazur.