For most people, Opera conjures up visions of large women wearing blond wigs with long braids, Viking helmets, and metal breastplates. The remarkable thing is that the characters associated with those trappings are featured in only one Opera, Die Walkure (The Valkyrie)
But "The Ride of the Valkyrie" has to be one of the most recognizable pieces of classical music for the general public. Either they've heard Elmore Fudd singing "Kill The Rabbit," or they have fond memories of Robert Duvall getting off on the smell of napalm in Apocalypse Now after attacking at first light with Wagner blasting from his helicopter.
Sometimes I wonder what must be harder for the ghost of Richard Wagner to live with; his associations with Nazism or Elmore Fudd. I'd say the former, just because at least people think kindly of Mr. Fudd. It's also highly unfair to associate a man with people who co-opted and perverted his work to suit their needs as Hitler and his cronies did to the music of Wagner.
Der Ring Des Nibelungen (The Ring Of The Nibelungen), of which "The Ride" is merely one aria amongst four operas, remains one of the most ambitious musical projects ever attempted. I don't believe that anyone before, or since, has had the vision and the motivation (perhaps obsession) that it took to complete a project of such scope.
Four operas, fifteen hours of music, all built around an epic Norse/Germanic saga,The Nibelungenlied. Fans of the Lord of the Rings trilogy will have no problems identifying with these works; the fates of the Gods and the world are closely intertwined with a ring of gold, and comparisons between the Riders of Rohan and the Norse warriors will be inevitable.
The Ring Cycle, as the four are referred to in English, is comprised of: Dan Rheingold, Die Walkure, Siegfried, and Gotterdammerung. As far as a plot summary is concerned, it's probably best left in the hands of an expert. In the booklet accompanying the Opera d'Oro version under review, commentator Robert Levine offers this capsule review of the story:
…filled with codes and references about love, greed, and every other human and social subjects, (it) is also a thrilling series of mythic adventures…a hoard of gold is stolen, a helmet that allows the wearer to change form is invented, a rainbow bridge is built to a castle, twins are re-united…And all because the absolute power offered by the Ring forged from gold stolen by a wretched dwarf also holds a deadly curse…
Of course, there's a lot more to it than that, but you get the idea. We're talking non-stop action and adventure of the highest order. How many stories are there where the Gods die so the world can be re-born as a better place?
Article comments
1 - Mark Bellinghaus
Very interesting article, thank you, gypsyman! Just a little but important correction in your headline; correctly it is "Der Ring der Nibelungen!" As I am being judged all over for my typos in my comments, ever since I am on this wonderul blog-land, I am happy to return the favor. Since German is my FIRST language.
Interesting piece - unfortunately associate many people Wagner with Hitler! That is very unfortunate, as the Nazi's used his music for their propaganda films! Wagner was sponsored by King Ludwig II. the Bavarian (gay) King, "Micheal Jackson" of Germany and his time. Way before Hitler was even born. He built the Castle Neuschwanstein, which Disney copied for his "Cinderella-castle" in Disneyland! Wagner's music is heavy - but it has it's fans, too!It is unique and was tried to copied, not only by people like John Williams in recent times.
2 - gypsyman
Mark,
Thanks for the comments; are you sure about the title, because if you look at the CD cover it very clearly says DES, unless that's a really stylized "r". I'll do a quick Google search and see what I can turn up.
cheers
gypsyman
3 - gypsyman
Mark.
The Goethe Institute lists it as Des so I'll stick with that. It may be dialect, I know my sister-in-law is from the Rhine vally and she speaks some language unknown to most Germans, so it could be Wagner wrote in dialect. Remember he was writing before there was a unified Germany, all individual states, and as you point out it was for his Bavarian patron, good old Ludwig, so who knows what dialect they spoke then.
Interesting tidbit about Ludwig being gay, by the way, didn't know that.
gypsyman
4 - Mark Bellinghaus
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Just found this on Google - grammatical it is correct "der" but it is shown in both forms...when my parents refered to the records - they clearly used the word "der". Just FYI!
Cheers,
Mark
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Meinen Wunschzettel ansehen
Der Ring der Nibelungen.
von Wolfgang Hohlbein, Torsten Dewi
5 - Mark Bellinghaus
I was born in Koblenz, Rhineland-Palatine - I literally was digging in the Rhine river for the treasure of the Nibelungen! As we all still believed in it! It was dumped into the Rhine...but by now it must be in the ocean, somewhere...lol!
6 - Mark Bellinghaus
Great suggestion for anyone who knows the name "Luciano Visconti" he did an amazing epos about Ludwig II. with Helmut Berger in the title role (he also was his lover). Visconti is besides Fellini one of the greatest in Italian movie history!The end of Ludwig II. was never clear - there are rumors about a murder - or was it suicide?! Just like Marilyn Monroe! But the evidence points to murder. He was most likely drowned. The Starnberger See (like) is a wonderful lake outside Munich.
You are welcome to also visit my Blog - I am talking to a witness right now...later, Mark
7 - nugget
great article gypsy.
8 - Bliffle
Excellent article! Thanks.
9 - El Bicho
Good, thorough write-up. I've always been curious about this opera.
"And all because the absolute power offered by the Ring forged from gold stolen by a wretched dwarf also holds a deadly curse..."
How do you say, "My Precious" in German?
point of clarification, Elmer sings "Kill The Wabbit."
10 - Mark Bellinghaus
To#9 El Bilcho:
The closest translation would be: "Mein Liebchen".
11 - Stephen V Funk
Nice article. I'm partial to the Solti/DECCA Ring Cycle but it's all good. Also the Levine/Met DVDs are the next best thing to being there.
12 - Howard Brown
"Des oder Der?" I am not a native speaker, but working back from the English translation -- The Ring of the Nibelungs -- means we need the genitive case in German to express possession: it's the Nibelungs' ring. Plural. I believe the plural of Nibelung in German would be Nibelungen (duh!) -- or 'die' Nibelungen. And the genitive form of 'die' is 'der.'
So.. Der we are. Der Ring Der Nibelungen. Now, if the title were to mean Alberich's ring, wouldn't it be "Der Ring Des Nibelung?" Alberich is one Nibelung among a tribe of Nibelungs -- or Nibelungen.
On the other hand, the German of 1870 might not have been as grammatically uniform as it became by the turn of the century, which leaves us with the title as published: "Der Ring Des Nibelungen."
I can only add a firm, New York "go figure!"
As for this recording of "Der Ring" -- I grabbed it as soon as it re-emerged on Opera d'Oro, and it is a wonder, well worth getting on it's own, and a supurb compliment to the high-priced spreads.
Next up for me: the completion of the Keilberth/Bayreuth Ring of 1955, in stereo via a pioneering Decca team. The Ring that Culshaw surpressed. The two available dramas -- Die Walkure and Siegried -- add a new dimension to the what we have learned about the Rings of the Fabulous Fifties.
13 - Jerzy (from English Wikipedia)
The grammar and translation of the title is correctly discussed here
under heading 2, "Das/Der".