The latest releases reviewed

WAGNER: DER RING DES NIBELUNGEN Soloists. Chor und Orchester der Bayreuther Festpiele. Conductor: Daniel Barenboim. Warner Classics 2564 62091-2 *****

Wagner's epic cycle of good and evil, power, love and treachery is probably the most powerful musical expression of these forces. The scale of its concept and the sustained imaginative power of its development surpasses all other works of its type and it remains a unique product of the romantic imagination. While there have been a number of complete interpretations of this colossal work, the one here, from the Bayreuth festival in 1991, is one of the best sung and conducted. It is released in an attractive package complete with translations and with a bonus DVD of scenes from the video of the production. At mid price this is an ideal Christmas present for an opera lover seeking to investigate this seminal work further. www.warnerclassics.com Colman Morrissey