"... This is one of the most beautifully played Rheingolds I've ever heard in a long time. The players respond well to every tempo alteration Elder asks for. I'd recommend the set just for the orchestra... The sound is very beautiful: well-balanced and sumptuous..."

“… Elder’s grip is total. He believes in every note of the score, shapes it carefully (no melodrama, no lurchings) and stirs the orchestra to a degree of magnificence rare even for the Hallé….” *****

“…Paterson’s Wotan is certainly authoritative enough, but needs a more assertive foil than Samuel Youn’s surprisingly lightweight Alberich...Clive Bayley’s fathomlessly dark Fafner, Susan Bickley’s humane Fricka and Nicky Spence’s instinctively theatrical Mime are all well worth preserving, as is the playing of the Hallé under Elder, and his unerring sense of the seamless musical architecture …” ***

Performance ****      Recording ***

“…Elder extracts some telling detail, especially from more lyrical passages, but nevertheless much of its life stems from the excellent cast. Those who enjoyed the cycle so far needn’t hesitate, and Ring habituees will appreciate the spaciousness and detail.”

“… An even greater triumph for the orchestra than their preceding Götterdämmerung and Walküre. Not only is there a special gloss on the sound (strings especially), a real Wagnerian klang, but the manner in which the solos (both sectional and individual) are now taken bears witness to the fluency of freshly acquired experience… The cast are strongly characterised and not always as you might expect; some fresh thinking here.”