The easiest way to appreciate The Ring is to ignore the complex intergod/interman interman/interman incest and enjoy the music, all 15 or so hours of it. The central romantic theme is that Wotan screws anything that moves. There are no aesthetic comparisons to Wagner. It is at once sublime, complex, absurd, and violent. Two things Germans do that few others can is construct 800 page books which deal with philosophy and write music, from Rammstein to Wagner, which is admittedly an acquired taste.
Now that I am in a Wagnerian frame of mind, transitioning from listening to Salome making good on her promise to kiss John the Baptist's mouth after demanding that her stepfather bring her his head on a silver platter. After all, she just performed a striptease for her stepfather, Herod, who was in a position to order the decapitation. Yet another erxample of cheerful German opera, this time from Richard Strauss. This time, however, we owe much of the degeneracy to a Brit, Oscar Wilde, whose play was adapted as the basis of the libretto for Strauss' opera. I apologize for the digression.
Returning to The Ring, I recall buying my first. an early 1950's recording by Furtwangler that was eighteen or so records. This was back in the 1960s. At that time, there was no complete studio recording of all four operas of The Ring. This was about to end with the Solti/Culshaw recordings which were finished by 1965 or so. The recording quality here was what we expect from Solti(and Culshaw) arguably the best yet today. Fast forward to current day and now have ten or so Rings. Even though Solti is hardly a lyrical conductor, his style frequently meshes with the music involved. I have loved that recording for its fidelity, energy, and violence.
Lately, however, I have found the last three operas annoying for Birgit Nilsson's singing. Granted, she was, in her prime, a perfectly pitched very big voiced world class soprano. I suppose it doesn't help that she resembles physically a longshoreman with makeup. Someone you want on your team for the rugby scrum. In the 1960s the type that would have her cigarette pack twisted up in her t-shirt sleeve. Sorry folks - I hope no one is in high dudgeon. These are the mental pictures I get when I hear her sing Brunnhilde. Nothing heroic at all.
TECH STUFF.....................................TECH STUFF........................................TECH STUFF..........................................TECH STUFF.............................................
I lamented and wondered elsewhere if there were any more things to upgrade on Schiit Dacs. This is since USB were the majority upgrades in the first eight years or so of Schiit until USB was finally fixed with the Unison built from scratch USB. Yet we have readily upgradable Bifrost 2s and Yggys. Now I have built several sideways-grade boards which do sound different, some to my distinct preference. What say you?
Back to Salome, if you love it as I do - the Chandos disc with Inga Nielsen is my dramatic fave. She nails Salome as the childlike sociopath using her charms to get what she wants now!