Barkmin brings imagination and flair. It’s quite a ‘white’ voice and not a huge one but she’s a committed projector of the drama. Brenna’s voice, again not heavy but well focused, certainly records comfortably and he is always fully in touch with the dramatic requirements. Eric Halfvarson’s Hagen, more experienced than this pair, is both vicious and frightening…There’s little dull here, it always sounds good and it could make for an ideal economic first-time listen to the work.

There’s a real sense of continuity, of broad spans, to van Zweden’s conducting. There’s also a meticulous attention to detail, and the recording manages to achieve that elusive combination of transparency and depth of sound to the orchestral playing…A largely decent and rewarding recording, then, even if some of the casting leaves one wishing for more.

Orchestrally at least, the climax to this Ring, which began four years ago with a promising Rheingold, is magnificent. Van Zweden is a symphonic Wagnerian, teasing out rarely heard details from the score in the great orchestral set pieces. Vocally, it’s mixed.

[van Zweden] deserves an award for steering his players through initially unfamiliar music with such a firm hand and sustained panache...Trophies should equally go to the musicians for their warmth, robustness and precision. When the horns call out before Siegfried’s fateful return to the Rhine forest in Act II, or in the Act III prelude, you’re hearing one of the best Wagner orchestras in the world.

It’s certainly remarkable what Van Zweden has achieved in Hong Kong in four short years. The new Ring stands as a testament to the determination and focus that has utterly transformed the HK Phil into certainly the best orchestra in Asia and one that can hold its own on any international platform. This is a disciplined yet flexible and sonorous ensemble that follows the architecture of Wagner’s narrative in long, beautifully phrased arcs of music.