This is superbly recorded, mainly wonderfully played , interestingly conducted and reasonably well sung...dramatically gripping as only a well-conducted Rheingold can be...The best reason for getting this set is the Loge of Christian Elsner...Elsner does not miss a trick in catching all the elements of this complex character, but he never sings less than beautifully.

the real secret ingredient here is the conductor himself...What was a little too calm and remote in the earlier Dresden recording now has real cojones...This is both a great start to Janowski's new Ring cycle and a competitive Rheingold in its own right.

it's the RSOB's playing that steps effortlessly into the limelight. This is a Ring conceived, deliberately, as a musical rather than a theatrical journey...[Schmeckenberger's is] a characterization of awesome dramatic power...After Schmeckenberger, another star of the set is the lyrical, immaculately articulated Loge of Christian Elsner

this Rheingold finds [Janowski] at his best. He uses his preference for fast speeds to his advantage to make the drama buzz along from one exciting episode to another...[the orchestra] take every opportunity to reveal Wagner’s score in all its astounding, delectable colour, as if holding it up to the light for fresh examination.

he fields several outstanding singers from the rising Wagnerian generation ...Above all, this is Janowski’s triumph. His decision to focus on the music at the expense of theatrical ideas has been criticised, but he is vindicated by the gripping, dramatic playing here.

Janowski's dramatic instincts and his ability to obtain orchestral playing of great intensity and presence are as keenly honed as ever – there are some thrilling interludes in this Rheingold...the classiest [vocal] performances come from Günther Groissböck's Fasolt and Iris Vermillion's Fricka.