Sir Georg Solti . . . had an extraordinary way of conducting and was an immaculate podium figure . . . the Solti legacy has its pearls . . .

. . . Wagner's mighty "Ring" cycle, performed with heart-stopping drama and power . . . this groundbreaking recording enshrines its own era . . . the result's exciting. "Rheingold" wholly belies its age; the famous effects of producer John Culshaw's soundstage -- the anvils, Donner's thunderclap -- are startlingly immediate, but it's the spacious orchestral textures and the clarity of the voices which are really impressive. "Siegfried" sounds just as good, and the later recordings, especially "Götterdämmerung", are as overwhelming as they were on LP. It's a superb restoration and a convenient new medium . . . All this looks attractive both to enthusiasts and newcomers -- a Wagner "Ring" cycle refreshed for a new generation.

Solti's greatest recording legacy . . .

The unsurpassed quality of singers and orchestra, Solti's astonishing ability to tell a dramatic story in music, the epic scope and sweep of work and performance -- and the sound, as much a wonder for our own time as half a century ago -- make these recordings seem more precious, their combinations of qualities less likely to ever be repeated, with every passing year. This deluxe set . . . contains what Decca claims is the "definitive" edition of the recordings . . . But it contains much more . . . In short, it's everything the serious lover of this work and this recording could want, all in one place, beautifully organized and designed . . . all earlier digital editions suddenly sound muffled . . . This sort of audible improvement, repeated again and again, quickly became indistinguishable from a sense of increased mental space in which all of this glorious music and sound could be more capaciously entertained. Which enters the realm of the imponderable. What needs no pondering is whether or not this is the best sound yet for these historic recordings, or if this set is a fitting tribute to the late Georg Solti on the centennial of his birth. It is both . . . these performances deserve to be heard in the best possible sound. This set delivers it, and much more.

. . . now we hear them in audio better than ever, particularly the Blu Ray edition. Culshaw's imaginative special effects continue to astound, particularly the anvils and thunderbolt in Rheingold, to the delight of audiophiles . . . This is a magnificent set . . . If you are a serious collector, you MUST have this set. I'm sure you will display it proudly as the focal point of your library.

. . . noch immer "die" Referenzeinspielung in Sachen "Ring", sowohl in künstlerischer wie auch in aufnahmetechnischer Hinsicht. Denn das DECCA-Team hat die damals noch junge Stereophonie optimal genutzt, um Wagners Vorstellungen vom Gesamtkunstwerk akustisch einzufangen . . . die Größe des Dirigenten wird nicht zuletzt daran deutlich, dass sich für den Hörer all die Puzzles zum homogenen Ganzen zusammenschließen -- der große Bogen stellt sich immer ein. Soltis rhythmisch prägnantes und von großer Impulsivität erfülltes Musizieren geht dabei mit dem herrlich schwelgerischen Klang der Wiener Philharmoniker eine geradezu ideale Synthese ein . . . Zum Erfolg von Soltis "Ring" trugen natürlich auch die Sänger bei, die allesamt zur Creme de la Creme der damaligen großen Wagner-Stimmen gehörten . . . Sie alle haben unter Soltis Leitung einen Jahrhundert-"Ring" geschmiedet, auf dem kein Fluch lastet, sondern der gewiss noch weitere 50 Jahre hell glänzen wird.