This set exhibits the advantages and disadvantages of live recording at Bayreuth. The excellently achieved balance between stage and orchestra, and the sense of a 'real' occasion as opposed to a manufactured one, have to be set against the audibility of the stage action and, occasionally, of the prompter. Then there is the obvious tiring of the Sachs and the Walther, which made me realize again how cruel Wagner is to his bass-baritone and tenor by requiring both to sing such huge stretches of music with little respite. That said, Ridderbusch's Sachs is one of the more rewarding on disc, sung in rounded, firm and appealing tone, itself used with unfailing musicality. He may miss the inward quality of Schorr, Hotter, Adam (Karajan/EMI, 7/88) and Bailey (Solti/Decca), but he is as much if not more pleasing to hear than any of them. Inevitably he shows signs of wear in the final scene where the strain of a natural Pogner (as he was for Karajan on his Dresden set, 7/88) attempting the higher tessitura of Sachs, begins to tell.
Jean Cox is something of a calamity as Walther. From start to finish his voice sounds uncomfortably strained in the taxing role and his German leaves much to be desired. Here Hopf (Karajan/EMI, 9/90), Schock (Kempe/EMI, 8/67—nla) and to a lesser extent Kollo (for both Solti and Karajan, 1988) are preferable. Frieder Stricker, the David, is lively enough but is surpassed by most of his rivals on the disc. Sotin is a reliable but somewhat inexpressive Pogner. More likeable are Bode's youthful, eager, though sometimes unsteady Eva, Reynold's fresh, jaunty Magdalene and Klaus Hirte, a tenor Beckmesser with an individual, unexaggerated view of the role.
Varviso's swift, no-nonsense reading is full of pertinent detail and over all responsive to the human warmth of the work. He is supported by a vintage year at Bayreuth with regard to orchestra and chorus. At mid-price it cannot be preferred to the inspired, classic 1951 Karajan version (9/90), which is better cast in most respects. That is in mono; those who must have stereo will not do badly with the Varviso. At full price the later Karajan Dresden set in stereo is the one to have.'