We have sat through enough Ring cycles to know that the choice of recording is half the battle, and in this case Apple Music Classical has done the choosing for us by building their time-synchronised Listening Guide entirely around Sir Georg Solti's Decca recording - the commentary is written for that specific object, and the real-time text tracks the music exactly as it plays. Now, we are not walking around claiming Solti is the definitive cycle - he is weak on line and big on moments - all drama, when it interests him, less so when it doesn't (Ed: in our opinion, surely?) - but for a listener who wants to see how the machinery works, it is a fine place to start, a good beginner's Ring that lets you hear the leitmotifs without getting lost in the architecture. And it has a fine cast and orchestra. Whether one always needs some of Culshaw's now somewhat dated production techniques is another matter. Plus it keeps winning our Best Ring recording of all time award so it has a lot of admirers.
Apple Music Classical has released this guide to mark the 150th anniversary of the premiere, offering forty-five thousand words of written commentary that appears in real time across all fifteen hours of the four operas. It is available in six languages, which is handy if you are listening with friends who do not speak German, and the material goes beyond just the score, touching on the mythology and the cultural influence of the work, but the real utility is in the moment-by-moment text that helps you hear what is actually happening in the music.
There is a dedicated Ring destination on the app, with playlists organised by themes like Power & Greed and Fate & Foreboding, and next month they are adding an artist-curated commentary playlist featuring Lise Davidsen, Sir Antonio Pappano, Tom Holland, and Dominic Sandbrook.
