Der Ring des Nibelungen

Der Ring des Nibelungen or, translated commonly as The Ring of the Nibelungen into English but more correctly as The Nibelung's Ring, is a series of four epic operas. Both the libretto and the music were written by Richard Wagner over the course of twenty-six years, from 1848 to 1874.

Recordings of the complete Ring Cycle

The complete Ring Cycle has been performed many times, but relatively few full commercial recordings exist, probably due to financial considerations. The four operas together take about 14 hours, which makes for a lot of records, tapes, or CDs, and a lot of studio time. For this reason, many full Ring recordings are the result of "unofficial" recording of live performances, particularly from Bayreuth where new productions are often broadcast by German radio. Live recordings, especially those in mono, may have very variable sound but often preserve the excitement of a performance better than a studio recording.

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Here are some of the best-known and most appreciated recordings of the complete Ring Cycle:

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• Wilhelm Furtwängler conducting the La Scala Opera Orchestra, 1950. Mono sound.
• Wilhelm Furtwängler conducting the Orchestra Sinfonica e Coro della Radio Italiana (RAI orchestra and chorus), 1953. Mono sound.
• Hans Knappertsbusch conducting the Bayreuth Festival Orchestra, 1956. Mono sound.
• Hans Knappertsbusch conducting the Bayreuth Festival Orchestra, 1958. Mono sound.
• Georg Solti conducting the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, 1958-1965. Stereo sound.
• Herbert von Karajan conducting the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, 1967. Stereo sound.
• Karl Böhm conducting the Bayreuth Festival Orchestra, 1967. Stereo sound.
• Reginald Goodall conducting the English National Opera Orchestra, 1975. Stereo sound. Sung in English, using Andrew Porter's translation.
• Pierre Boulez conducting the Bayreuth Festival Orchestra, 1980-1981. Stereo sound.
• Wolfgang Sawallisch conducting the Bayerische Staatsoper, 1989. Stereo sound
• James Levine conducting the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, 1990. Stereo sound.

The Solti recording was the first stereo studio recording of the complete cycle, and it remains popular. First-time buyers looking for a Ring recording are often recommended the Solti CDs, and in a poll on the BBC's long running radio programme "CD Review", this set was voted the greatest recording of the 20th century.

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The Ring cycle is also available in a number of video or DVD presentations. These include:

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• Pierre Boulez conducting the Bayreuth Festival Orchestra, 1980-1981.
• James Levine conducting the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, 1990.