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I wouldn't bank on it, tonybob. Last time Deathridge reviewed Gotterdammerung for BaL (in 1992), Haitink came top.
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The Haitink set had only just been released at that point....so, it occupied the same position then as the Keilberth does today. I think Solti's Gotterdammerung would be most people's top recommendation, even if they feel like being original.  It remains, forty odd years after the event, a stunning audio experience and Culshaw and co finally got the balance between voice/orchestra right.  And you have a cast all at the height of their powers, with Windgassen giving his best performance on record.

Concerning the George London/Hans Hotter business: might one of the reasons have been that Hotter was at that time an EMI artist? Certainly that seems one of the reasons for the contractual wranglings behind the Keilberth Ring.

There are plenty of instances of cast changes in the course of a Ring cycle, especially if recorded over a period of time (thinking of the Karajan cycle: two different Wotans, Siegfrieds, Brünnhildes, Mimes ...).

I think there might have been two different Wotans in the 1952 Bayreuth Ring. And even today, the character tenor who plays Loge usually pops up again as Mime in Siegfried. This happened less in the days when "retired" Heldentenors or lyric tenors played Loge: Suthaus, Svanholm, Lustig, even Windgassen.

I don't disagree with any of that, but isn't it interesting that it was after hearing the recording of Gotterdammerung that Birigit Nilsson complained her voice was swamped by the orchestra? It sounds all right to me, even if it wouldn't have hurt to project her a little more. But if we grant that the recording team got it right in Gotterdammerung, how did they then go on to get it wrong in Die Walkure (if Handley is to be believed)? I'm not saying Walkure is perfect in all respects, but for sound quality I think it shows it was made during what I think was a golden age for Decca.

I intend to get my turntable fixed up again and listen to Karajan's Siegfried.

One last thing. These Buiding a Library programmes seem to have generated more than the usual interest, both on this board and on the BBC Radio 3 one. Is there a correlation between those who are interested in Wagner's Ring and those who are interested in internet message boards?

I've just been reading the comments on this morning's Building a Library (Siegfried) over on the Radio 3 MB and it seems there are many dissatisfied listeners - mainly because there were a few factual errors and because they felt his final choice was illogical, as well as the usual complaints that certain versions were not considered in enough depth, if at all.

In the first place this just highlights the problem of trying to review in one hour about 20 versions of a work that lasts for four hours. And the errors, though unfortunate, did not invalidate his comments, I think. Whenever the recording was made or whatever the singer's name was, you still hear what you hear.  And as for plumping for Keilberth, he did explain at the end that he thought it had the virtues of its closest rivals, plus a bit more.

I enjoyed the programme and I think the carping over there is over the top. But perhaps that's because I'm a Keilberth fan (a fashionable stand, I know). There were complaints about the brass but I don't think they're as out of tune as some maintain; the first trumpet is just a little coarse at times rather than being "horribly flat". I listened to the final part of the Keilberth, from the point where Siegfried breaks the Wanderer's spear, this afternoon and I thought it was a glorious performance. I'm currently listening to the same thing on my Karajan LPs and while it sounds very well, it just doesn't have the same dramatic impact, in my ever-so humble etc.

I think I'm going to have to invest in this Keilberth at some stage!  

I found this morning's BaL frustrating in Roderick Swanston's approach, which seemed to pick the Keilberth out of almost nowhere. The criticisms surrounding the factual errors at the R3 boards are entirely justified - there were so many, I wonder who (if anyone) was responsible for checking scripts?! He did consider a variety of recordings however (good to finally hear some of the Fisch Adelaide cycle). I hope they take seriously the suggestion over there (by wilf) to get all four reviewers round the table at the end of all this and hold a discussion about the respective choices; it could prove fascinating listening.

Did i just hear him say "Barenboims ring from 1973"

I had a listen to the half hour before the Siegfried instalment, which I had previously skipped, and I was struck by The Creation of the World by Leifs, which seems worth exploring more. I was particularly interested in what the composer said about Wagner's Ring: that he thought it too sentimental and romantic, and that Wagner had failed to understand the Nordic spirit. I dare say there's a lot of truth in that but I don't mind, as I listen to the Ring for the quality of the music rather than a deeper understanding of mythology and whatever it's meant to signify, however invalid an approach to the work that may be. But isn't it interesting that for all Wagner was pushing the boundaries of opera, he came up with something that was essentially of its time? Or maybe you disagree.

And talking of the Nordic spirit, I see that former chess champion Bobby Fischer died recently in Iceland. In one obituary it said that he ended his days drinking coffee in a bookshop in Reykjavik, as though that were such a come down for someone who once ruled the world of chess. Well, I can think of a lot of worse ways of spending my retirement. Bookshops over there are plentiful and many of them stay open until 10pm. Crime is very low and you can walk around late at night without a hint of menace. Chess, bridge and reading and writing are all very popular, such a civilized country it is. And although they seem to take religion more seriously over there than we do, they have a healthy regard for pagan mythology.