The Rhinegold The Valkyrie The Ring Of The Niblung

The Rhinegold and the Valkyrie by Richard Wagner with illustrations by Arthur Rackham, translated by Margaret Armour, 1910. The Ring of the Niblung Volume 1. This edition is a paperback republishing of The Rhinegold and the Valkyrie by Richard Wagner first published in 1910, illustrated in color. Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung), is a cycle of four German-language epic music dramas composed by Richard Wagner. The works are based loosely on characters from the Norse sagas and the Nibelungenlied. It is often referred to as the Ring Cycle, Wagner's Ring, or simply The Ring. Wagner wrote the libretto and music over the course of about twenty-six years, from 1848 to 1874. The four parts that constitute the Ring cycle are, in sequence: Das Rheingold (The Rhinegold) Die Walkure (The Valkyrie) Siegfried Gotterdammerung (Twilight of the Gods)

A superb new translation of one of the greatest nineteenth century poems: the libretto to Wagner's Ring cycle The scale and grandeur of Wagner's The Ring of the Nibelung has no precedent and no successor. It preoccupied Wagner for much of his adult life and revolutionized the nature of opera, the orchestra, the demands on singers and on the audience itself. The four operas-The Rhinegold, The Valkyrie, Siegfried and Twilight of the Gods - are complete worlds, conjuring up extraordinary mythological landscapes through sound as much as staging. Wagner wrote the entire libretto before embarking on the music. Discarding the grand choruses and bravura duets central to most operas, he used the largest musical forces in the context often of only a handful of singers on stage. The words were essential: he was telling a story and making an argument in a way that required absolute attention to what was said. The libretto for The Ring lies at the heart of nineteenth century culture. It is in itself a work of power and grandeur and it had an incalculable effect on European and specifically German culture. John Deathridge's superb new translation, with notes and a fascinating introduction, is essential for anyone who wishes to get to grips with one of the great musical experiences.

"The Rhinegold & The Valkyrie (The Ring of the Niblung)" by Richard Wagner is a timeless classic in the world of opera and literature. Wagner's masterpiece, part of the epic Ring Cycle, tells a mythic tale of gods, heroes, and the power of a magical ring. Through the medium of opera, Wagner weaves a complex narrative filled with drama, love, and intrigue. This work is not only a musical masterpiece but also a profound exploration of human desires and the consequences of power. It remains a must-read for lovers of opera and epic storytelling.

The English translation of the first two operas of German composer Richard Wagner's Ring Cycle. About the author Wilhelm Richard Wagner (22 May 1813 - 13 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most opera composers, Wagner wrote both the libretto and the music for each of his stage works. Initially establishing his reputation as a composer of works in the romantic vein of Carl Maria von Weber and Giacomo Meyerbeer, Wagner revolutionised opera through his concept of the Gesamtkunstwerk ("total work of art"), by which he sought to synthesise the poetic, visual, musical and dramatic arts, with music subsidiary to drama. He described this vision in a series of essays published between 1849 and 1852. Wagner realised these ideas most fully in the first half of the four-opera cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung). His compositions, particularly those of his later period, are notable for their complex textures, rich harmonies and orchestration, and the elaborate use of leitmotifs-musical phrases associated with individual characters, places, ideas, or plot elements. His advances in musical language, such as extreme chromaticism and quickly shifting tonal centres, greatly influenced the development of classical music. His Tristan und Isolde is sometimes described as marking the start of modern music. Wagner had his own opera house built, the Bayreuth Festspielhaus, which embodied many novel design features. The Ring and Parsifal were premiered here and his most important stage works continue to be performed at the annual Bayreuth Festival, run by his descendants. His thoughts on the relative contributions of music and drama in opera were to change again, and he reintroduced some traditional forms into his last few stage works, including Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (The Mastersingers of Nuremberg). Until his final years, Wagner's life was characterised by political exile, turbulent love affairs, poverty and repeated flight from his creditors. His controversial writings on music, drama and politics have attracted extensive comment - particularly, since the late 20th century, where they express antisemitic sentiments. The effect of his ideas can be traced in many of the arts throughout the 20th century; his influence spread beyond composition into conducting, philosophy, literature, the visual arts and theatre. (wikipedia.org)

A treasure is taken by force. The Rhine-gold has been fashioned into a ring of dominion! Thereafter, crime after crime is committed in vain attempts by gods and mortals alike to possess its power of influence. However, each attempt must be paid for by crushing personal loss that serves only, to drive the pursuer ever more fiercely to possess the cursed artifact. In the heart of this web of tragedy, a god struggles with the destiny that he himself had wrought for his kind. Having touched the Rhine-gold, no peace is possible for him until he has won the weapon that he hopes to wield in the struggle to avert ultimate disaster to the gods. As his schemes to regain the lost treasure become ever more complex, his losses become ever more terrible. Unheeding of the price revealed to him, he rages on until he has to ask: is the prize worth the loss of his mortal son and his immortal daughter?

The Ring of the Niblung by Richard Wagner and illustrated by Arthur Rackham. Translation by Margaret Armour.Some critics mention that The Lord of the Rings was directly and heavily derived from Richard Wagner's opera cycle, Der Ring des Nibelungen.This edition includes:- The Rhinegold- The Valkyrie- Siegfried- Twilight of the GodsDer Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung), WWV 86, is a cycle of four German-language epic music dramas composed by Richard Wagner. The works are based loosely on characters from the Norse sagas and the Nibelungenlied.The cycle is a work of extraordinary scale. Perhaps the most outstanding facet of the monumental work is its sheer length: a full performance of the cycle takes place over four nights at the opera, with a total playing time of about 15 hours, depending on the conductor's pacing. The first and shortest work, Das Rheingold, typically lasts two and a half hours, while the final and longest, G�tterd�mmerung, takes up to five hours, excluding intervals. The cycle is modelled after ancient Greek dramas that were presented as three tragedies and one satyr play. The Ring proper begins with Die Walk�re and ends with G�tterd�mmerung, with Rheingold as a prelude. Wagner called Das Rheingold a Vorabend or "Preliminary Evening", and Die Walk�re, Siegfried and G�tterd�mmerung were subtitled First Day, Second Day and Third Day, respectively, of the trilogy proper.The plot revolves around a magic ring that grants the power to rule the world, forged by the Nibelung dwarf Alberich from gold he stole from the Rhine maidens in the river Rhine. The Ring itself as described by Wagner is a Rune-magic taufr ("tine", or "talisman") intended to rule the feminine multiplicative power by a fearful magical act termed as 'denial of love' ("Liebesverzicht"), which is probably an allusion to ritual circumcision.