The current Bayreuth Ring was originally meant to be produced by Lars von Trier, who might have been expected to match the variously radical takes on Tristan, Parsifal, Die Meistersinger and Lohengrin which have been staged alongside it at the festival. In the event, the veteran Tankred Dorst came up with something closer to the non-confrontational style of Wolfgang Wagner, and those opposed to such conventionalism have argued that Christian Thielemann’s conducting is the main reason for giving this version the time of day. When Opus Arte issued performances from 2008 on CD (1/10), Mike Ashman concluded that even though “for Thielemann’s work alone, the set is essential”, it was inferior in vocal terms to the Bayreuth cycles conducted by Krauss (1953), Keilberth (1955), Böhm (1966‑67) and Barenboim (1991‑92).

I have not made a direct comparison but I suspect that things were better vocally in 2010 than in 2008. Edith Haller (replacing Eva-Maria Westbroek) is good as Sieglinde – especially in Act 2 – and Johan Botha (in place of Endrik Wottrich) is outstanding throughout as Siegmund. Wotan (Albert Dohmen) and Brünnhilde (Linda Watson) are the same as in 2008, and their commanding performances, particularly in Act 3, suggest that they have both grown into their roles. Dorst’s production, and this filming of it, are at their best in the later stages of Act 3 and the result is a powerful and affecting account of one of The Ring’s greatest episodes. Thielemann has been saving up his broadest tempi and most fervently shaped articulation for this conclusion and, even though faster speeds enable Wotans to sing with smoother phrasing than Dohmen can manage here, this is still an impressive demonstration of interpretative conviction, made even more absorbing by a staging in which Brünnhilde emerges as the dominant figure.

The first two acts are less well conceived for film, with both staging and setting (especially the appearance of spring in Act 1) understated to a fault. Seeing Walküre in the context of the rest of the cycle should explain some production details which are obscure (in both senses) here, but there’s nothing obscure or understated about Thielemann’s galvanising presence in the pit and seeing its effect on his singers in Act 3 makes these DVDs even more recommendable than the original CDs.