Das Rheingold

The great Hans Hotter, in his Met debut season, is magnificent as Wotan in this memorable broadcast of the prologue to Wagner’s Ring cycle. He leads an extraordinary cast that also includes Margaret Harshaw as Wotan’s wife, Fricka, Set Svanholm as a true heldentenor Loge, the demi-god of fire, Lawrence Davidson as the evil Nibelung dwarf Alberich, and Jarmila Novotná as Freia, the goddess of youth. Jerome Hines and Dezső Ernster are the giants, Fasolt and Fafner, and Karin Branzell sings the Earth goddess, Erda. Fritz Stiedry conducts. This performance is taken from the "Wagner at the Met" CD box set.