The Bohm Ring

[marvinbrown]

  Dear all,

  I am seriously considering buying the Bohm Ring cycle, but one thing is concerning me. I have read complaints that the prompter is annoyingly audible. Is this true? Can someone here please comment on this.

I have tried to sample the tracks on amazon but the tracks are not long enough for me to ascertain if this is going to be a serious issue or not, Please help!
 
  thank you,

  marvin

  PS: I have the Solti Ring and the Levine Ring (MET) DVD and have since dispensed with my Furtwangler RAI Ring (terrible orchestra, especially the brass section)  I would like to hear the Ring at Bayreuth, I thought Bohm would be interesting until I started reading about this alleged prompter issue, what's really going on here??

[marvinbrown]

  ' continued:

  To be precise this is what I read on the Bohm Ring:

  Another curious anomaly is the almost continuous audibility of the prompter, giving each of the singers their lines a few bars before their entry. I can only assume that Decca let this pass the first time round because home audio equipment then wasn't quite what it is today. In fairness, you have to turn it up high before it is a real problem. But if you are listening on good headphones it is even more evident, and difficult to ignore once you have noticed it.

  marvin

[Wendell_E]

I can only assume that Decca let this pass the first time round because home audio equipment then wasn't quite what it is today.

Hmm.  It was recorded by Philips, not Decca (at least that's the label it was initially released on), and I think it's safe to say that they weren't using "home" audio equipment.  I've never head that Ring (I really need to), but hearing prompters in recordings occasionally doesn't really bother me.

[marvinbrown]

Hmm.  It was recorded by Philips, not Decca (at least that's the label it was initially released on), and I think it's safe to say that they weren't using "home" audio equipment.  I've never head that Ring (I really need to), but hearing prompters in recordings occasionally doesn't really bother me.

  Hi Wendel,

  This is the set that I am refering to:




It seems Decca "owns" it now?? 


  I just bought it online from HMV for £25 with the promise that I can return/exchange it if I am not satisfied!  I figured it was worth the gamble, £25 seems to be a very good deal for this set! Yes this has turned out ot be an impulse purchase, I hope it pays off!!

  marvin

[mc ukrneal]

  Hi Wendel,

  This is the set that I am refering to:




It seems Decca "owns" it now?? 

  marvin

They are the same.

[Todd]

The Bohm Ring, originally released on Philips (which is now dead and gone), is quite fine, and while it's been a while since I listened to it, I cannot recall being particularly bothered by prompting, or any other stage noise.  One has to expect extraneous noise in live recordings.  Certainly other live sets have more distracting noise at times.

[Sergeant Rock]

I've owned it for 36 years, Marvin, and I've never found the prompter intrusive at normal listening levels. (I don't use headphones.) In fact, I didn't even know there was a problem until a few years ago when one or two critcs mentioned it. But as Todd pointed out, you have to make allowances for live recordings anyway. If you do hear the prompter occasionally just pretend you're in the front row at Bayreuth    Hey, if nothing else, it's worth owning just for Böhm's "Ride of the Valkyries"...the most exciting "Ride" I've ever heard. And believe me, you won't hear any prompting 

Sarge