Keilberth Ring Cycle-worth the cost?

Started by yashin, June 08, 2007, 07:45:04 AM

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yashin

I have already purchased the Keilberth Das Rheingold on testament.  I see my local shop has the Siegfried for 50 UK pounds.  Is it worth it?

I have only Das Rheingold on cd-it is excellent.  My other Ring recordings are on DVD.  I would like one excellent Ring on cd. This Ring cycle is rather expensive.

Do you own the Keilberth Ring?  Worth completing?  I would like the Goodall too but that is expensive.

Anne

I have the Keilberth Ring but so far have only listened to Das Rheingold which I enjoyed.  I would not hesitate to buy it again.

Siegfried was the first opera to be released and everyone said it was wonderful.  Then came Die Walkure and people really liked that one too.

The singing is so good in this Ring.  Hopefully someone else will help more than I can.

yashin

Many thanks.  I have read lots of reviews but you know what it is like.  If this was slightly cheaper i would not hesitate.  I am also interested in the new Ring cds rom Australia-was it conducted by Asher Fisch.  Anyone bought this one? (think just Die walkure is out now)

uffeviking

The Joseph Keilberth CD of Die Walküre is a true historical jewel. I can't think of a more perfect cast then this one with the Bamberger Symphoniker. Wolfgang Windgassen, Martha Mödl, Gré Brouwenstijn, Hans Hotter and Josef Greindl.

head-case

#4
Quote from: yashin on June 08, 2007, 07:45:04 AM
I have already purchased the Keilberth Das Rheingold on testament.  I see my local shop has the Siegfried for 50 UK pounds.  Is it worth it?

50 Pounds ???  You can buy it for less than 29 dollars (about 15 pounds) from www.towerrecords.com or www.amazon.com

PSmith08

Quote from: yashin on June 08, 2007, 07:45:04 AM
I have already purchased the Keilberth Das Rheingold on testament.  I see my local shop has the Siegfried for 50 UK pounds.  Is it worth it?

I have only Das Rheingold on cd-it is excellent.  My other Ring recordings are on DVD.  I would like one excellent Ring on cd. This Ring cycle is rather expensive.

Do you own the Keilberth Ring?  Worth completing?  I would like the Goodall too but that is expensive.

I have the whole '55 cycle with Keilberth, and I might say that it is the best "golden age" Ring on disc. The cast is as good as you could want, Keilberth's conducting is intelligent and idiomatic, and Decca's stereo is nice. His 1955 Holländer is not a slouchy recording, either; however, we're talking about the Ring. I'd say that, between Keilberth and Solti, you couldn't go wrong. Hotter was in better voice for Keilberth, but Nilsson's contribution to Solti shouldn't be overlooked. Culshaw's engineering for Solti is a plus, for the most part, but Böhm's set (from 1966) replicates many of Solti's parts (with some changes, for better and for worse), so if a live environment from Bayreuth with Nilsson and a few others is your thing, don't forget about Böhm. His conducting is a little less idiomatic than either Keilberth or Solti, though.

Short answer: sure, it's worth it, but it isn't the only choice.


Sergeant Rock

Quote from: head-case on June 08, 2007, 01:45:35 PM
50 Pounds ???  You can buy it for less than 29 dollars (about 15 pounds) from www.towerrecords.com or www.amazon.com


If it were that price, I'd have it too. But it ain't.

Current price in Germany is 60 Euro (41 Pounds or $80). The complete Ring 210 Euro. That's more than double what Karajan or Solti or Krauss cost...six times the price of Furtwängler. To me it simply isn't worth the price.

Sarge
the phone rings and somebody says,
"hey, they made a movie about
Mahler, you ought to go see it.
he was as f*cked-up as you are."
                               --Charles Bukowski, "Mahler"

Todd

The universe is change; life is opinion. - Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

People would rather believe than know - E.O. Wilson

Propaganda death ensemble - Tom Araya

PerfectWagnerite

I can't listen to another Ring Cycle anymore. I think I am all Ringed out.

Todd

The universe is change; life is opinion. - Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

People would rather believe than know - E.O. Wilson

Propaganda death ensemble - Tom Araya

Hector

...and, since nobody has mentioned it, Gotterdamerung, my favourite of the 4, is great.

Do not expect anything other than fifties sound, though, good as it is for its time and they were recorded live and audience coughing can be annoying (IN JULY!).

I bought mine last year from MDT for £40 which seems to be about average, £10 per CD, for Testament.

head-case

#12
Quote from: Sergeant Rock on June 09, 2007, 04:00:16 AM
If it were that price, I'd have it too. But it ain't.

Current price in Germany is 60 Euro (41 Pounds or $80). The complete Ring 210 Euro. That's more than double what Karajan or Solti or Krauss cost...six times the price of Furtwängler. To me it simply isn't worth the price.

Sarge

You can't buy it from the American Web sites?  I buy things from European web sites all the time (when something I want isn't released in the US, or it is cheaper from a European site).  They still list it for under $30 (equivalent to 15 pounds)



rubio

Quote from: head-case on June 11, 2007, 05:21:08 AM
The opera mentioned was Rheingold, not Walkure.


Quote from: yashin on June 08, 2007, 07:45:04 AM
I have already purchased the Keilberth Das Rheingold on testament.  I see my local shop has the Siegfried for 50 UK pounds.  Is it worth it?

Not Rheingold, Siegfried as you can read. It has the same price as Walkure.
"One good thing about music, when it hits- you feel no pain" Bob Marley

PerfectWagnerite

Archivmusic is offering entire set for $179, which would make it cheaper than the Levine, Solti, Haitink, Barenboim, Janowski, and Bohm sets when these were first released.

Que

Quote from: PerfectWagnerite on June 11, 2007, 06:49:47 AM
Archivmusic is offering entire set for $179, which would make it cheaper than the Levine, Solti, Haitink, Barenboim, Janowski, and Bohm sets when these were first released.

And Amazon sellers will follow soon, no doubt.
I'm keeping my wallet in my pocket till then! 8)

Q

PerfectWagnerite

Quote from: Que on June 11, 2007, 06:55:28 AM
And Amazon sellers will follow soon, no doubt.
I'm keeping my wallet in my pocket till then! 8)

Q

Leave it to Caiman to under-price everybody else. I think when it falls to somewhere around $100 I've take the bait.

Sergeant Rock

Quote from: head-case on June 11, 2007, 05:18:16 AM
You can't buy it from the American Web sites?

Of course I can but I try to avoid it: shipping costs are high and so is customs. The total cost would be well over $200. This may be a great Ring, and it's one I hope to own someday, but it's not unique. All the singers can be heard in other performances from Furtwängler, Krauss, Solti. Krauss, Böhm and Barenboim give us the Bayreuth experience too.

I can wait for the price to come down.

Sarge
the phone rings and somebody says,
"hey, they made a movie about
Mahler, you ought to go see it.
he was as f*cked-up as you are."
                               --Charles Bukowski, "Mahler"

head-case

#19
Quote from: Sergeant Rock on June 11, 2007, 08:23:45 AM
Of course I can but I try to avoid it: shipping costs are high and so is customs. The total cost would be well over $200. This may be a great Ring, and it's one I hope to own someday, but it's not unique. All the singers can be heard in other performances from Furtwängler, Krauss, Solti. Krauss, Böhm and Barenboim give us the Bayreuth experience too.

I can wait for the price to come down.

Sarge

Sad that shipping to Germany is such a nightmare.  I notice that any shipment from a German web site entails such absurd fees and obstacles as you've described and it may or may not arrive within a year, but when I buy from the UK (crotchet.co.uk, mdt.co.uk, etc) shipping is about 2 pounds and I get the thing within the week.