Young singers should take note of Matthias Goerne’s career as a shining example of careful choices of repertoire nurturing a remarkable voice for longevity. Waiting until well into his 40s to take on the bigger Wagnerian roles, he has garnered glowing reviews as Wotan in the Naxos Hong Kong Ring, propelling an otherwise unevenly cast cycle into a must-have for Wagnerians.

For those less committed to a whole cycle, this latest release will go down a treat with even finer renditions of Abendlich strahlt der Sonne Auge and Leb’wohl, du kühnes herrliches Kind! with key scenes for Sachs, King Marke, Dutchman and Amfortas. Wolfram’s Evening Star is a lovely lyrical interlude that provides key evidence of the successful preservation...