I like this version a lot. It has a great combination of theatrical dynamism, live performance, good singing mostly and best of all excellent sound quality. Only Julia Varady disappoints as Sieglinde. It is the soundtrack from the Nikolaus Lehnhoff production recorded for TV . The set came out first on DVD (laserdisc) in 1989 but not having to watch the distracting production is an advantage in my view..Although it is rather fast, you don't notice it. However , it would have been nice if Walkuere and Siegfried could have been put out as one act/disc as could easily have been done., thereby achieving the only unbroken recorded Ring.I have nearly all recorded Rings and have been listening since 1957. The ones I have listened to most before Sawallisch are Solti, Karajan,Janowski,Haitink and Barenboim (the only other live recording with good sound).. Keilberth is also ok but also too fast.I have found it interesting that the best introductory lecturer on Wagner at Bayreuth (Roland Bauer from Stuttgart) always uses Sawallisch Munich recordings if possible in his very detailed music/text analyses..