One of the most compelling conductors of any age, Valery Gergiev has brought fresh energy to operatic life in Russia, and his performances of Richard Wagner's Des Ring der Nibelungen have been exciting firsts for the the Mariinsky Orchestra and eager audiences in St. Petersburg. Recorded between 2011 and 2012, the first Ring music drama to be released on the Mariinsky label is Die Walküre, sung in German, and this recording has received generous critical praise for the phenomenal playing of the orchestra and the first-rate singing of the international cast, which includes Jonas Kaufmann as Siegmund, Nina Stemme as Brünnhilde, Anja Kampe as Sieglinde, Mikhail Petrenko as Hunding, and René Pape as Wotan. Gergiev is renowned for his powerful interpretations of both symphonic and operatic repertoire, though this dynamic performance may even surpass his past efforts in intensity and sustained power. Yet his careful attention to the details in the score makes this four-SACD version a delight to hear, and because of its extreme clarity, credible presence, and astonishing spatial dimensions, it is a Walküre that even newcomers will find captivating from the first measure. Die Walküre is the second part of Wagner's tetralogy, though the Mariinsky recording of the first part, Das Rheingold, has a release date in September 2013, to be followed by Siegfried and Die Götterdämmerung in 2014.