Rating : - At times vividly picturesque...
The revolutionary and contraversial German composer Richard Wagner composed a 13+ hour opera cycle (The Ring) based on Nordic mythology. Even though I have been a fan of ochestral and chamber music for over 25 years, I have only actually listened to a handful of operas in their entirety. I once sat down to listen to "Rheingold", which is Wagner's first instilation of the Ring cycle, and became so dreadfully bored that I shut it off after the first hour.

Not with standing, the "excerpts" from "The Ring" are quite amazing: very lush; majestic; very brassy and bombastic; and at times vividly picturesque. Wagner, after all, was to become the inspiration behind the whole post-Romantic movement. Mahler, Bruckner, Richard Strauss, Elgar, Neilsen, Franck, even Alban Berg and Ottorino Respeghi; have been influenced by Wagner's orchestrations.

Someday, I may give the complete operas another chance, but for now, these flawless reditions by the outstanding George Szell and the Clevelnad Orchestra are just the right dosage of Wagner for my diet.

Comparisons: Bernstein; Solti; Karajan; Stan Kenton (jazz versions)