by Mark Deming
synopsis
Richard Wagner's opera "Das Rheingold" -- the first part in the epochal "Der Ring des Nibelungen" cycle -- is given a stellar production in this staging recorded in Germany as part of the Festspielhaus Bayreuth in 1991. Concerning the magical "Ring of Gold" and those both noble and nefarious who want to possess it, Das Rheingold features John Tomlinson, Günter von Kannen, Linda Finnie, and Bodo Brinkmann; Daniel Barenboim conducts the Orchester der Bayreuther Festspiele.
