As with its predecessors in Hamburg’s now complete 2008-10 Ring, Simone Young brings to Wagner’s textures a constant questioning of received ideas of instrumental balance. Her placing of the Hauptstimme in generously scored tuttis, not unlike Rudolf Kempe’s (see his London and Bayreuth cycles on Testament and Myto), is fresh and original. In this very ‘live’ final episode, she is at one with her players, intervening interpretatively in the flow of Wagner’s melodic argument to a greater degree than previously in the cycle. The more personal, affectionate passages of the Dawn Duet or an emotional Waltraute scene are slowed and quietened to achieve a touching intimacy. And, as before, Young is no cosseter of purple passages: set pieces such as the Funeral March or Hagen’s assembly of the vassals in Act 2 (taken swiftly) always serve the stage drama rather than becoming time out for purely orchestral display.

The cast is headed by veterans. Polaski’s Brünnhilde and Tomlinson’s Hagen (and, of course, his Wotan) have been leading world casts since the 1990s, an experience which shows in their working of Wagner’s text. Tomlinson in particular takes Hagen into areas several layers above mere black villainy. Franz is a brave and enthusiastic actor of Siegfried’s moods; Lang makes much of Waltraute’s emotional blackmail of Brünnhilde; Bork (intentionally blustery) and Gabler are colourful Gibichungs. Like last year’s Siegfried (A/11), this is first and foremost an excited, committed performance with its own logic.

An astonishing 48 rival versions of the opera have, to date, been issued on ‘official’ CD labels (counting ‘dealer’ issues and substantial excerpts would take this number to over a hundred). A first choice is impossible but don’t miss live performances from two other eras: the Clemens Krauss (1953, preferably via Pristine) or the Barenboim (1991). The new Young set partners this company well.