Wagner: Der Ring des Nibelungen

Das Rheingold Wotan – Albert Dohmen Donner – Ralf Lukas Froh – Clemens Bieber Loge – Arnold Bezuyen Fasolt – Kwangchul Youn Fafner – Hans-Peter König Alberich – Andrew Shore Mime – Gerhard Siegel Frick – Michelle Breedt Freia – Edith Haller Erda – Christa Mayer Woglinde – Fionnuala McCarthy Wellgunde – Ulrike Helzel Flosshilde – Simone Schröder * * * Die Walküre Siegmund – Endrik Wottrich Hunding – Kwangchul Youn Wotan – Albert Dohmen Sieglinde – Eva-Maria Westbroek Brünnhilde – Linda Watson Fricka – Martina Dike Gerhilde – Sonja Mühleck Ortlinde – Anna Gabler Waltraute – Martina Dike Schwertleite – Simone Schröder Helmwige – Edith Haller Siegrune – Wilke te Brummelstroete Grimgerde – Annette Küttenbaum Rossweisse – Manuela Bress * * * Siegfried Siegfried – Stephen Gould Mime – Gerhard Siegel Der Wanderer – Albert Dohmen Alberich – Andrew Shore Fafner – Hans-Peter König Erda – Christa Mayer Brünnhilde – Linda Watson Stimme des Waldvogels – Robin Johannsen * * * Götterdämmerung Siegfried – Stephen Gould Gunther – Ralf Lukas Hagen – Hans-Peter König Alberich – Andrew Shore Brünnhilde – Linda Watson Gutrune – Edith Haller Waltraute – Christa Mayer Norn 1 – Simone Schröder Norn 2 – Martina Dike Norn 3 – Edith Haller Woglinde – Fionnuala McCarthy Wellgunde – Ulrike Helzel Flosshilde – Simone Schröder Bayreuth Festival Chorus and Orchestra Christian Thielemann, conductor Recorded live at the Bayreuth Festival, Germany, in 2008. * * * Wagner's epic four-opera cycle is a work of extraordinary scale - a full performance takes place over four nights with a total playing time of approximately 15 hours. Based loosely on characters from the Norse sagas, it is a work that follows the struggles of gods, heroes, mythical creatures, and the eponymous magical Ring that grants dominion over the entire world. The music is richly textured, and grows in complexity as the cycle proceeds - Wagner wrote for an orchestra of gargantuan proportions, including a greatly enlarged brass section with new instruments invented especially for the work. The Bayreuth Festspielhaus was constructed for this work to be performed in, with a specially designed stage that allows singers voices to blend with the huge orchestra without straining - essential for such long performances. ‘Whatever one's take on the production, Mr. Thielemann drew a probing, radiant and exhilarating musical performance from this orchestra of dedicated instrumentalists’ New York Times ‘ … there is no doubt that this year's Ring at Bayreuth belongs to… Thielemann…[who] creates a musical experience epic in its scale and inexorable in its apocalyptic, shattering power.’ The Guardian Recorded live at the Bayreuth Festival in 2008, this production stars a host of international stars including Michelle Breedt, Albert Dohmen, Stephen Gould, Hans-Peter Konig, Linda Watson & Eva-Maria Westbroek. Christian Thielemann, one of the most sought-after conductors in the world, takes the baton with the Bayreuth Festival Chorus and Orchestra. This 14-disc CD box set marks the first ever Opus Arte CD release, and the start of an exciting new direction for the company.