Forging Ahead: Simon Trezise greets the release of a brisk 1987 ‘Siegfried’ from Stockholm

This live recording is of the 1987 revival of Royal Swedish Opera’s 1969 production, directed by Folke Abenius. It is preserved in reasonable sound, presumably analogue in origin, judging by the hiss. This hiss is easily ignored, but a few times in Act III it stops at Wagner’s dramatic silences and then dramatically restarts, which, along with a few electronic clicks, are the only burdens imposed on the listener, for the audience is evidently very well behaved, a few coughs notwithstanding. The balance slightly favours the orchestra, which, as I suggest below, is no great hardship.