When Zubin Mehta took over the position of Bavarian General Music Director in 1998, heralding a new era in the history of Germany's most venerable opera orchestra, this first cyclic performance of the Ring was a triumph for both the maestro and his musicians.

The highly individual sound of the Bavarian State Orchestra and Mehta’s energetic, taut and highly emotional conducting style meld within the musical language of 'The Valkyrie' to create a new interpretation that spans an arc between the great conductors of decades past to the modern style of today.

Cast:
- Siegmund: Peter Seiffert
- Helmwige: Sally du Randt
- Hunding: Kurt Rydl
- Gerhilde: Irmgard Vilsmaier
- Wotan: John Tomlinson
- Ortlinde: Jennifer Trost
- Sieglinde: Waltraud Meier
- Waltraute: Ann-Katrin Naidu
- Brünnhilde: Gabriele Schnaut
- Siegrune: Heike Grötzinger
- Fricka: Mihoko Fujimura
- Grimgerde: Marita Knobel

Live recording from the Munich National Theatre, July 2002

“The first multi-channel production by Farao sets new standards in live operatic recording. The whole sonorous splendour of the Wagnerian orchestra is here successfully captured on disc – the woodwinds in particular can be heard with a presence otherwise to be found only in the opera house. … And as the musical quality leaves nothing to be desired, this makes a case for the multi-channel sound.” - Stereo

“... in terms of sound quality, the best recording that can be purchased at the moment.” - Süddeutsche Zeitung

“Singing of happiness and grief – the Bavarian State Orchestra represents Munich as the Wagnerian city par excellence” - Salzburger Nachrichten

“A deluxe Valkyrie... surpasses most rival CDs” - Münchner Merkur