Der Ring des Nibelungen

• Richard Wagner (1813 – 1883).

• Wanted to be a dramatist, heard Beethoven and changed his mind: “music-drama”!

• First marriage, Minna, infidelity and debt.

• 1848 Revolution, exile in Zürich, new operatic style with Tannhäuser, Lohengrin, Meistersinger.

• Mathilde and Tristan und Isolde (1852-63), debt.

• Ludwig II of Bavaria (64), money, Cosima von Bülow (daughter of Liszt). Munich and Bayreuth.

• Festspielhaus opens 1876 with Ring Cycle.

Der Ring des Nibelungen

• A tetralogy, one of the most ambitious artistic works ever undertaken, composed from 1848–1874; a form of “music-drama.”

• Requires c. 15 hours to perform all 4 operas.

• New, creative retelling of Germanic myth and legend (and fairy tale), combining elements from the Poetic Edda, Thidriks saga, Volsunga saga, Nibelungenlied, and Grimms’ fairy tales.

Der Ring des Nibelungen

• Musical innovations by Wagner.• Theatrical innovations by Wagner.• Ring Cycle is durchkomponiert, each act is

a complete song without breaks. • Gesamtkunstwerk – combining all of the arts

into an artistic unity.• Wagner used Leitmotifs – long stretches of music

composed only of Leitmotifs.• New instruments created especially for this work:• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvA54D2Gz3E

Der Ring des Nibelungen

• King Ludwig II of Bavaria sponsored Wagner and his opera house.

• Bayreuth Festspielhaus opened in 1876 with the first complete performance of the Ring Cycle.

• Still performed every year in Bayreuth.• Wagner extremely influential in 20th century

opera, concert music, and film scores.• Wagner’s music never performed in Israel.

                                                                           

This work contains some of the most memorable music every written.

http://ringcycle.metoperafamily.org/behind_the_scenes/music

Der Ring des Nibelungen

The four operas in the Ring cycle are:

•Das Rheingold The Rhinegold

•Die Walküre The Valkyrie

•Siegfried Siegfried

•Götterdämmerung Twilight of the Gods

Das Rheingold

Scene 1 Rhein Maidens

Das Rheingold

Rhein Maidens Rhein Maidens

Das Rheingold

Rhein Maidens Scene 2

Das Rheingold

Scene 3 Scene 4

Die Walküre

ACT I. ACT II.

Die Walküre

Siegmund and Sieglinde ACT III.

Die Walküre

Images of Valkyries

Die Walküre

Images of Valkyries

Die Walküre

Images of Valkyries

Siegfried

ACT I. ACT II.

Siegfried

Siegfried and Brünhilde Virginia Wolf as Brünhilde

Götterdämmerung

Prelude ACT I.

Götterdämmerung

ACT II. ACT II.

Götterdämmerung

ACT III. ACT III.

What's Opera, Doc? (1957)

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1atzuy_what-s-opera-doc_shortfilms