he remains more than capable of the spellbinding legato that Wolfram's Hymn to the Evening Star requires...purely musical values are of rare distinction. The Parsifal scene in particular benefits from Barenboim's characteristic blend of spontaneity and deliberation, while Placido Domingo easily matches Pape in his eloquent ardour...when it comes to sheer vocal refinement and the purest Wagnerian gravitas, René Pape is hard to beat.

His approach is very much that of a Lieder singer: the text could be taken verbatim from his immaculate diction...His liquidity of tone is balm in higher-lying passages, most notably those of Sachs...Teutonic bass-barking is nowhere to be heard...Barenboim deserves equal praise for some of the most sensitive Wagner conducting heard in a long time...this remains Wagner singing of a rare beauty that will give much pleasure

he gives his Farewell, from Die Walküre, quite gloriously, his high lyric bass sounding effortless and beautiful even in the most high-lying passages. Above all, he sings his native German with astonishing clarity and eloquence...yet maintains a perfect Italianate legato...In the Parsifal extracts, Placido Domingo, no less, makes his brief contributions with a still remarkable voice...Golden-age Wagner singing.

he is unquestionably magnificent. This is very lyrical Wagner singing, sensual, even sexual in tone, noble in utterance, and shaped as much through the line as off the words...The Fliedermonolog, sounding unusually erotic...[is] one of the disc's high points...There's wonderful playing, too, from the Berlin Staatskapelle under Daniel Barenboim.