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April 2, 2008 - 2:09pm
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Keilberth's "Ring" on Testament
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The Keilberth 1955 Ring is indeed a wonderful take of the works. It's tough for me to choose between it and Clemens Krauss' 1953 Ring as my overall favorite, but Keilberth's is my favorite stereo set. Sound is good enough for me, and the performances mezmerizing. I couldn't wait when it came out; when the last set was released, I had them imported from the UK - it's worth the price.
For those who want a taste of what Keilberth can do with the Ring, there are other takes available more cheaply. His 1952 Ring is nicely priced on Archipel, for instance, though there the magic is mostly in the last two operas, and the sound is less impressive.
Testament has also just done Ring fans a big favor: they have reissued, at bargain price, Rudolf Kempe's 1957 Ring. It's currently available only in Europe, but I'm thinking I can't wait for it top hit US shores to buy.
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Thanks for this! I'll definitely keep on the look-out for the Kempe set. Happy to run into another Wagnerite here, Todd! Sometimes I like to put the Knappersbusch set on late at night, through headphones, while I'm writing or researching. It's definitely not an all-arounder, but for some reason, gets to me at the oddest hours.