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His Greatest Operas
Part 1
Der Ring Des Nibelungen
*Note: the above image © P. Craig Russell 2008. Used with his very kind permission.
Quote: "Is there anything, in all the realm of art, to set beside Der Ring des Nibelungen? This cycle of four immense music dramas, the vastest piece of music ever conceived by the mind of man."-M.Owen Lee
Overview:
Der Ring Des Nibelungen is, in my humble opinion, the greatest work of art in Western history. There is no other work that integrates so many different artistic mediums, characters, and situations into such a cohesive whole. But that's only a small part of its quality. I feel that Wagner's marriage of music to drama added a dimension to artistic expression that trumped even Shakespeare's plays. Although Wagner was nowhere near the literary poet Shakespeare was, the addition of music to the text makes it a far more effecting experience.
My definition of Art is that it not only inspires, but can actually make a person learn something about him or herself, and the world around. Like any great art, Der Ring Des Nibelungen works on so many levels, all of which in some way pertain to different aspects of life, it's impossible for the enthusiast to not gain something from continual absorption and re-absorption of the piece. This opera is literally the gift that keeps giving. You can actually gain insight about yourself with mindful immersion into the experience.
Like any Art, fully appreciating the Ring takes a conscious, willed effort. One has to actually learn and adapt to the musical language that Wagner created. But your efforts will be rewarded. Just like reading Dickinson, admiring Raphael, or reading Langston Hughes, art itself pays off over and over again as one lives with it, grows with it.
So, enough cheerleading. What ABOUT this ring?
The ring itself is actually forged out of an underwater heap of gold stolen by the character Alberich (see his description below). The gold, which lies under the sea protected by mermaids, could only be gotten by one who denies love. As far as "what the ring is" or "means", I'll just go with the more common idea; that is: the ring is forged out of the Nature-al, "mothering", eco-sphere Archetype, changed into something awful only because of its perversion by baser interests. One of the simplest explanations of what the Ring as a whole means is a very Romantic one: that man, attempting to control nature, inevitably corrupts it. This is a very base-line explanation, and I'll go into more detailed and varied ideas as this website evolves.
Characters:
Wotan
Perhaps the most complex of all the Ring's characters. Coming across alternatingly despicable, heroic, sensitive, manipulating, deceitful, avaricious, Fatherly, affectionate, vengeful, resentful, likeable... Though he is portrayed by the old Nordic sagas as the "All-Father", "Highest God", etc., Wotan to many might seem to be more "human" than the conventionally accepted definition of "God".
Brunnhilde
Brunnhilde is also a multi-faceted character. A Walkure from birth, she displays far more than the fierce exterior that one may expect from having read the source material of the Ring .In fact, Brunnhilde is often not even portrayed as a Walkure in many of the ancient Norsk texts. She.is her father Wotan's favorite, mostly for her proclivity toward doing the will of her father...even when convention rules against it.
Alberich
The one whom originally stole the Rheingold from the mermaids whom guarded it. Alberich, frustrated by his attempts to woo the teasing Rhinemaidens, renounces Love and begins the machinations leading to the downfall of the gods.
Siegfried
Upon first impression, Siegfried seems like an ungrateful loser. He browbeats his surrogate father, Mime (Alberich's brother), and in general tends to be a little traipsy for most tastes. So much the latter, in fact, that it's nearly impossible to sympathise with him as a character until late in Act 1 of the opera Siegfried, when we are given insight into Mime's essentially despicable plans for both Siegfried and the Ring. In Act II of the same opera, the spectator can actually begin to feel more for Siegfried, an orphan at birth, raised by a misanthrope whose terrible nature was plain for him to see.
The Rheinmaidens
If anyone has checked out the host page of this site, they have probably guessed that the Rheinmaidens go over big in this household. Not just because they are (in a sense) the heroines of the Ring, but because a) they have one of the most powerfully beautiful sung parts (in Das Rheingold), plus...well, they're mermaids!
Fricka
One can feel a bit annoyed at Fricks when encountering her in the Ring. To put it bluntly, she can often seem like a pestering b@#$. However, it's easier to forgive and sympathise with her when considering the character of the man she married, Wotan. Compared to Wotan in the first two chapters of the Ring, Fricka is actually likable. She gets mad over Wotan's infidelity, his despicable deals, and his general selfishness. Who wouldn't?
Mime
Mime can seem to some as one of the most despicable characters in the Ring (he's definitely got some competition). Mime is both the abused brother of Alberich, and conniving foster father of Siegfried. An opera-goer can feel quite conlicted when it comes to Mime, going from pity, to empathy, to revulsion...often within the course of minutes.
Loge
Erda
Freia
Valkyries
