“One of the great achievements in the history of the gramophone … For years to come, this set of records will be treasured as an almost perfect realization of Wagner’s last, strangest and deepest thoughts.” The Record Guide, 1955(Parsifal, 1951)

“With the passage of time, nearly everything Knappertsbusch does begins to seem eminently right. Glowing images are conjured up; climaxes swell slowly and shatter us at their peak. The cast is flawless.” High Fidelity, November 1961 (Parsifal, 1951)

 

“Arguably the finest live recording ever made in the Festspielhaus, with outstanding singing from Jess Thomas as Parsifal and Hans Hotter as Gurnemanz … there is no sense of squareness or length, so intense is the concentration of the performance, its spiritual quality.” Penguin Guide (Parsifal, 1962)

“The core of Parsifal recordings is still the two Bayreuth sets, from 1951 and 1962, under Knappertsbusch … A sense of special occasion permeates the earlier … the later is less solemn and devotional, more present both in musical detail and in its dramatic detail.” Opera on Record (Parsifal)

“Very persuasive, notably in the Venusberg scene where Bumbry is a superb, sensuous Venus and Windgassen… is a fine, heroic Tannhäuser … the atmosphere of the Festspielhaus is vivid and compelling throughout.” Penguin Guide(Tannhäuser)

“The performance glows with intensity from beginning to end … an almost unmatchable cast … Nilsson sings the Liebestod as though she was starting out afresh … rising to an orgasmic climax and bringing a heavenly pianissimo on the final rising octave.” Penguin Guide (Tristan und Isolde)

“A quality of dry brilliance quite unlike the normal fat Wagner sound … Windgassen is excellent throughout … Nilsson is transformed … Ludwig’s Brangäne is a perfect foil … Böhm’s flow and surge are completely captivating.” Opera on Record (Tristan und Isolde)

“Easily the best all-round cast of any recorded versions.” High Fidelity, January 1967 (Tristan und Isolde)

“Böhm impresses more with the firmness, logic and self-effacing qualities of his interpretation … unassailable in its rightness.” Stereo Review, February 1967 (Tristan und Isolde)

“Keilberth, in charge of the superb Bayreuth orchestra, shapes and controls the performance magnificently … Varnay contributes a thrilling Ortrud … [Windgassen’s] Lohengrin on these discs is superb.” Opera on Record (Lohengrin)

“Extraordinarily well recorded … Varnay gives a performance of enormous impact … Uhde is really outstanding.” High Fidelity, July 1954 (Lohengrin)

“Working with a superior cast and a magnificent chorus and orchestra, [Keilberth] has been able to weld these forces into an inspired artistic unity.” The Record Guide, 1955 (Lohengrin)

“[Lohengrin] is brought to life with a degree of expertness not often achieved either on stage or in the studio. Keilberth is a penetrating governor of proceedings.” High Fidelity, November 1961 (Lohengrin)

“Hermann Uhde as the Dutchman and Ludwig Weber as Daland, a great partnership which can hardly be overpraised … the early stereo recording has a real flavour of the Festspielhaus’s glorious acoustic.” Opera on Record (Der fliegende Holländer)

“[Varnay’s] grasp of character is so intellectually complete, her singing so surely to the musical point, that not even the continual threat of tremolo can seriously prejudice the effectiveness of her performance. What a wonderful artist she is!” High Fidelity, March 1957 (Der fliegende Holländer)

“The sound is really astonishing: full, weighty, admirably detailed, beautifully spaced out, and altogether more impressive than the original mono release.” High Fidelity, January 1971 (Der fliegende Holländer)

“The reading has a brooding, driving power singularly appropriate to the drama.” High Fidelity, May 1983 (Der fliegende Holländer)

“Seemingly unfazed by the monumentalism of Wagner’s most human music drama, Varviso guides it with a light touch, favouring sensible tempi and light textures, and allowing the drama to develop convincingly through the actions of believable people.” Stereo Review, May 1976 (Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg)

“The playing is admirably vigorous and weighty, and often surprisingly elegant … Sotin is in magnificent voice [as Pogner] … Hirte is a surprising and refreshing Beckmesser, lively, youthful.” Opera on Record (Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg)