Ron Chaplin writes:
>Other than a way to sell discs, what would be the reasons for recording the
>"Ring" in English when there are many wonderful recordings in German?
Because the conductor Reginald Goodall was one of the greatest Wagner
conductors of the 20th century and his Ring from the ENO was one of the
greatest sets of performances ever given of the work. As was the practice
then, the ENO performances were all in English. That was house policy.
If the fact that it was in English had been the sole criteria for not
recording it off the stage that would have been bizarre bordering on
the criminal as we would have been deprived of hearing it for all time.
There are German performances as good but there are few better.
Tony Duggan, England.
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