The Fatal Ring: An Irreverent Verse Guide to Wagner’S Operatic Tetralogy Der Ring Des Nibelungen

By Jeffrey Whitford

A parodic but sympathetic versification of Wagners Ring of the Nibelung.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris AU
• Release date: Nov 24, 2014
• ISBN: 9781499032208

Jeffrey Whitford

Jeffrey Whitford is a retired medical practitioner with a fondness for Wagner’s music.

Book preview

Copyright © 2014 by Jeffrey Whitford.

Library of Congress Control Number:   2014920020

ISBN:      Hardcover      978-1-4990-3215-4

                Softcover        978-1-4990-3216-1

                eBook             978-1-4990-3220-8

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Rev. date: 11/22/2014

Xlibris

1-800-455-039

www.Xlibris.com.au

674468

CONTENTS

Preface

Das Rhinegold

Scene 1

Scene 2

Scene 3

Scene 4

Die Walküre

Act 1

Act 2

Act 3

Siegfried

Foreword

Act 1

Act 2

Act 3

Götterdämerung

Prologue

Act 1

Act 2

Act 3

For my family and friends

PREFACE

First encounters with Wagner’s arcane, lengthy, and at times somewhat static operatic masterpiece can be somewhat daunting despite some excellent translations of Wagner’s old-fashioned German into modern English and the abundance of erudite plot summaries and analyses.

This verse version is neither a translation nor a summary, but an attempt to entertain while introducing the details of the plot in an informal manner.

The verses follow and describe the sequence of events in the operas quite closely, and it is intended that they be read while listening to or viewing a recorded version of the operas.

Considerable licence has been taken when specific words and thoughts are attributed to the protagonists. I have, however, attempted to convey the sense of the original.

Index numbers to the two Metropolitan Opera House DVD recordings of the operas are provided. Both these productions are relatively traditional and widely available.

JW

Index numbers in italics apply to the complete DVD recording of

Der Ring des Nibelungen (released 2002)

Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus

Conducted by James Levine

DGG 073 043-9

Index numbers in bold type apply to the complete DVD recording of

Der Ring des Nibelungen (released 2012)

Metropolitan Opera Orchestra

Conducted by James Levine/Fabio Luisi

DGG 073 4770

DAS RHINEGOLD

(The Rhinegold)

Characters

Scene 1

The world is young and manifests

perfection in design,

and river maids neologise

while warbling in the Rhine.

But someone else swims there as well!

A figure short and stout.

It’s Alberich! He whom this world

could surely do without.

He swims along without a care

till right before his eyes

he sees, to his astonishment,

the flash of girlish thighs.

Not only is it thighs he sees

there through the wat’ry haze,

but other most attractive bits

that set his thoughts ablaze.

‘I do aver’, sings Alby, ‘that

these forms do reignite

in me forgotten urges with

potential for delight.’

my pyknic form admire

and to my warm hirsute embrace

romantically aspire?’

‘You must be cold, do come and sit

up close beside me here,

for I can think of many ways

to warm things up, my dears.’

The buxom three are unimpressed

as they persist