114-685: Das Rheingold ( pronunciation ; The Rhinegold ), WWV 86A, is the first of the four epic music dramas that constitute Richard Wagner 's Der Ring des Nibelungen (English: The Ring of the Nibelung ). It premiered as a single opera at the National Theatre of Munich on 22 September 1869, and received its first performance as part of the Ring cycle at the Bayreuth Festspielhaus on 13 August 1876. Wagner wrote
228-523: A "greeting to the waters". The first two and last two notes of this short, lilting passage form a falling musical step which, in different guises, will recur throughout the opera, signifying variously the Rhinemaidens' innocence, their joy in the gold and conversely, in the minor key, Alberich's woe at his rejection by the maidens, and his enslavement of the Nibelungs. The first appearance of the gold
342-454: A 'preface'. At this point he conceived that the prefatory opera, Der junge Siegfried , could act as a comic foil to the tragedy of Siegfrieds Tod . Preliminary musical sketches for Der junge Siegfried in 1851 were however quickly abandoned, although Wagner had written to his friend Theodor Uhlig that "the musical phrases are making themselves for these stanzas and periods, without my even having to take pains for them. It's all growing out of
456-481: A C major arpeggio that will become highly significant in later Ring operas, and the haunting "Rhinemaidens' Lament", developed from the falling step which earlier signified the maidens' joy in the gold. Scruton writes of this lament: "And yet, ever sounding in the depths, is the lament of the Rhine-daughters, singing of a natural order that preceded the conscious will that has usurped it. This lament sounds in
570-507: A continuity between Wagner's time and our own". Many of this production's features were highly controversial: the opening of Das Rheingold revealed a vast hydro-electric dam in which the gold is stored, guarded by the Rhinemaidens who were portrayed, in Spotts's words, as "three voluptuous tarts" – a depiction, he says, which "caused a shock from which no one quite recovered". According to The Observer ' s critic, "I had not experienced in
684-434: A deistic universe to one controlled by human beings". The dangers of subverted scientific progress were demonstrated in the third Rheingold scene, where Nibelheim was represented as a medical chamber of horrors, replete with vivisections and "unspeakable" genetic experiments. From the late 1980s a backlash against the tendency towards ever more outlandish interpretations of the Ring cycle led to several new productions in
798-598: A dragon to guard the gold. The Eddas also introduce the gods Thor (Donner), Frey (Froh) and the goddesses Frigg (Fricka) and Freyja (Freia). The idea of Erda, the earth mother, may have been derived from the character Jord (meaning "Earth"), who appears in the Eddas as the mother of Thor. A few Rhinegold characters originate from outside the Eddas. Mime appears in the Thidriks saga , as a human smith rather than as an enslaved Nibelung. The three Rhinemaidens do not appear in any of
912-610: A huge mound of gold. He boasts to the visitors about his plans to conquer the world using the power of the ring. Loge asks how he can protect himself against a thief while he sleeps. Alberich replies the Tarnhelm will hide him, by allowing him to turn invisible or change his form. Loge expresses doubt and requests a demonstration. Alberich complies by transforming himself into a giant snake; Loge acts suitably impressed, and then asks whether Alberich can also reduce his size, which would be very useful for hiding. Alberich transforms himself into
1026-586: A largely new cast of singers – of the Munich cast, only Heinrich Vogl (Loge) was engaged, although Richter, deposed as conductor in Munich, was given the baton in Bayreuth. The 13 August premiere was an event of international importance, and attracted a distinguished audience which included Kaiser Wilhelm I , Emperor Pedro II of Brazil and numerous representatives of the various European royal houses. King Ludwig, unwilling to face contact with his fellow-royals or
1140-434: A murky C major triad , with clarinets in their lowest register over a timpani pedal in F sharp". This motif will recur throughout the cycle; it will be heard later in this scene, when Fafner clubs Fasolt to death over possession of the ring. Tranquil, ascending harmonies introduce the reconvention of the gods and giants. The subsequent dispute over Wotan's reluctance to part with the ring ends with Erda's appearance; her motif
1254-493: A network of myths from his sources and imagination, each telling a stage of the story. In 1851 he outlined his purpose in his essay " A Communication to My Friends ": "I propose to produce my myth in three complete dramas, preceded by a lengthy prelude (Vorspiel)." Each of these dramas would, he said, constitute an independent whole, but would not be performed separately. "At a specially-appointed Festival, I propose, some future time, to produce those three dramas with their prelude, in
SECTION 10
#17327721166011368-447: A number of stagehands and stage machinery; early in scene 4, Franz Betz (as Wotan) mislaid the ring and had to go backstage to look for it; the gas lighting failed repeatedly, plunging the auditorium into darkness. Some innovations worked well – the wheeled machinery used by the Rhinemaidens to simulate swimming was successful, and the quality of the singing pleased even Wagner, who was otherwise in despair and refused to present himself to
1482-423: A panic, followed by Fasolt and Fafner. Fasolt demands that Freia be given up. He points out that Wotan's authority is sustained by the treaties carved into his spear, including his contract with the giants, which Wotan therefore cannot violate. Donner , god of thunder, and Froh , god of sunshine, arrive to defend Freia, but Wotan cannot permit the use of force to break the agreement. Hoping that Loge will arrive with
1596-415: A powerful magic ring out of it. A discussion of the ring and its powers ensues, and everyone finds good reasons for wanting to own it. Fafner makes a counter-offer: the giants will accept the Nibelung's treasure in payment, instead of Freia. When Wotan tries to haggle, the giants depart, taking Freia with them as hostage and threatening to keep her forever unless the gods ransom her by obtaining and giving them
1710-459: A prologue which he named Das Rheingold . Prelude At the bottom of the Rhine, the three Rhinemaidens , Woglinde, Wellgunde, and Floßhilde, play together. Alberich , a Nibelung dwarf , appears from a deep chasm and tries to woo them. The maidens mock his advances and he grows angry – he chases them, but they elude, tease and humiliate him. A sudden ray of sunshine pierces the depths, to reveal
1824-483: A prose outline for Siegfried's Death , which during the following months he developed into a full libretto. After his flight from Dresden and relocation in Switzerland, he continued to develop and expand his Siegfried project, having decided meantime that a single work would not suffice for his purposes; in his enlarged concept, Siegfried's Death would be the culmination of a series of musical dramas incorporating
1938-419: A rising arpeggio to announce the "Nature" motif, outlining the lower partials of an harmonic series with an E ♭ fundamental. This is further elaborated in the strings; the lower-register instruments sustain the E ♭ note throughout the prelude, while the chord is increasingly enhanced by the orchestra. The "Rhine" motif emerges, representing what Osborne describes as "the calm, majestic course of
2052-498: A toad. Wotan and Loge seize him, tie his hands, and drag him up to the surface. Orchestral Interlude - Aufstieg von Nibelheim ( Ascent from Nibelheim ) Back on the mountaintop, Wotan and Loge force Alberich to exchange his wealth for his freedom. He summons the Nibelungen, who bring up the hoard of gold. He then asks for the return of the Tarnhelm, but Loge says that it is part of his ransom. Alberich still hopes he can keep
2166-493: A valueless object of nature ( "Was ihr mir nützt, weiß ich nicht" ); nevertheless, on the forest bird's advice he decides to keep it. Then he complains to Mime that not even the dragon Fafner has taught him the meaning of fear. Mime congratulates him on having won his battle, and offers him the poisoned drink; however, the magic power of the dragon's blood allows Siegfried to read Mime's treacherous thoughts, and he stabs him to death ( "Willkommen, Siegfried!" ). Hidden nearby, Alberich
2280-495: A version in ink on up to three staves in which he worked out details of instrumentation and vocal line. The composition of Acts I and II was completed by August 1857. Wagner then left off work on Siegfried to write the operas Tristan und Isolde and Die Meistersinger . He did not resume work on Siegfried until 1869, when he composed the third act. The final revision of the score was undertaken in February 1871. Performance
2394-510: Is "the one who does not know fear" and that unless he can instill fear in him, Siegfried will kill him as the Wanderer foretold. He tells Siegfried that fear is an essential craft; Siegfried is eager to learn it, and Mime promises to teach him by taking him to Fafner ( "Fühltest du nie im finst’ren Wald" ). Since Mime was unable to forge Nothung, Siegfried decides to do it himself ( "Nothung! Nothung! Neidliches Schwert!" ). He succeeds by shredding
SECTION 20
#17327721166012508-539: Is "to expound, not to draw conclusions". The fact that most of its characters display decidedly human emotions makes it seem, according to a recent writer, "much more a present-day drama than a remote fable". Nevertheless, Philip Kennicott, writing in The Washington Post describes it as "the hardest of the four installments to love, with its family squabbles, extensive exposition, and the odd, hybrid world Wagner creates, not always comfortably balanced between
2622-407: Is a minor-key variation of the "Nature" motif from the prelude. After her warning she departs to the sounds of the "Downfall" motif, an inversion of Erda's entry that resembles "Woman's Worth". The scene ends with a rapid succession of motifs: "Donner's Call", a horn fanfare by which he summons the thunderstorm; Froh's "Rainbow Bridge" which provides a path for the gods into Valhalla; the "Sword" motif,
2736-462: Is an index and musicological guide to the 113 musical compositions and works for the stage by Richard Wagner . It includes guidance on editions of the published works and explanations of historical performance practices. John Deathridge , Martin Geck , and Egon Voss compiled the catalogue. In compiling the catalogue, the authors studied Wagner's writings and examined drafts, sketches, and scores of
2850-499: Is described by Holman as one of the most pervasive and appealing motifs in the entire Ring cycle – he lists 43 occurrences of the motif throughout the cycle. Many of the Ring ' s characters – Wotan, Froh, Alberich, Fasolt and Erda in Das Rheingold – either sing this phrase or are orchestrally referenced by it. The descent of Wotan and Loge into Nibelheim is represented musically in the second entr'acte, which begins with
2964-457: Is forced to explain that he encountered Siegfried's mother, Sieglinde, when she was in labor; she died giving birth to Siegfried. He shows Siegfried the broken pieces of the sword Nothung , which she had left in his custody. Siegfried orders him to reforge the sword; however, Mime is unable to accomplish this. Siegfried departs, leaving Mime in despair ( "Aus dem Wald fort in die Welt zieh’n" ). Scene 2 An old man (Wotan in disguise) arrives at
3078-410: Is heard laughing spitefully at his brother's death. Siegfried puts Mime's body into the treasure cave and places Fafner's body in the cave entrance to block it. The woodbird now sings of a woman sleeping on a rock surrounded by magic fire ( "Nun sing! Ich lausche dem Gesang" ). Siegfried, wondering if he can learn fear from this woman, follows the bird towards the rock. Prelude to Act 3 Scene 1 At
3192-468: Is signified by a muted horn call in the lower register, played under a shimmer of undulating strings, conveying, says Holman, "the shining, innocent beauty of the Rhinegold in its unfashioned state." The motif for the ring itself first appears in the woodwind, as Wellgunde reveals that a ring fashioned from the gold would confer on its owner the power to win the wealth of the world. This is followed by what
3306-416: Is sometimes known as the "renunciation" motif, when Woglinde sings that to fashion such a ring, the owner must first renounce love. Confusion arises because this same motif is used later in the Ring cycle to represent affirmation rather than rejection of love; Roger Scruton suggests the motif would be more appropriately labelled "existential choice". Alberich duly curses love, seizes the gold and departs, to
3420-444: Is sung by Fafner as a threatening reminder to the gods that the loss of Freia means the loss of their youth and vigour; it is later used by Loge to mock the gods for their weakness after Freia's departure with the giants. The "Spear" motif, a rapidly descending scale, represents the moral basis of Wotan's power and the sanctity of the treaties engraved on it. The phrase of five descending notes known as "Woman's Worth", first sung by Loge,
3534-575: The Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda – provided most of the material for Das Rheingold . These are poems and texts from 12th and 13th-century Iceland, which relate the doings of various Norse gods. Among these stories, a magic ring and a hoard of gold held by the dwarf Andvari (Wagner's Alberich) are stolen by the gods Odin (Wotan) and Loki (Loge) and used to redeem a debt to two brothers. One of these, Fafnir, kills his brother and turns himself into
Das Rheingold - Misplaced Pages Continue
3648-566: The Rheingold music on 1 November. He finished the first draft in mid-January 1854, and by the end of May had completed the full orchestral score. According to Holman, the result was "a stunning break from Wagner's earlier musical output" In the three years following his completion of the Rheingold score, Wagner wrote the music for Die Walküre , and for the first two acts of Siegfried . At that point, in 1857, he set Siegfried aside in order to work on Tristan und Isolde , and did not return to
3762-409: The Ring librettos in reverse order, so that Das Rheingold was the last of the texts to be written; it was, however, the first to be set to music. The score was completed in 1854, but Wagner was unwilling to sanction its performance until the whole cycle was complete; he worked intermittently on this music until 1874. The 1869 Munich premiere of Das Rheingold was staged, against Wagner's wishes, on
3876-529: The Ring project for 12 years. Long before Das Rheingold was ready for performance, Wagner conducted excerpts of the music from scenes 1, 2 and 4, at a concert in Vienna on 26 December 1862. The work remained unstaged, but by 1869 Wagner's principal financial sponsor, King Ludwig of Bavaria , was pressing for an early performance in Munich . Wagner wanted to wait until the cycle was completed, when he would stage
3990-544: The "Sword". Das Rheingold is scored for the following instrumental forces: Although it is sometimes performed independently, Das Rheingold is not generally considered outside the structure of the Ring cycle. However, as Millington points out, it is a substantial work in its own right, and has several characteristics not shared by the other works in the tetralogy. It is comparatively short, with continuous music; no interludes or breaks. The action moves forward relatively swiftly, unencumbered, as Arnold Whittall observes, by
4104-455: The "renunciation" and "spear" motifs but is quickly overwhelmed with the insistent, rhythmic 9/8 beat of the Nibelung motif in B ♭ , briefly foreshadowed in Loge's scene 2 soliloquy. In the climax to the entr'acte this rhythm is hammered out on eighteen anvils. This motif is thereafter used, not just to represent the Nibelungs but also their enslavement in a state of relentless misery. During
4218-441: The "retarding explanations" – pauses in the action to clarify the context of what is going on – that permeate the later, much longer works. Its lack of the conventional operatic devices (arias, choruses, ensembles) further enable the story to progress briskly. Since it was written as a prelude to the main events, Das Rheingold is in itself inconclusive, leaving numerous loose ends to be picked up later; its function, as Jacobs says,
4332-450: The 1970s, when a reaction to its bleak austerity produced a number of fresh approaches. The Bayreuth centenary Ring production of 1976, directed by Patrice Chéreau provided a significant landmark in the history of Wagner stagings: "Chéreau's demythologization of the tetralogy entailed an anti-heroic view of the work ... his setting of the action in an industrialized society ... along with occasional 20th century costumes and props, suggested
4446-538: The January cast, Seidl conducted Das Rheingold to begin the first American Ring cycle. Thereafter, Das Rheingold , either alone or as part of the Ring , became a regular feature of the international opera repertory, being seen in Saint Petersburg (1889), Paris (1901), Buenos Aires (1910), Melbourne (1913),, and Rio de Janeiro (1921), as well many other major venues. After the 1896 revival, Das Rheingold
4560-506: The Met for a final performance. Das Rheingold was Wagner's first attempt to write dramatic music in accordance with the principles he had enunciated in Opera and Drama , hence the general absence in the score of conventional operatic "numbers" in the form of arias, ensembles and choruses. Rather than acting as the accompanist to the voices, the orchestra combines with them on equal terms to propel
4674-414: The Munich premiere derives from later Bayreuth propaganda, and concludes that, "in many ways, these Munich performances surpassed the level of the first Bayreuth festival". As to the public's reaction, the audience's main interest was in the novel scenery and stage effects; Wagner's new approach to composition largely passed them by. In 1876, with the Bayreuth Festspielhaus built, Wagner was ready to stage
Das Rheingold - Misplaced Pages Continue
4788-417: The Munich premiere. Osborne maintains that the performance was successful, as does Holman, while Oliver Hilmes in his biography of Cosima describes it as "an artistic disaster". Cosima's diary entries for 24 and 27 September note that the performance was portrayed in the Munich press as a succès d'estime , or otherwise as "a lavishly decorated, boring work". Gutman maintains that much of the adverse comment on
4902-458: The Nibelung dwarves with the power of the ring. He has forced his brother Mime, a skillful smith, to create a magic helmet, the Tarnhelm . Alberich demonstrates the Tarnhelm's power by making himself invisible, the better to torment his subjects. Wotan and Loge arrive and happen upon Mime, who tells them of the dwarves' misery under Alberich's rule. Alberich returns, driving his slaves to pile up
5016-399: The Nibelung's gold by the end of the day. Freia's golden apples had kept the gods eternally young, but in her absence they begin to age and weaken. In order to redeem Freia, Wotan resolves to travel with Loge to Alberich's subterranean kingdom to obtain the gold. Orchestral interlude – Abstieg nach Nibelheim ( Descent into Nibelheim ) In Nibelheim, Alberich has enslaved the rest of
5130-408: The Nibelungs' enslavement. After Wotan seizes the ring from the captive Alberich, the dwarf's agonised, self-pitying monologue ("Am I now free?") ends with his declamation of the "Curse" motif – "one of the most sinister musical ideas ever to have entered the operatic repertoire", according to Scruton's analysis: "It rises through a half-diminished chord , and then falls through an octave to settle on
5244-503: The Rhinegold. The maidens rejoice in the gold's gleam. Alberich asks what it is. They explain that the gold, which their father has ordered them to guard, can be made into a magic ring which gives power to rule the world, if its bearer first renounces love. The maidens think they have nothing to fear from the lustful dwarf, but Alberich, embittered by their mockery, curses love, seizes the gold and returns to his chasm, leaving them screaming in dismay. Orchestral interlude Wotan , ruler of
5358-536: The Second World War, resumed in 1951 under Wieland Wagner , Siegfried's son, who introduced his first Ring cycle in the "New Bayreuth" style. This was the antithesis of all that had been seen at Bayreuth before, as scenery, costumes and traditional gestures were abandoned and replaced by a bare disc, with evocative lighting effects to signify changes of scene or mood. The stark New Bayreuth style dominated most Rheingold and Ring productions worldwide until
5472-646: The Sun and greets Siegfried as the World's Light ( "Heil dir, Sonne! Heil dir, Licht!" ). Afraid and hesitant at first to do so, Brünnhilde is eventually won over by Siegfried's love and renounces through her love for him the world of the gods and with it her own powers (" Ewig war ich, ewig bin ich" ). Together, they solemnly sing praises to love, in comparison with which the glory of the gods itself seems dimmed and in which even dying can be jubilant: "radiant love, laughing death!" ( "Leuchtende Liebe, lachender Tod!" ) Elements of
5586-457: The Wanderer demands that Mime answer his three questions, or yield his own head. The Wanderer asks Mime to identify: the race most beloved of Wotan, but most harshly treated; the name of the sword that can destroy Fafner; and the person who can repair the sword. Mime can answer only the first two questions: the Wälsungs (Siegmund and Sieglinde whose tale is told in the opera Die Walküre ) and
5700-589: The Wälsung, who took Alberich's ring without succumbing to its corrupting influence thanks to his fearlessness, and Brünnhilde (Erda's and Wotan's child), who will work the deed that redeems the World ( "Dir Unweisen ruf’ ich’s in’s Ohr" ). Dismissed, Erda sinks back into the earth. Scene 2 Siegfried arrives, and the Wanderer questions the youth ( "Mein Vöglein schwebte mir fort" ). Siegfried, who does not recognize his grandfather, answers insolently and starts down
5814-473: The air, using lip sync to co-ordinate with off-stage singers. Edward Rothstein , writing in The New York Times , found the production "a puzzle ... cluttered with contraptions and conceits" which, he imagined, were visual motifs which would be clarified in later operas. Keith Warner , in his 2004 production for Covent Garden , portrayed, according to Barry Millington's analysis, "the shift from
SECTION 50
#17327721166015928-403: The alternative payment he has promised, Wotan tries to stall. When Loge arrives, his initial report is discouraging: nothing is more valuable to men than love, so there is apparently no possible alternative payment besides Freia. Loge was able to find only one instance where someone willingly gave up love for something else: Alberich the Nibelung has renounced love, stolen the Rhine gold, and made
6042-473: The appointed conductor, Hans Richter to stand down after a troublesome dress rehearsal. Ludwig was unmoved; he denounced Wagner, sacked Richter, appointed another conductor, Franz Wüllner , and rescheduled the premiere for 22 September. Wagner was refused admission to the rehearsals at the theatre, and returned, angry and defeated, to his home in Tribschen . Accounts differ as to the success or otherwise of
6156-399: The assembled crowd, attended the dress rehearsals incognito, but left Bayreuth before the opening night. Most of Europe's leading composers were also present, including Tchaikovsky , Gounod , Bruckner , Grieg , Saint-Saëns and Wagner's father-in law Franz Liszt , together with a large corps of music critics and opera house managers. The huge influx of visitors overwhelmed the resources of
6270-454: The audience despite their clamouring for him. The critics made much of the technical shortcomings, which were largely overcome during the course of the festival, although, to Wagner's fury, they failed to acknowledge this fact. After the 1876 festival, Das Rheingold was not seen again at Bayreuth for 20 years, until Cosima revived the Ring cycle for the 1896 festival. Meanwhile, opera houses across Europe sought to mount their own productions,
6384-453: The complacent gods by fire – he will think it over. Far below, the Rhinemaidens mourn the loss of their gold and condemn the gods as false and cowardly. Because Wagner developed his Ring scheme in reverse chronological order, the "poem" (libretto) for Das Rheingold was the last of the four to be written. He finished his prose plan for the work in March 1852, and on 15 September began writing
6498-409: The compositions. For the full list, see List of compositions by Richard Wagner . Siegfried (opera) Siegfried ( German: [ˈziːk.fʀiːt] ), WWV 86C, is the third of the four epic music dramas that constitute Richard Wagner 's Der Ring des Nibelungen (English: The Ring of the Nibelung ). It premiered at the Bayreuth Festspielhaus on 16 August 1876, as part of
6612-450: The course of three days and a fore-evening. In accordance with this scheme, Siegfried's Death , much revised from its original form, eventually became Götterdämmerung ( The Twilight of the Gods ). It was preceded by the story of Siegfried's youth, Young Siegfried , later renamed Siegfried , itself preceded by Die Walküre ( The Valkyrie ). Finally, to these three works Wagner added
6726-467: The cycle, Das Rheingold gives the background to the events that drive the main dramas of the cycle. It recounts Alberich 's theft of the Rhine gold after his renunciation of love; his fashioning of the all-powerful ring from the gold and his enslavement of the Nibelungs ; Wotan 's seizure of the gold and the ring, to pay his debt to the giants who have built his fortress Valhalla ; Alberich's curse on
6840-473: The door and introduces himself as the Wanderer ( "Heil dir, weiser Schmied!" ). In return for the hospitality due a guest, he wagers his head on answering any three questions Mime may ask. The dwarf asks the Wanderer to name the races that live beneath the ground, on the earth, and in the skies. These are the Nibelungs, the Giants, and the Gods, as the Wanderer answers correctly. When Mime still refuses hospitality,
6954-513: The dragon that a hero is coming to kill him, and offers to prevent the fight in exchange for the ring. Fafner dismisses the threat, declines Alberich's offer, and returns to sleep. Wotan mysteriously advises Alberich that all things follow their own necessary ways which no one will change. He then rides away on his horse, leaving Alberich alone. Alberich withdraws and hides himself again in the rocks. Orchestral Interlude Scene 2 At daybreak, Siegfried and Mime arrive. After assuring Siegfried that
SECTION 60
#17327721166017068-447: The dragon will teach him what fear is, Mime withdraws. As Siegfried waits for the dragon to appear, he hears a woodbird singing from the trees ( Waldweben - Forest Murmurs ). He attempts to mimic the bird's song using a reed pipe, but is unsuccessful. He then plays a tune on his horn ( Siegfrieds Hornruf - Siegfried's Horn Call ), which unintentionally wakes Fafner in his cave. After a short exchange, they fight; Siegfried stabs Fafner in
7182-473: The drama forward. According to Barry Millington's analysis, Das Rheingold represents Wagner's purest application of the Opera and Drama principles, a rigorous stance that he would eventually modify. Even in Rheingold , as Jacobs indicates, Wagner was flexible when the dramatic occasion warranted it; thus, the Rhinemaidens sing in the disavowed ensembles, and there are several instances in which characters sing melodies that appear to be musically independent from
7296-401: The dwarf Mime, is forging a sword ( "Zwangvolle Plage!" ). Mime is plotting to obtain the ring of power originally created by his brother Alberich . He has raised the human boy Siegfried as a foster child, to kill Fafner, who obtained the ring and other treasures in the opera Das Rheingold and has since transformed himself from a giant to a dragon. Mime needs a sword for Siegfried to use, but
7410-434: The entire tissue of the music drama". The Rheingold score is structured around many such motifs; analysts have used different principles in determining the total number. Holman counts 42, while Roger Scruton , in his 2017 philosophical analysis of the Ring , numbers them at 53. Apart from some early sketches in 1850, relating to Siegfried's Death , Wagner composed the Ring music in its proper sequence. Thus, Das Rheingold
7524-427: The first Bayreuth Festival with his own production of the now complete Ring cycle, beginning with a performance of Das Rheingold on 13 August. This event was preceded by months of preparation in which Wagner was deeply engaged; according to witnesses, he was "director, producer, coach, conductor, singer, actor, stage manager, stage hand and prompter". He searched Europe for the finest orchestral players, and selected
7638-508: The first Hungarian performance of Das Rheingold , conducted by the young Gustav Mahler , was briefly interrupted when the prompt-box caught fire and a number of patrons fled the theatre. The American premiere of Das Rheingold was given by the New York Metropolitan Opera in January 1889, as a single opera, with Seidl conducting. The production used Carl Emil Doepler 's original Bayreuth costume designs, and scenery
7752-632: The first complete performance of The Ring cycle. The autograph manuscript of the work is preserved in the Richard Wagner Foundation . Structure of the Ring cycle The libretto of Siegfried was drafted by Wagner in November–December 1852, based on an earlier version he had prepared in May–June 1851 and originally entitled Jung-Siegfried ( Young Siegfried ), later changed to Der junge Siegfried . The musical composition
7866-719: The first to do so being the Vienna State Opera , which staged Das Rheingold on 24 January 1878. In April 1878 Das Rheingold was produced in Leipzig , as part of the first full Ring cycle to be staged outside Bayreuth. London followed suit in May 1882, when Rheingold began a cycle at Her Majesty's Theatre, Haymarket , under the baton of Anton Seidl . In the years following the London premiere, Ring cycles were staged in many European capitals. In Budapest on 26 January 1889,
7980-444: The foot of Brünnhilde's rock. The Wanderer summons Erda, the earth goddess ( "Wache, Wala!" ). Erda, appearing confused, is unable to offer any advice ( "Männerthaten umdämmern mir den Muth" ). Wotan informs her that he no longer fears the end of the gods ; indeed, he wills it, because he now recognizes that through his own demise the true heritage of his life will be left to the independent pair free from envy in their love, to Siegfried
8094-416: The forest. The Wanderer arrives at the entrance to Fafner's cave, near which Alberich secretly keeps vigil by a rocky cliff ( "Im Wald und Nacht" ). The two enemies recognize each other. Alberich boasts of his plans to regain the ring and rule the world. Wotan states that he does not intend to interfere, only to observe. He even offers to awaken the dragon so that Alberich can bargain with him. Alberich warns
8208-581: The full libretto, which he completed on 3 November. In February 1853, at the Hotel Baur au Lac in Zürich, Wagner read the whole Ring text to an invited audience, after which all four parts were published in a private edition limited to 50 copies. The text was not published commercially until 1863. Of the principal sources that Wagner used in creating the Ring cycle, the Scandinavian Eddas –
8322-406: The general flow. The music is continuous, with instrumental entr'actes linking the actions of the four discrete scenes. The prelude to Das Rheingold consists of an extended (136-bar) chord in E ♭ major, which begins almost inaudibly in the lowest register of eight double-basses. The note of B ♭ is added by the bassoons and the chord is further embellished as the horns enter with
8436-477: The giants. This duologue is characterised by Fricka's "Love's longing" motif, in which she sighs for a home that will satisfy Wotan and halt his infidelities. Freia's distressed entrance is illustrated by "Love", a fragment that will recur and develop as the Ring cycle unfolds. The Giants' entrance is signified by heavy, stamping music that reflects both their simple nature and their brute strength. The "Golden Apples" motif, of "remarkable beauty" according to Scruton,
8550-467: The gods , is asleep on a mountaintop, with a magnificent castle behind him. His wife, Fricka , wakes Wotan, who salutes their new home. Fricka reminds him of his promise to the giants Fasolt and Fafner , who built the castle, that he would give them Fricka's sister Freia , the goddess of youth and beauty, as payment. Fricka is worried for her sister, but Wotan trusts that Loge , the cunning demigod of fire, will find an alternative payment. Freia enters in
8664-400: The gold be piled high enough to hide her from view. Wotan is forced to relinquish the Tarnhelm, to help cover Freia completely. However, Fasolt spots a remaining crack in the gold, through which one of Freia's eyes can be seen. Loge says that there is no more gold, but Fafner, who has noticed the ring on Wotan's finger, demands that Wotan add it to the pile, to block the crack. Loge protests that
8778-522: The ground as if it were wild." Shortly afterwards he wrote to Uhlig that he was now planning to tell the Siegfried story in the form of "three dramas, plus a prologue in three acts"—a clear prefiguring of the Ring cycle. Full work was finally commenced on the music of Siegfried , as the composer henceforth referred to it, in 1856, when Wagner prepared concurrently two drafts, a complete draft in pencil and
8892-437: The heart with Nothung. Regretful about his own life Fafner in his last moments learns the boy's name and tells Siegfried to beware the might of the curse, which condemns every lord of the Ring to death, just as it has now brought death to him. When Siegfried withdraws his sword from Fafner's body, his hands are burned by the dragon's hot blood and he puts his finger in his mouth. On tasting the blood, he finds that he can understand
9006-515: The metal, melting it, and casting it anew. In the meantime, Mime brews a poisoned drink to offer Siegfried after the youth has defeated the dragon. After he finishes forging the sword, Siegfried demonstrates its strength by chopping the anvil in half with it ( "Hoho! Hoho! Hohei! Schmiede, mein Hammer, ein hartes Schwert!" - Siegfrieds Schmiedelied - Siegfried's Forging Song ). Prelude to Act 2 - Fafners Ruhe ( Fafner's Rest ) Scene 1 Deep in
9120-402: The modest-sized town and caused considerable discomfort to some of the most distinguished of the guests; Tchaikovsky later described his sojourn at Bayreuth as a "struggle for existence". Despite the careful preparation, the first Bayreuth performance of Das Rheingold was punctuated by several mishaps. Some scene changes were mishandled; at one point a backdrop was prematurely lifted to reveal
9234-524: The more traditional manner. Otto Schenk 's staging of Das Rheingold , first seen at the New York Met in 1987 and forming the prelude to his full Ring cycle two years later, was described by The New York Times as "charmingly old fashioned", and as "a relief to many beleaguered Wagnerites". James Morris , who sang Wotan in the 1987 production, and James Levine , the original conductor, both returned in 2009 when Schenk brought his Ring cycle back to
9348-467: The music would interpret the text emotionally, reflecting the feelings and moods behind the work, by using a system of recurring leitmotifs to represent people, ideas and situations. Das Rheingold was Wagner's first work that adopted these principles, and his most rigid adherence to them, despite a few deviations – the Rhinemaidens frequently sing in ensemble. As the "preliminary evening" within
9462-441: The mythic and the recognizably human." Certain presumptions are challenged or overturned; John Louis Gaetani, in a 2006 essay, notes that, in Loge's view, the gods are far more culpable than the Nibelungs, and that Wotan, for all his prestige as the ruler of the gods, "does much more evil than Alberich ever dreams of". Wagner-Werk-Verzeichnis The Wagner-Werk-Verzeichnis ( Catalogue of Wagner's Works ), abbreviated WWV ,
9576-475: The orchestral overture to the Rheingold, which must long have lain latent within me, though it had been unable to find definite form, had at last been revealed to me". Some authorities (for example Millington et al., 1992) have disputed the validity of this tale, which Nikolaus Bacht refers to as an "acoustic hallucination". After an extended tour, Wagner was back in Zürich by late October and began writing down
9690-504: The orders of King Ludwig II of Bavaria , his patron. Following its 1876 Bayreuth premiere, the Ring cycle was introduced into the worldwide repertory, with performances in all the main opera houses, in which it has remained a regular and popular fixture. In his 1851 essay Opera and Drama , Wagner had set out new principles as to how music dramas should be constructed, under which the conventional forms of opera (arias, ensembles, choruses) were rejected. Rather than providing word-settings,
9804-434: The other gods were represented as gangsters in mafioso sunglasses. This entire Ring , says Spotts, was "a parable of how the power-hungry cheat, lie, bully, terrorise and kill to get what they want". In August Everding 's Chicago Reingold (which would become part of a full Ring cycle four years later), the Rhinemaidens were attached to elasticated ropes manipulated from the wings, which enabled them to cavort freely through
9918-444: The path toward Brünnhilde's rock. The Wanderer blocks his path, but Siegfried mocks him, laughing at his floppy hat and his missing eye, and breaks his spear (the symbol and source of Wotan's authority and power) with a blow from Nothung. Wotan, accepting his fate, calmly gathers up the pieces and vanishes ( "Zieh’ hin! Ich kann dich nicht halten!" ). Orchestral Interlude Scene 3 Thanks to his fearlessness Siegfried passes through
10032-552: The plot of Siegfried come from a variety of sources. In a letter to Uhlig, Wagner recounted The Story of the Youth Who Went Forth to Learn What Fear Was , based on a fairy-tale of the Brothers Grimm . It concerns a boy so stupid he had never learned to be afraid. Wagner wrote that the boy and Siegfried are the same character. The boy is taught to fear by his wife, and Siegfried learns it when he discovers
10146-524: The ring and its possessors; Erda 's warning to Wotan to forsake the ring; the early manifestation of the curse's power after Wotan yields the ring to the giants; and the gods' uneasy entry into Valhalla, under the shadow of their impending doom. Structure of the Ring cycle Having completed his opera Lohengrin in April 1848, Richard Wagner chose as his next subject Siegfried , the legendary hero of Germanic myth . In October of that year he prepared
10260-463: The ring belongs to the Rheinmaidens, and Wotan angrily declares that he intends to keep it for his own. As the giants seize Freia and start to leave, Erda , the earth goddess, appears and warns Wotan of impending doom, urging him to give up the cursed ring. Troubled, Wotan calls the giants back and surrenders the ring. The giants release Freia and begin dividing the treasure, but they quarrel over
10374-402: The ring itself. Fafner clubs Fasolt to death. Wotan, horrified, realizes that Alberich's curse has terrible power. Donner summons a thunderstorm to clear the air, after which Froh creates a rainbow bridge that stretches to the gate of the castle. Wotan leads the gods across the bridge to the castle, which he names Valhalla . Loge does not follow; he says in an aside that he is tempted to destroy
10488-420: The ring of fire, emerging on Brünnhilde's rock ( "Selige Öde auf sonniger Höh’!" ). At first, he thinks the sleeping armored figure is a man. However, when he removes the armor, he finds a woman beneath. At the sight of the first woman he has ever seen and struck with the feeling of love, Siegfried at last experiences fear. In desperation, he kisses Brünnhilde, waking her from her magic sleep. Upon waking she hails
10602-459: The ring, but Wotan demands it, and when Alberich refuses, Wotan tears it from Alberich's hand and puts it on his own finger. Crushed by his loss, Alberich lays a curse on the ring: until it returns to him, it will inspire restless jealousy in those who own it, and murderous envy in those who do not, thus condemning all the possessors of the ring. The gods reconvene. Fasolt and Fafner return with Freia. Fasolt, reluctant to release her, insists that
10716-420: The river's character The composer Robert Erickson describes the prelude as drone music – "the only well-known drone piece in the concert repertory". Millington suggests that the protracted chord does not simply represent the depths of the Rhine, rather "the birth of the world, the act of creation itself". When the prelude reaches its climax the curtain rises and the key shifts to A ♭ as Woglinde sings
10830-496: The rocks by her singing, and by the Greek Hesperides myth in which three maidens guard a golden treasure. Robert Jacobs, in his biography of the composer, observes that the "Nibelung Myth" on which Wagner based his entire Ring story was "very much a personal creation", the result of Wagner's "brilliant manipulation" of his sources. In the Rheingold text, Wagner used his imaginative powers to adapt, change and distort
10944-555: The sagas and are substantially Wagner's own invention; he also provided their individual names Woglinde, Wellgunde and Floßhilde. In his analysis of The Ring Deryck Cooke suggests the Rhinemaidens' origin may be in the Nibelungenlied , where three water sprites tease the characters Hagen and Gunther . Wagner may also have been influenced by the Rhine-based German legend of Lorelei , who lures fishermen on to
11058-405: The sagas, are reduced by Wagner to roles of largely passive impotence. Wagner originally conceived the first scene of Das Rheingold as a prologue to the three scenes that follow it. As such, the structure replicates that of Götterdämmerung , and also that of the full Ring cycle. As early as 1840, in his novella "A Pilgrimage to Beethoven", Wagner had anticipated a form of lyric drama in which
11172-417: The scene's opening interaction between Alberich and Mime, the soft, mysterious "Tarnhelm" motif is heard on muted horns; this is later combined with the "serpent" motif as, at Loge's behest, Alberich uses the Tarnhelm to transform himself into a giant snake. The transition back to the mountaintop, following Alberich's entrapment, references a number of motifs, among them Alberich's woe, the ring, renunciation and
11286-668: The sleeping Brünnhilde. Siegfried's ability in Act Two to see through Mime's deceitful words seems to have been derived from a 19th-century street theatre version of the story of Faust . Some elements of the story are derived from legends of Sigurd , notably the Völsunga saga and the Thidrekssaga . Scene 1 of Act III (between The Wanderer and Erda) has a parallel in the Eddic poem Baldrs draumar , in which Odin questions
11400-405: The sounds of the despairing shrieks of the Rhinemaidens. During the first entr'acte, the Ring motif is transformed into the multipart and oft-reiterated "Valhalla" music – four intertwined motifs which represent the majesty of the gods and the extent of Wotan's power. Scene two begins on the mountaintop, in sight of the newly completed castle, where Fricka and Wotan bicker over Wotan's contract with
11514-459: The standard operatic divisions would disappear. In early 1851 he published his book-length essay Opera and Drama , in which he expounded his emerging ideas around the concept of Gesamtkunstwerk – "total work of art". In the new kind of musical drama, he wrote, the traditional operatic norms of chorus, arias and vocal numbers would have no part. The vocal line would, in Gutman's words, "interpret
11628-537: The stories and characters from the sagas. J.K. Holman, in his "Listener's Guide and Concordance" (2001), cites the Alberich character as typifying Wagner's ability to "consolidate selected aspects from diverse stories to create ... vivid, consistent and psychologically compelling portrait[s]". While some characters' importance is enhanced in Wagner's version, others, such as Donner, Froh, and Freia, who are major figures in
11742-443: The sword Nothung. Wotan tells him that only "he who does not know fear" can reforge Nothung, and abstains from taking Mime's head, leaving it for that person. Scene 3 Mime despairs as he imagines the ferocity of the dragon Fafner, while "the orchestra paints a dazzling picture of flickering lights and roaring flames" ( "Verfluchtes Licht!" ). Siegfried returns and is annoyed by Mime's lack of progress. Mime realizes that Siegfried
11856-491: The text emotionally through artificially calculated juxtapositions of rhythm, accent, pitch and key relationships". The orchestra, as well as providing the instrumental colour appropriate to each stage situation, would use a system of leitmotifs , each representing musically a person, an idea or a situation. Wagner termed these "motifs of reminiscence and presentiment", which carry intense emotional experience through music rather than words. According to Jacobs, they should "permeate
11970-479: The theatre protest as furious as that which greeted Das Rheingold ." Eventually this hostility was overcome; the final performance of this production, in 1980, was followed by an ovation that lasted ninety minutes. The iconoclastic centenary Ring was followed by numerous original interpretations, at Bayreuth and elsewhere, in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. The 1988 festival opened with Harry Kupfer 's grim interpretation of Das Rheingold , in which Wotan and
12084-422: The unconsciousness of us all, as we pursue our paths to personality, sovereignty and freedom...". These are the last voices that are heard in the opera, "piercing our hearts with sudden longing, melting our bones with nostalgic desire", before the gods, "marching in empty triumph to their doom", enter Valhalla to a thunderous orchestral conclusion, made up from several motifs including "Valhalla", "Rainbow Bridge" and
12198-455: The woodbird's song ( "Hei! Siegfried gehört nun der Niblungen Hort!" ). Following its instructions, he takes the ring and the magic helmet Tarnhelm from Fafner's hoard. Scene 3 Outside the cave, Alberich and Mime meet and quarrel over the treasure ( "Wohin schleichst du eilig und schlau" ). Alberich hides as Siegfried comes out of the cave. Siegfried contemplates the ring but doesn't know what could be its use, viewing it just innocently as
12312-555: The work himself; also, his return to Munich would likely have precipitated a scandal, in view of his, at the time, affair with the married Cosima von Bülow . Wagner was horrified at the idea of his work being presented in accordance with Ludwig's eccentric tastes. However, Ludwig, who possessed the copyright, was insistent that Rheingold be produced at the Munich Hofoper without further delay. Wagner did all he could to sabotage this production, fixed for August 1869, and persuaded
12426-448: The youth has contemptuously broken every sword Mime has made. Siegfried returns from his wanderings in the forest driving before him a large bear that terrifies Mime, and immediately breaks the new sword. After a whining speech by Mime about ingratitude, and how Mime has brought him up from a mewling infant ( "Als zullendes Kind" ), Siegfried senses why he keeps coming back to Mime although he despises him: he wants to know his parentage. Mime
12540-753: Was being performed regularly at the Bayreuth Festival, although not every year, within a variety of Ring productions. Until the Second World War , under the successive artistic control of Cosima (from 1896 to 1907), her son Siegfried (1908 to 1930) and Siegfried's widow Winifred (1931 to 1943), these productions did not deviate greatly from the stagings devised by Wagner for the 1876 premiere. With few exceptions, this generally conservative, even reverential approach – which extended to all Wagner's operas – tended to be mirrored in performances outside Bayreuth. The Bayreuth Festival, suspended after
12654-413: Was commenced in 1856, but not finally completed until 1871. The libretto arose from Wagner's gradual reconception of the project he had initiated with his libretto Siegfrieds Tod ( Siegfried's Death ) which was eventually to be incarnated as Götterdämmerung , the final section of the Ring cycle. Having sketched music and worked with the text for Siegfrieds Tod in 1851, he realized that it would need
12768-557: Was his first attempt to adopt the principles set out in Opera and Drama . According to his memoirs, Wagner's first inspiration for the music came to him in a half-dream, on 4 September 1853, while he was in Spezia in Italy. He records a feeling of "sinking in swiftly flowing water. The rushing sound formed itself in my brain into a musical sound, the chord of E flat major, which continually re-echoed in broken forms ... I at once recognised that
12882-440: Was imported from Germany. According to The New York Times , "[t]he scenery, costumes and effects were all designed and executed with great art and caused admirable results." Of particular note was the performance of Joseph Beck who sang Alberich: "a fine example of Wagnerian declamatory singing, His delivery of the famous curse of the ring was notably excellent in its distinctness and dramatic force". On 4 March 1889, with largely
12996-593: Was withheld until the first complete production of the Ring cycle, at Bayreuth in August 1876. Prelude to Act 1 Scene 1 A cave in rocks in the forest. An orchestral introduction includes references to leitmotifs including themes relating to the original hoard plundered by the Nibelung Alberich , and one in B-flat minor associated with the Nibelungs themselves. As the curtain rises, Alberich's brother,
#600399