The story of the beginning of “New Bayreuth”, in essence the resurgence of the world-famous Wagner festival after the Nazi rule, cannot be told without mentioning the name Joseph Keilberth.

With the Ring cycle he conducted Wieland Wagner’s most extensive directing project from 1952 to 1956, plus Lohengrin in 1953, and The Flying Dutchman in 1955, both staged by Wolfgang Wagner. In 1954 and 1955 Tannhäuser was added (Wieland Wagner). Keilberth, as well as Knappertsbusch, made sure Bayreuth was musically unchallenged in those early years. Joseph Keilberth (1908-1968) came to the German Philharmonic Orchestra in Prague via his work at the Opera of his hometown Karlsruhe. After being deported from Prague he worked in Dresden, Berlin and Hamburg, before becoming general music director of the Munich Nationaltheater in 1959, where on 20 July 1968, a few minutes into the second act of Tristan und Isolde, he broke down and died at the conductor's desk.

Recorded live at the Festpielhaus, Bayreuth, 1953

Cast:

Das Rheingold
- Wotan: Hans Hotter
- Donner: Hermann Uhde
- Froh: Gerhard Stolze
- Loge: Erich Witte
- Alberich: Gustav Neidlinger
- Mime: Paul Kuen
- Fasolt: Ludwig Weber
- Fafner: Josef Greindl
- Fricka: Ira Malaniuk
- Freia: Bruni Falcon
- Erda: Maria von Ilosvay
- Woglinde: Erika Zimmermann
- Wellgunde: Hetty Plümacher
- Floßhilde: Gisela Litz

Die Walküre
- Siegmund: Ramón Vinay
- Sieglinde: Regina Resnik
- Wotan: Hans Hotter
- Brünnhilde: Martha Mödl
- Hunding: Josef Greindl
- Fricka: Ira Malaniuk
- Gerhilde: Brünnhild Friedland
- Ortlinde: Bruni Falcon
- Waltraute: Lise Sorrell
- Schwertleite: Maria von Ilosvay
- Helmwige: Liselotte Thomamüller
- Siegrune: Gisela Litz
- Grimgerde: Sibylla Plate
- Roßweiße: Erika Schubert

Siegfried
- Siegfried: Wolfgang Windgassen
- Mime: Paul Kuen
- Brünnhilde: Martha Mödl
- Wanderer: Hans Hotter
- Alberich: Gustav Neidlinger
- Fafner: Josef Greindl
- Erda: Maria von Ilosvay
- Waldvogel: Rita Streich

Götterdämmerung
- Brünnhilde: Martha Mödl
- Siegfried: Wolfgang Windgassen
- Hagen: Josef Greindl
- Alberich: Gustav Neidlinger
- Gunther: Hermann Uhde
- Gutrune: Natalie Hinsch-Gröndahl
- Waltraute: Ira Malaniuk
- Woglinde: Erika Zimmermann
- Wellgunde: Hetty Plümacher
- Floßhilde: Gisela Litz
- 1. Norn: Maria von Ilosvay
- 2. Norne: Ira Malaniuk
- 3. Norne: Regina Resnik