CDs 1 & 2: Wagner: Der Ring des Nibelungen Highlights – Karajan, Fischer-Dieskau, Berlin Philharmonic

Herbert von Karajans mighty Ring cycle, here represented through extended highlights allows us to sample Karajans choice of different singers for the same character in different operas Fischer-Dieskaus Wotan in Das Rheingold and Thomas Stewarts in Siegfried. There are notes on the music as well as an essay by Karajan expert, Richard Osborne, on the background to Karajans Ring plus a photo gallery of many of the key singers.

CD 3: Wagner: Heroes

This is a 50-year retrospective (19502000) of great Wagner singing on Decca and Deutsche Grammophon featuring twelve extracts from eight operas (including all four operas of the Ring cycle) with nine great singers.

CD 4: Wagner: Heroines

This is a 31-year retrospective (19561987) of great Wagner singing on Decca and Deutsche Grammophon featuring fourteen extracts from nine operas with seven great singers.

CD 5: Wagner: Choruses

Bayreuth is the holy grail for Wagner lovers and this outstanding disc captures great choral moments from Wagners operas over a period of nearly 30 years with key big moments from seven operas, from the Sawallisch Tannhuser (1962) to Peter Schneiders Lohengrin (1990).