Richard Wagner; Das Rheingold

By Richard Wagner

Book Overview

Richard Wagner's vast Ring cycle, comprising four full-length operas, is arguably the most extraordinary achievement in the history of opera. His libretto to the work is more than a literary work of art: its intricate system of metric patterns, imaginative metaphors, ample use of alliteration - together with its singability - combine to create something unique, so that the music is embedded in the text. This volume presents Rudolph Sabor's translation of the libretto to the first of the tetralogy, Das Rheingold . This new translation, which runs side-by-side with the German text, preserves the original metre and elucidates the complexities of Wagner's intricate libretto. It is unprecedented in presenting next to the translation not only a running commentary on the drama but also the names of the leitmotifs as they occur. The translation is supplemented by scene-by-scene synopses, short discussions of each leitmotif new to each scene, a discography, videography, and full bibliography. Lists of all motifs in the opera and all motifs in the Ring cycle conclude the volume. Rudolph Sabor has also translated the librettos to the other three operas of the cycle, and a companion volume of essays relating to Wagner's Ring completes the series. Ranging from a discussion of Wagner's Literary sources to a review of the Ring 's performance history, the essays provide a prodigious treasury of information for the Wagner enthusiast. The books can be enjoyed individually or as a series; either way they will equip the Wagner enthusiast with a fund of information to make the Ring journey more rewarding.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0714836516
• ISBN13: 9780714836515
• Release Date: October 1997
• Publisher: Phaidon Press
• Length: 200 Pages
• Weight: 0.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.8" x 6.5"
• Age Range: 13 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 8 to Postsecondary

Customer Reviews

Rheingold score

Suberp. Clear and accurate. I have a bunch of Wagner scores, and this is as good as any of them. Wagner wouldn't be alf as much fun without the full scores.

Excellent reprint of a good first edition of a great work!!

Again, Keith Dillon has taken my words out of my mouth before they could be said! I second all he says about this opera unreservedly. The only reason I can't give this excellent reprint of Schott's first edition a full 5 stars is the same as for the equivalent reproductions of the scores of Siegfried (though there I compromised) and Götterdämmerung

Top of the heap

Best translation of this work. Useful notes and essays. Highest recommendation.

The adventure begins

Wagner's ring is a remarkable achievement. Among other things, it offers filmmakers, such as George Lucas, a model of how to create an epic drama involving multiple generations of characters, which nonetheless holds together on stage (or, for Lucas' purposes, on film). To my taste, some of the Ring's most memorable moments, both musically and dramatically, are found in Das Rheingold. Dover reprinted the B. Schott's Sohne edition from the late 19th century. Schott's was Wagner's original publisher, ergo, this edition was subject to approval by Wagner himself. It's a large book, and it might well be possible to conduct from it. The book is, as always with Dover, well crafted, easy to read, and printed on acid-free, fade-resistant paper. There are English translations of the frontismatter, but no German glossary of musical terms. In many of my recent Dover reviews, I have failed to mention that the score is reasonably priced. The reason I haven't is because with Dover, that simply goes without saying.