Myths and Legends Lecture

1
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.

2
Der Ring des Nibelungen

• A tetralogy, one of the most ambitious artistic
  works ever undertaken, composed from 18481874 a
  form of music-drama.
• Requires 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.

3
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.

4
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.
• Wagners music never performed in Israel.

5
This work contains some of the most memorable
music every written.
6
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

7
Das Rheingold
Rhein Maidens
Scene 1
8
Das Rheingold
Rhein Maidens
Rhein Maidens
9
Das Rheingold
Scene 2
Rhein Maidens
10
Das Rheingold
Scene 4
Scene 3
11
Die Walküre
ACT II.
ACT I.
12
Die Walküre
ACT III.
Siegmund and Sieglinde
13
Die Walküre
Images of Valkyries
14
Die Walküre
Images of Valkyries
15
Die Walküre
Images of Valkyries
16
Siegfried
ACT II.
ACT I.
17
Siegfried
Virginia Wolf as Brünhilde
Siegfried and Brünhilde
18
Götterdämmerung
ACT I.
Prelude
19
Götterdämmerung
ACT II.
ACT II.
20
Götterdämmerung
ACT III.
ACT III.