WAGNER: EXCERPTS FROM “TANNHAEUSER,” “DAS RHEINGOLD,” “GOETTERDAEMMERUNG”...

WAGNER: EXCERPTS FROM “TANNHAEUSER,” “DAS RHEINGOLD,” “GOETTERDAEMMERUNG” AND “DIE MEISTERSINGER VON NUERNBERG.” Seattle Symphony conducted by Gerard Schwarz. Delos CD-3040 (compact disc). The orchestra’s presence in the pit during the Seattle Opera’s “Ring” cycle for the past 12 years has generated a Wagner tradition in that city, a happy state which music director Schwarz exploits fully on this bountifully packed (69 minutes), pristinely recorded disc. The pensive and lyrical seem to suit Schwarz’s temperament more than the grandiose (the tapered dynamics of the closing pages of the Venusberg and the “Meistersinger” Act 3 Prelude strike home more acutely than the entrance of the Gods into Valhalla). Yet the playing remains fresh, responsive and sanely balanced. For a “bleeding chunks” album, this is an excellent bargain.