Avie Wagner: Der Ring des Nibelungen

The legendary Seattle Opera Ring is captured for commercial release for the first time, in a vibrant live recording from the company's 2013 production. Commemorating the three-decade tenure of Seattle Opera General Director Speight Jenkins, the Seattle Ring is luxuriously packaged in a sturdy box, containing 14 CDs in colour cardboard wallets and five perfect-bound books - one for each of the Ring's four librettos in original German with English translations, plus a commemorative four-colour booklet containing essays by Speight Jenkins and numerous photos documenting the acclaimed 2013 Seattle Ring. Nearly 40 years ago, a small, regional company in the Pacific Northwest of the United States decided to scale arguably the greatest height of the operatic repertoire, Wagner's Ring. That amazing feat launched a legendary tradition that has become universally known as the Seattle Ring, a destination for the cycle's legions of devotees from around the world. Now the fabled history of the Seattle Ring has been captured for commercial release for the very first time. Recorded live during the 2013 season, the production recreates the immediacy of the theatre-going experience and the realism of the superb Seattle cast, which includes Alwyn Mellor as Brunhilde, Stefan Vinke as Siegfried, Greer Grimsley as Wotan, Stephanie Blythe as Fricka, Margaret Jane Wray as Sieglinde, and Stuart Skelton as Siegmund. From the pit, Israeli-born Asher Fisch conducts the Seattle Symphony Orchestra. Personnel: Seattle Opera, Seattle Opera Chorus and Seattle Symphony Orchestra, Asher Fisch (conductor) Critical acclaim for the Seattle Ring: "The Technicolor brilliance and sylvan detail of the production are astounding." - Opera News "The Seattle Opera's production of Wagner's Ring Cycle now stands alone as the only traditional depiction of the epic music drama on the American stage. And tall and proud it stands, indeed...magnificent to look at and imaginatively staged." - The Associated Press "The venomous Alberich of Richard Paul Fink swaggered with lethal assurance, blustering about in a huge, gritty baritone." - Opera News "Margaret Jane Wray [Sieglinde] is gaining attention these days, consistently singing major roles at the Met...the spreading fame is well-deserved. - Opera Today