Georg Solti's most enduring achievements are his recordings of
Richard Wagner's music dramas, made in the 1960s and '70s for Decca. His classic renditions with the
Vienna Philharmonic of Lohengrin, Tristan und Isolde, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Parsifal, and the tetralogy Der Ring des Nibelungen are not to be missed by any serious student of great opera recordings. This reissue in Decca's The Originals series presents overtures from
Wagner's other works, Rienzi, Der fliegende Holländer, and Tannhäuser, with the latter's Venusberg Bacchanale, all recorded in 1961; the lyrical tone painting Siegfried Idyll, which members of the
VPO recorded in 1965. The intense drama and soaring lyricism found in the full-length operas is encapsulated in the overtures and listeners can form a clear impression of
Solti's handling of
Wagner's operas from these much shorter examples. The orchestra is, of course, one of the world's greatest ensembles, and under
Solti's exacting direction, it performs with dynamic energy, precise execution, and luminous tone, delivering
Wagner's music with brilliant highlights and resonant depths. Some all-digital performances of
Wagner's overtures may rate just as highly as these, but these classics are sure to satisfy with their marvelous interpretations, extraordinary playing and phenomenal ADD sound, which is cleanly remastered for this edition.