Der Ring des Nibelungen
DG's 20-bit transfer reveals more tape hiss than before, while the  orchestral image is better focused, with more definition at the bottom end. Some  have likened Herbert von Karajan's "chamber-music approach" to  Wagner'sRingcycle in terms of his scaling down or deconstructing the  heroic roles. This approach has less to do with dynamics per se than it does  with von Karajan's masterful balancing of voices and instruments. He achieves  revelations of horizontal clarity, allowing no contrapuntal strand to emerge  with an unwanted accent or a miscalibrated dynamic. The texts are unusually  pinpointed and distinct, although the singers don't convey the experience and  dimension of Sir Georg Solti's cast on London. There are exceptions. Jon  Vickers's probing, complex Siegmund, for instance, is paired with Gundula  Janowitz's radiant SIeglinde. Martti Talvela is arguably the most sympathetic,  touching Fasolt on record, and Gerhard Stolz's Mime is less caricatured and more  direct here than for Solti. I similarly prefer Christa Ludwig's Waltraute for  von Karajan. The underrated Helge Brilioth's warmly ringing and musically solidGötterdämmerungSiegfried will be a welcome surprise. Smaller roles  benefit from strong casting, notably the well-tuned Rheinmaidens and Valkyries.  When all is said and done, however, it's von Karajan's show, and the glorious  Berlin Philharmonic are the stars.--Jed Distler