Wagner - Die Walküre review I Andrew Clements's classical album of the week

The Guardian 60

Skelton/Westbroek/Rutherford/Theorin/Bavarian RSO/Rattle
(BR Klassik, four CDs)
This is Wagner of scattered highlights, but the quality of the Bavarian RSO’s playing distracts from some underwhelming singing

Over the last 15 years, Simon Rattle has conducted stagings of Wagner’s Ring several times – in Aix-en-Provence, Salzburg, and Vienna – and though at least one of those cycles has been released on DVD, it’s a series of live performances with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra that forms the basis of his first cycle released as a recording. It began in 2015 with a well-received Rheingold, while this Walküre is based on performances in Munich at the beginning of last year.