Inside the Ring: Essays on Wagner's Opera Cycle

by John Louis DiGaetani (Editor)

Overview

Once tainted by association with Hitler and Nazism, Richard Wagner's work has experienced an international cultural renaissance in the last 25 years. His magnum opus, Der Ring des Nibelungen, which took him over 20 years to finish, is a complex tale with themes of greed, corruption and loss, spun out in more than 16 hours of powerfully moving opera. This book, with provocative essays for both the uninitiated and the seasoned fan, examines Wagner's Ring cycle from a wide array of modern perspectives.

Divided into six parts, this anthology first offers a foundation for the Ring, with a chronology and an introduction, along with a look at Wagner as an enterprising marketer. Part Two explores different interpretations of the Ring, with reference to politics, romanticism and international inspirations. Part Three studies the complex relationship between Wagner's Ring and Germany, with a summary of the opera's influence on German culture and a discussion of its Munich premiere. Part Four offers a production history, including studies of the Ring's effects in America and its influence on world literature. Part Five provides a technical examination of language in the Ring, as well as an interview with the famous Wagnerian soprano Jane Eaglen. The book concludes with an essay on the trouble with Wagnerian opera and an overview of the recorded Ring on disc, video and print.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780786423309
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers
Publication date:	03/13/2006
Pages:	268
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.54(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

John Louis DiGaetani, professor emeritus of English at Hofstra University, is the author of numerous books about opera and theater.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments     
Preface     
A Ring Chronology     

Introduction: The Cycles in the Cycle     

I. The Foundation
1. The Golden Ring in a Golden Age     
2. Selling the Ring: Richard Wagner’s “Enterprise”     

II. Interpretations
3. Gold Rules: The Politics of Wagner’s Ring     
4. Romanticism in the Ring     
5. The Ring: An Italian Dream Set in Switzerland     

III. The Ring and Germany
6. Wagner’s Ring and German Culture: Performances and Interpretations On and Off Stage     
7. Wagner’s Ring Premiere in Munich     
8. Transgression and Taboo: Eros, Marriage, and Incest in Die Walküre     

IV. Production and Influence of the Ring
9. A Select Production History of the Ring     
10. The Ring in America     
11. Wagnerian Opera's Influence on World Literature     

V. The Language and Music of the Ring
12. The Language of the Ring     
13. An Interview with Jane Eaglen     

VI. Conclusion
14. The Trouble with Wagner     
15. The Ring on Disc and on Video     

About the Contributors     
Index     

Editorial Reviews

I can aver that I found much to enjoy and learn here. For instance, the interview with Eaglen alone is worth the price of the book...Inside the Ring contains many nuggets of gold, not the least of which is the bibliography, which lists audio and video resources, books, librettos, and music—Wagner Notes.

From the Publisher

"I can aver that I found much to enjoy and learn here. For instance, the interview with Eaglen alone is worth the price of the book...Inside the Ring contains many nuggets of gold, not the least of which is the bibliography, which lists audio and video resources, books, librettos, and music

Wagner Notes