Richard Wagner (1813-1883)
Das Rheingold (1869)
Wotan: George London
Fricka: Kirsten Flagstad
Freia: Claire Watson
Loge: Set Svanholm
Froh: Waldemar Kmentt
Donner: Eberhardt Wächter
Mime: Paul Kuën
Erda: Jean Madeira
Alberich: Gustav Neidlinger
Fasolt: Walter Kreppel
Fafner: Kurt Böhme
Woglinde: Oda Balsborg
Wellgunde: Hetty Plümacher
Flosshilde: Ira Malaniùk
Wiener Philharmoniker/Sir Georg Solti
rec. 1958, Sofiensaal, Vienna
German text and English translation included
Decca 4853159 SACD [2 discs: 145]

Das Rheingold was the first instalment in what became, over the following seven years, ‘The Decca Ring’. As John Culshaw makes clear in Ring Resounding, his book about the recording of the cycle, when Das Rheingold was set down, there was by no means any certainty that the remaining parts of the tetralogy would also be made as a series of studio recordings. In 1958, such a project was a dauntingly expensive commercial risk. However, this particular recording proved to be the springboard for what was to follow; it gave Decca executives the confidence to sanction further recordings.

In late 2023, I reviewed the Solti recording of Götterdämmerung, newly remastered from SACD. Decca had already released the other three parts of the tetralogy in this format; my colleague Paul Corfield Godfrey had reviewed the remastered version of Siegfried and, based on his enthusiasm and my own experience of the other music dramas in the SACD format, I invested in my own copy of Siegfried. Now, I’ve been able to obtain a copy of Das Rheingold to review; I also have a copy of Die Walküre and my appraisal of that on SACDs will follow shortly.

The booklets accompanying all four SACD sets include an article by Dominic Fyfe, the Decca executive who has been responsible for the production of these remastered releases – and also for Decca’s superb remastering of Britten’s War Requiem (review). Fyfe tells us that Decca “have utilised a completely new set of high-definition 24 bit/192 kHz transfers of the original two-track stereo master tapes”. There’s further enlightenment as to the nature of the task: “Working with 38 reels of original master tapes – some up to 65 years old and spanning seven years of recording – there were inevitably instances where some individual tapes needed edit repairs or suffered oxide shedding. Tapes in poor condition were baked for ten hours at 55˚C to restore their integrity”. MusicWeb has already published a discussion of this remastering – and the previous remastering history of all four recordings – in an article by Jack Lawson.

Approaching this latest remastering, I adopted a similar approach to the one I used when reviewing Götterdämmerung: in addition to listening to the opera on SACD, I made excerpted comparisons between the 1984 CD release (kindly loaned to me by Len Mullenger), my copy of the 2012 BD-A, and the brand-new remastering on SACD. To ensure a level playing field, I listened to everything on the same player, a Marantz UD7007. However, I found that I needed to make fewer audio comparisons this time round; it didn’t take me long to establish conclusively that the SACD version offers the best sound.

Famously, Das Rheingold included in its cast Kirsten Flagstad as Fricka. She had been encouraged to come out of retirement to make some recordings for Decca and this project proved to be the pinnacle of what we might regard as her little Indian summer in the recording studio. Culshaw hoped that she might take part in subsequent instalments of the cycle but time was not on her side. The cancer that was to kill her gradually undermined her health and this great Wagner soprano died in December 1962. The role of Fricka is, of course, far smaller in scale than that of Brünnhilde, for which Flagstad had won such renown; yet it is still an important role and Flagstad brings all her long Wagnerian experience to it. I honestly don’t think there’s any audible sign of declining powers; on the contrary, she characterises the role marvellously and with great understanding; furthermore, her voice is in excellent condition. So, for example, she’s an admirable foil to Wotan in their first exchanges in Scene 1. In Scene 2 she brings ideal expression to ‘Wotan, Gemahl’, while much later on, during Scene 4, I greatly admired the expressiveness and full tone with which she invests ‘Wo willst du, Wotan?’

Das Rheingold was also notable for the sole appearance in the cycle of George London (1920-1985). Wotan was one of his signature roles and many have regretted that he did not feature in any of the subsequent recordings. Culshaw explained in Ring Resounding that London had been his choice for this one assignment, rather than Hans Hotter, because “I have always felt that Rheingold required, dramatically and musically, a young-sounding Wotan, and the part had never really suited Hotter, at least during the years since the end of the war”. Whatever the respective merits of these two great Wagner singers, I don’t think there’s any doubt that London really delivers the goods in this recording. From the outset he sounds very imposing: in Scene 1, he’s majestic in his delivery of ‘Vollendet das ewige Werk!’ He makes superb contributions to the riveting exchanges with Alberich and Loge that lie at the heart of the drama – the intensity of his tussle with Alberich in Scene 4 for possession of the ring is palpable, even though one can’t see what is going on; this is great vocal acting, both by London and by Gustav Neidlinger. As Rheingold draws to a close, London’s rendition of ‘Abendlich strahlt der Sonne Auge’ is simply magnificent.

The rest of the cast is equally strong. Set Svanholm is a marvellous, cunning Loge. Claire Watson conveys the terror of Freia when she is held as the giants’ hostage. As portrayed by Walter Kreppel and Kurt Böhme respectively, Fasolt and Fafner are big characters in every sense of the word. I also much admired Jean Madeira’s short but imperious appearance as Erda, warning Wotan against keeping the ring. There’s an argument, though, for saying that Gustav Neidlinger as Alberich vies with George London to be the star of the show (if I may use such a flippant term in this context). His malevolent portrayal of this insidious character is frighteningly complete. I’d hate, for example, to be one of the Nibelungs under his command; no wonder their screams (voiced by forty young boys) are so realistic. He plays his full part in making the exchanges with Loge and Wotan such a compelling experience. Then, his performance reaches its peak as he delivers his curse in Scene 4. Has this crucial passage ever been delivered on disc with more chilling bitterness and malevolence than here, I wonder? Revenge, they say, is a dish best eaten cold but here Alberich is hot for revenge. It’s not just the vocal colouring that Neidlinger brings to this episode; the way he enunciates the words is an object lesson. Undoubtedly, his delivery of the curse was the product of long thought and practice as well as great role experience; yet Neidlinger’s triumph, here and elsewhere, is that as he makes Wagner’s music leap off the page; everything sounds completely spontaneous.

There is, of course, another contender for the ‘star of the show’ title: the Vienna Philharmonic. Superbly conducted by Solti, this great ensemble demonstrates in spades how vital a protagonist Wagner intended the orchestra to be. It’s one of the glories of this remastering that the orchestral writing emerges with such clarity. Actually, some listeners may feel there’s a slight downside in that the distinctive tone of the VPO oboes registers more vividly than in earlier remasterings; but, if you’re not a fan of the sound made by the VPO oboes, let me assure you this is but a very small price to pay. In all respects the orchestra is here presented magnificently.

That’s evident right at the outset. Given the musical complexities that are to follow in the cycle as a whole, including in Rheingold, it’s astonishing that Wagner uses the simplest of musical means to open the tetralogy. The very opening of the Vorspiel provides an excellent demonstration of the respective merits of the CD, BD-A and SACD versions. On CD the double bass pedal point is quite soft and the eight horns, entering one by one, each make their mark. As the music unfolds the sound is good and the increasing tension of Solti’s conducting comes across well. Replace the CD and put the BD-A disc into the player and you hear an enhanced firmness in the bass pedal note and each of the horn entries is a bit better defined. In addition, the crescendo and the addition of more and more instruments are reproduced in fuller sound than was the case with the CD. But it’s the SACD that really shows off the prowess of the VPO to best advantage. There’s a real solidity to the pedal point, even though the note is played quietly. Throughout the prelude one can hear even more detail; as an example, the rushing figurations played by the lower strings from 2:42.

A little later, the first appearance of Fasolt and Fafner is heralded by a thunderous orchestral passage; it’s arresting on CD but when you hear the music on SACD there can be no doubt that giants are in the offing. And the orchestra is equally impressive – and impressively recorded – when accompanying the singers. As one instance, I noticed far more inner instrumental detail than ever before as Loge sings the passage beginning ‘Was Sinnt nun Wotan so Wild?’ Later, in Scene 3, when Alberich uses the magic of the tarnhelm to manifest himself as a serpent, the VPO’s low brass illustrate the moment with superb menace, conveyed thrillingly on the SACD. The rainbow bridge is gorgeously enriched by the six harps, whose contribution registers ideally in the new remastering. Finally, as Das Rheingold draws to a close, the Gods enter Valhalla accompanied by the VPO in their full pomp. The brass are utterly majestic in these closing pages, while the horns, who got the proceedings under way more than two hours ago, quietly emerging from the depths of the Rhine, now peal out triumphantly. From first bar to last, the Vienna Philharmonic are magnificent.

I must not forget to mention Sir Georg Solti. His way with Wagner is not to the taste of all Wagnerians. However, it seems to me that his dramatic, urgent style is particularly suited to the compressed nature of Das Rheingold. And in saying that, I’m not intending to imply that he skates over the more poetic moments; for my money, he doesn’t. He’s also very successful at conveying the tension, both overt and implied, in the music. I find his way with the music convincing and compelling. It’s his sense of the drama, as much as the characterisations of his superb cast that makes passages such as the outwitting of Alberich and his subsequent curse such riveting examples of music theatre.

This particular recording of Das Rheingold – the first studio recording the work had received – became renowned for its imaginative effects. Nowadays we would take such effects for granted but they were both innovative and, in some quarters, controversial at the time. Such things as the thunderclap after Donner has struck his hammer in Scene 4 – and the hammer blow itself – sound absolutely superb on the SACD – and pretty impressive on both the CD and the BD-A. I’ve already referenced the Nibelungs’ screams, which come over really well. And then there are the famous 18 anvils: what a din they make during the descent into Niebelheim! Decca went to a lot of trouble to assemble all those anvils – and their players; it was a great investment. The other-worldly sound of Alberich’s voice from within the tarnhelm was another stroke of genius by John Culshaw and his team; it’s brilliantly successful. Arguably, the team’s recording flair and skills are shown to best advantage when Alberich reluctantly summons the Niebelungs to bring up the gold; what a graphic episode that is in this recording.

I should say a word or two about Decca’s presentation of the recording. One issue that is inescapable when recording Das Rheingold is the continuity of the music and therefore the question of side breaks. Of course, that doesn’t arise on BD-A; the presentation of the opera is seamless. Decca issued Das Rheingold on three CDs, necessitating two disc changes; one was part way through Scene 2 while the other was in Scene 4 where Alberich sings ‘Gezahlt hab’ ich’. Neither is ideal. The SACD release has enabled Decca to fit everything onto just two discs: the break comes 4:31 into Scene 3 where Alberich sings ‘Schau, Du Schelm!’ Again, the break isn’t ideal but I can’t think where else it could have occurred.

One advantage that the SACD issue has over both the CD and BD-A versions is the size of the booklet. It’s LP-size and that means that you can read the excellent documentation and, crucially, the libretto quite easily; the booklets for the earlier releases use a minute font.

The elephant in the room is the price of this SACD set. Currently (February 2024) you’ll have to pay around £70, which is a lot for a pair of SACDs. However, I’m in no doubt that the sound quality is significantly better than Decca have been able to achieve on previous issues of this recording. There’s only one word for it: stunning. You really have to pinch yourself and remember that you are listening to a recording which was made in September and October 1958. The results we can hear on this pair of discs testify to the great skill – and patience – of remastering engineer Philip Siney and his colleagues. Even more, they show just how remarkable were the original efforts of John Culshaw and his gifted team.

But I’m going to let my colleague Ralph Moore have the last word. In his survey of ‘Ring’ cycles, he delivered this verdict on this famous recording: “This is the best of Solti’s studio tetralogy, crowned by the magnificent Wotan of George London. Everything works here, from the guest appearance of Flagstad’s Fricka to Svanholm’s crafty, mellifluous Loge to Neidlinger’s malevolent Alberich – and there are sonic highlights too, such as the striking of Donner’s hammer which has never been surpassed. No other recording approaches it.” To which I’d merely add that you can now hear it in sound that completely justifies Ralph’s enthusiasm.

John Quinn

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