When this recording first appeared there was no expectation that, a mere five years later, the complete English National Opera Ring in English, recorded live at the London Coliseum would be available on LP from EMI. It is scarcely conceivable that the entire Goodall cycle will not one day reappear on CD. While we wait, however, the reissue of this studio recording of the last 66 minutes of the great tetralogy is a powerful reminder of a production, and a performance, that added up to a remarkable achievement.
The recording was made in a City church—St Giles, Cripplegate and although digitally remastered is of less than ideal fullness and clarity. Yet the fine quality of the performances still shines through. It is especially good to be reminded however briefly, of two interpretations not heard on the complete ENO Twilight of the Gods, Norman Bailey's intense, tormented Gunther and Clifford Grant's menacing yet superbly musical Hagen. Nevertheless, it is the poignant eloquence of Alberto Remedios and the radiant authority of Rita Hunter that make this recording special. Freed from the inevitable strains of stage performance, both singers display to the full their ability to project that extraordinary blend of sensitivity and strength that makes Goodall's Wagner unforgettable. Even the extremely slow tempo for Brunnhilde's final entrance convinces when so gravely majestic a mood is so vividly conveyed.R1 '8802001'