This 13 CD box set presents the complete recording of Richard Wagner's epoch-making cycle of four operas "Der Ring des Nibelungen" at the 1953 Bayreuth festival. It sees Austrian conductor Clemens Krauss conduct the festival orchestra and chorus, plus a whole host of star singers. These include Hans Hotter, Astrid Varnay, Wolfgang Windgassen, Gustav Neidlinger, Ramon Vinay and others.
The recording was greeted by national and international critics with great enthusiasm. The New York Times held it to be the best recording to date of Wagner's work. The superlatives heaped upon the achievements of the conductor Clemens Krauss were also applied to the outstanding ensemble of singers that in this quality and composition are still unsurpassed today.