HOME | DD

Description
in the Depths of the Rhine the Rhine maidens (Julia Roberts, Kate Winslet, and E.G. Daily) are admiring their prize possession a large piece of gold, The Nibelung Dwarf Alberich (Danny Devito) inquires about the gold.

Composition and performance history:
The Rhine Gold is the first opera of the Ring cycle. Wagner wrote the Ring librettos in reverse order so that The Rhine Gold was the last of the texts to be written, it was however the first of the Ring Cycle that Wagner composed. He had set out new principles as to how music dramas should be constructed, under which the conventional forms of opera were rejected. Rather than providing word-settings, the music would interpret the text emotionally reflecting the feelings and moods behind the piece by using a series of leitmotifs. The Rhine gold was Wagner’s first work that adopted these principles. Because Wagner developed his Ring in reverse chronological order the libretto for The Rhine Gold was the last of the four to be written. He finished his prose plan for the work in March 1852 and September 15th Wagner began writing the full libretto.

One of the principal sources Wagner used in creating the Ring cycle were the Scandinavian Eddas, the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda which were poems and texts dating back to the 12th and 13th century Iceland, which relates to the doing of the Norse gods. Wagner may also have been influenced by the Rhine-based German legend of Lorelei who lures fishermen on the rocks by her singing and by the Greek Hesperides myth in which three maidens guard the golden treasure and these may have inspired the Rhine maidens. In 1851 Wagner published his book-length essay called Opera and Drama in which he expounded his emerging ideas around the concept of Gesamtkunswerk. In the new kind of music drama he wrote the traditional operatic norms of chorus, arias and vocal numbers would have no part.

     The Rhine Gold was Wagner first attempt to adopt the principles set out in Opera and Drama, his first inspiration for the music came to him in a dream while he was in Spezia, Italy. “ I felt like sinking in swiftly flowing water, the rushing sounds formed itself in my brain into a musical sound” he said “The chord of E flat major which continually re-echoed in broken forms, I at once recognized that the orchestral overture to the Rhine Gold which must long have lain latent with me though I had been unable to find definite form had at last been revealed to me” his dream inspired him to write the prelude of The Rhine Gold in which he wanted the music to represent flowing water and being underwater so he had used a cord in e major which begins almost inaudible in the lowest register of the basses, then he added the note of B by the bassoons and the chord is further embellished as the French horns enter with a rising arpeggio to announce the nature motif which is further elaborated in the strings that rise and fall.

    Long before The Rhine Gold was ready for the first performance, Wagner conducted excepts of the music from scenes 1,2,and 4 at a concert in Vienna on December 26th 1862. The opera remained unstaged, by 1869 Wagner’s patron King Ludwig was pressing for an early performance in Munich but Wagner wanted to wait until all for operas of the ring cycle was finished, however Ludwig insisted that Rhine Gold should be produced at the Munich Hofoper which is now known as the Bavarian State Opera, but Wagner didn’t want in performed so he did all he could to sabotage the production which was set for August of 1869 and he persuaded the appointed conductor Hans Richter to stand down after a troublesome dress rehearsal.





    Ludwig was unmoved; he denounced Wagner, fired Richter and a hired another conductor named Franz Wullner. The premiere of The Rhine Gold was rescheduled for September 22. Wagner was refused admission to the rehearsals at the theater and he returned angry, and defeated to his home in Tribschen, Switzerland. By 1876 The Ring Cycle was finally finished and the Bayreuth Festspielhaus was built. Wagner finally went into getting all four operas staged beginning with a performance of The Rhine Gold on August 13th 1876. The event was preceded by months of rehearsals in which Wagner was very involved, in addition to composing the music and writing the libretto, Wagner also directed, and produced the production. He also looked for and hired the best orchestra musicians and opera singers from all over Europe. He even hired Hans Richter to conduct the orchestra even though they argued at the last production of the Rhine Gold, Wagner decided to give him a second chance. The premiere of The Rhine Gold and the rest of the ring cycle was an event of international importance and it attracted a distinguished audience of royalty which included Kaiser Wilhelm the first, Emperor Pedro II of Brazil and numerous representatives of various European royal houses, King Ludwig didn’t attend the premiere because he was unwilling to face contact with his fellow royals or the assembled crowed, however he attended the rehearsals incognito but he left Bayreuth before opening night. Lots of the rich and famous people attended the premiere and many of Europe’s greatest composers also attended and these include Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Charles Gounod, Anton Bruckner, Edvard Grieg, and Camille Saint-Saëns. The piano manufacturer William Steinway attended the premiere. Wagner’s wife Cosima and their children also attended along with his father in law Franz Liszt. The premiere was just like a modern day movie premiere.

Plot:

    At the bottom of the Rhine there were three mermaids that were known as the Rhine maidens their names were Woglinde, Wellgunde, and Floshilde, one day as they were swimming and playing a Nibelung dwarf name Alberich arrives from a deep chasm and tries to woo them by they mock his advances and he gets very angry. Alberich chases the Rhine maidens but they elude, tease and humiliate him. Suddenly the light of the sun reveals a large piece of gold on top of the rocks, the Rhine Maidens began to sing a hymn of praise to the gold and admire it. Alberich asks the Rhine Maidens about their precious gold and they explain that their father told them to guard the gold and that it can be made into a magic ring which gives the person wearing it the power to rule the world only if the person gives up love. The Rhine maidens think that they have nothing to fear that no one would give up love but the embittered Alberich curses love, steals the gold and returns to his chasm leaving the Rhine maidens screaming in dismay and sadness. High on the mountains there was a majestic castle, Wotan who is the king of the gods was sleeping, His wife Fricka wakes Wotan who salutes and praises the castle. Fricka reminds him of his promise to pay the giant brothers Fasolt and Fafner who built that castle and that their payment is Fricka’s sister Freia who is the goddess of youth and beauty, they wanted her because they wanted her to grow them some golden apples to make them eternally young. Fricka is worried for her sister, but Wotan is confident that confident that Loge the god of fire will find another way to pay the giants.

    Freia arrives and she was very scared, then Falsolt and Fafner arrived. Falsolt demands that Freia must go with them, he points out that Wotan’s authority is sustained by the treaties carved into his spear including his bargain with Falsolt and Fafner which therefore he cannot violate. Donner the god of thunder and Froh the god of sunshine arrived to protect Freia and they prepare to fight Falsolt and Fafner, but Wotan cannot permit the use of violence to break the bargain. Loge arrives and his initial report is discouraging nothing is more valuable to men than love, so there is apparently no possible alternative payment beside Freia. Loge was able to find only one instance where someone willingly gave up love and that was Alberich who had just stole the Rhine gold and made it into a ring. He discusses the ring and Alberich’s treasure and Falsolt and Fafner were interested in the ring and they wanted it so Fafner makes a counter offer in which they will accept the Nibelung’s treasure in payment instead of Freia. When Wotan tries to haggle, the two giants grabbed Freia and they explained that they will take her temporally and they will return with her at the end of the day in order to make sure that Wotan keeps his promise to obtain Alberich’s treasure and pay them with it if not they will keep Freia forever.

    Unfortanlity with Freia gone, the gods began to age and weaken, Wotan resolves to travel with Loge to Alberich’s subterranean kingdom of Nibelheim to obtain the gold. In Nibelheim, Alberich has enslaved the rest of his fellow Nibelung dwarves with the power of the ring. He forced his brother Mime who is a blacksmith to create a magic helmet called the Tarnhelm. Alberich tests the Tarnhelm which made him invisible and he began to torment Mime and his subjects. Wotan and Loge arrive and a beaten up Mime approaches them and tells them of the abuse and torment under Alberich’s rule. Alberich returns driving his slaves to pile up a huge mound of gold. He boasts to the visitors about his plans for world domination using the power of the ring. Loge askes himself how he can protect himself form a thief while he sleeps. Alberich replies the Tarnhelm will hide him by making him invisible or to shape shift his form. Loge has his doubts and requests a demonstration. Alberich complies and with the magic of the ring he transformed himself into a giant snake; Loge acts sutibly impressed and then he asks Alberich if he can change himself into something smaller. Alberich transforms himself into a toad. Wotan and Loge grabbed him and he reverts back to his normal form, They tied him up and dragged him to the surface.

    Back on the mountaintop, Wotan and Loge forced Alberich to exchange his wealth for his freedom. He summons the Nibelungs who bring up the hoard of gold, he then asked if he could have the Tarnhelm back but Loge says that it is part of his ransom. Alberich hopes he can keep the ring, but Wotan demands that he should give it up, Alberich refuses to give it up so Wotan takes it off of his hand by force and puts it on his own finger. Crushed by his loss, Alberich lays a curse on the ring saying that until it returns to him, whoever possesses it will live in anxiety and will eventually be robbed of it and killed.







    Falsot and Fafner returned with Freia, they were reluctant to release her but they insisted that the gold should be piled high enough to hide her from view. The gods began to stalk the gold in front of Freia until it covered her completely, unfortunately Falsolt spots a remaining crack in the gold through which one of Freia’s eyes can be seen, there was no more gold to plug up the crack but Fafner who has noticed the ring on Wotan’s finger, he demands that Wotan add it to the pile to block the crack. Loge protests that the ring belongs to the Rhein maidens and Wotan angrily declares that the ring is his. Fasolt and Fafner grab Freia and start to leave when suddenly Erda the goddess of the earth arrives and she warns Wotan of impending doom, urging him to give up the ring. Troubled Wotan calls the giants back and gives up the ring. Fasolt and Fafner release Freia and began to divide the treasure, but they began to argue over the ring, Fasolt takes the ring and Fafner wanted it but Fasolt refused to give it to him, so Fafner takes his club and bludgeons Falolt to death. Wotan, horrified, realizes that Alberich’s curse came true and it has an evil power. After Fafner killed Fasolt, he took the ring and the treasure.

    Donner summons a thunderstorm to clear the air around the castle and after which Froh creates a rainbow bridge that stretches to the gate of the castle. Wotan leads the gods across the bridge to the castle which he names Valhalla. Loge does not follow, he stays aside that he is tempted to destroy the treacherous gods by fire, he decided to think it over, far below, the Rhine maidens mourn the loss of their precious gold and condemn the gods as false and cowardly.

Description
in the Depths of the Rhine the Rhine maidens (Julia Roberts, Kate Winslet, and E.G. Daily) are admiring their prize possession a large piece of gold, The Nibelung Dwarf Alberich (Danny Devito) inquires about the gold.

Composition and performance history:
The Rhine Gold is the first opera of the Ring cycle. Wagner wrote the Ring librettos in reverse order so that The Rhine Gold was the last of the texts to be written, it was however the first of the Ring Cycle that Wagner composed. He had set out new principles as to how music dramas should be constructed, under which the conventional forms of opera were rejected. Rather than providing word-settings, the music would interpret the text emotionally reflecting the feelings and moods behind the piece by using a series of leitmotifs. The Rhine gold was Wagner’s first work that adopted these principles. Because Wagner developed his Ring in reverse chronological order the libretto for The Rhine Gold was the last of the four to be written. He finished his prose plan for the work in March 1852 and September 15th Wagner began writing the full libretto.

One of the principal sources Wagner used in creating the Ring cycle were the Scandinavian Eddas, the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda which were poems and texts dating back to the 12th and 13th century Iceland, which relates to the doing of the Norse gods. Wagner may also have been influenced by the Rhine-based German legend of Lorelei who lures fishermen on the rocks by her singing and by the Greek Hesperides myth in which three maidens guard the golden treasure and these may have inspired the Rhine maidens. In 1851 Wagner published his book-length essay called Opera and Drama in which he expounded his emerging ideas around the concept of Gesamtkunswerk. In the new kind of music drama he wrote the traditional operatic norms of chorus, arias and vocal numbers would have no part.

     The Rhine Gold was Wagner first attempt to adopt the principles set out in Opera and Drama, his first inspiration for the music came to him in a dream while he was in Spezia, Italy. “ I felt like sinking in swiftly flowing water, the rushing sounds formed itself in my brain into a musical sound” he said “The chord of E flat major which continually re-echoed in broken forms, I at once recognized that the orchestral overture to the Rhine Gold which must long have lain latent with me though I had been unable to find definite form had at last been revealed to me” his dream inspired him to write the prelude of The Rhine Gold in which he wanted the music to represent flowing water and being underwater so he had used a cord in e major which begins almost inaudible in the lowest register of the basses, then he added the note of B by the bassoons and the chord is further embellished as the French horns enter with a rising arpeggio to announce the nature motif which is further elaborated in the strings that rise and fall.

    Long before The Rhine Gold was ready for the first performance, Wagner conducted excepts of the music from scenes 1,2,and 4 at a concert in Vienna on December 26th 1862. The opera remained unstaged, by 1869 Wagner’s patron King Ludwig was pressing for an early performance in Munich but Wagner wanted to wait until all for operas of the ring cycle was finished, however Ludwig insisted that Rhine Gold should be produced at the Munich Hofoper which is now known as the Bavarian State Opera, but Wagner didn’t want in performed so he did all he could to sabotage the production which was set for August of 1869 and he persuaded the appointed conductor Hans Richter to stand down after a troublesome dress rehearsal.





    Ludwig was unmoved; he denounced Wagner, fired Richter and a hired another conductor named Franz Wullner. The premiere of The Rhine Gold was rescheduled for September 22. Wagner was refused admission to the rehearsals at the theater and he returned angry, and defeated to his home in Tribschen, Switzerland. By 1876 The Ring Cycle was finally finished and the Bayreuth Festspielhaus was built. Wagner finally went into getting all four operas staged beginning with a performance of The Rhine Gold on August 13th 1876. The event was preceded by months of rehearsals in which Wagner was very involved, in addition to composing the music and writing the libretto, Wagner also directed, and produced the production. He also looked for and hired the best orchestra musicians and opera singers from all over Europe. He even hired Hans Richter to conduct the orchestra even though they argued at the last production of the Rhine Gold, Wagner decided to give him a second chance. The premiere of The Rhine Gold and the rest of the ring cycle was an event of international importance and it attracted a distinguished audience of royalty which included Kaiser Wilhelm the first, Emperor Pedro II of Brazil and numerous representatives of various European royal houses, King Ludwig didn’t attend the premiere because he was unwilling to face contact with his fellow royals or the assembled crowed, however he attended the rehearsals incognito but he left Bayreuth before opening night. Lots of the rich and famous people attended the premiere and many of Europe’s greatest composers also attended and these include Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Charles Gounod, Anton Bruckner, Edvard Grieg, and Camille Saint-Saëns. The piano manufacturer William Steinway attended the premiere. Wagner’s wife Cosima and their children also attended along with his father in law Franz Liszt. The premiere was just like a modern day movie premiere.

Plot:

    At the bottom of the Rhine there were three mermaids that were known as the Rhine maidens their names were Woglinde, Wellgunde, and Floshilde, one day as they were swimming and playing a Nibelung dwarf name Alberich arrives from a deep chasm and tries to woo them by they mock his advances and he gets very angry. Alberich chases the Rhine maidens but they elude, tease and humiliate him. Suddenly the light of the sun reveals a large piece of gold on top of the rocks, the Rhine Maidens began to sing a hymn of praise to the gold and admire it. Alberich asks the Rhine Maidens about their precious gold and they explain that their father told them to guard the gold and that it can be made into a magic ring which gives the person wearing it the power to rule the world only if the person gives up love. The Rhine maidens think that they have nothing to fear that no one would give up love but the embittered Alberich curses love, steals the gold and returns to his chasm leaving the Rhine maidens screaming in dismay and sadness. High on the mountains there was a majestic castle, Wotan who is the king of the gods was sleeping, His wife Fricka wakes Wotan who salutes and praises the castle. Fricka reminds him of his promise to pay the giant brothers Fasolt and Fafner who built that castle and that their payment is Fricka’s sister Freia who is the goddess of youth and beauty, they wanted her because they wanted her to grow them some golden apples to make them eternally young. Fricka is worried for her sister, but Wotan is confident that confident that Loge the god of fire will find another way to pay the giants.

    Freia arrives and she was very scared, then Falsolt and Fafner arrived. Falsolt demands that Freia must go with them, he points out that Wotan’s authority is sustained by the treaties carved into his spear including his bargain with Falsolt and Fafner which therefore he cannot violate. Donner the god of thunder and Froh the god of sunshine arrived to protect Freia and they prepare to fight Falsolt and Fafner, but Wotan cannot permit the use of violence to break the bargain. Loge arrives and his initial report is discouraging nothing is more valuable to men than love, so there is apparently no possible alternative payment beside Freia. Loge was able to find only one instance where someone willingly gave up love and that was Alberich who had just stole the Rhine gold and made it into a ring. He discusses the ring and Alberich’s treasure and Falsolt and Fafner were interested in the ring and they wanted it so Fafner makes a counter offer in which they will accept the Nibelung’s treasure in payment instead of Freia. When Wotan tries to haggle, the two giants grabbed Freia and they explained that they will take her temporally and they will return with her at the end of the day in order to make sure that Wotan keeps his promise to obtain Alberich’s treasure and pay them with it if not they will keep Freia forever.

    Unfortanlity with Freia gone, the gods began to age and weaken, Wotan resolves to travel with Loge to Alberich’s subterranean kingdom of Nibelheim to obtain the gold. In Nibelheim, Alberich has enslaved the rest of his fellow Nibelung dwarves with the power of the ring. He forced his brother Mime who is a blacksmith to create a magic helmet called the Tarnhelm. Alberich tests the Tarnhelm which made him invisible and he began to torment Mime and his subjects. Wotan and Loge arrive and a beaten up Mime approaches them and tells them of the abuse and torment under Alberich’s rule. Alberich returns driving his slaves to pile up a huge mound of gold. He boasts to the visitors about his plans for world domination using the power of the ring. Loge askes himself how he can protect himself form a thief while he sleeps. Alberich replies the Tarnhelm will hide him by making him invisible or to shape shift his form. Loge has his doubts and requests a demonstration. Alberich complies and with the magic of the ring he transformed himself into a giant snake; Loge acts sutibly impressed and then he asks Alberich if he can change himself into something smaller. Alberich transforms himself into a toad. Wotan and Loge grabbed him and he reverts back to his normal form, They tied him up and dragged him to the surface.

    Back on the mountaintop, Wotan and Loge forced Alberich to exchange his wealth for his freedom. He summons the Nibelungs who bring up the hoard of gold, he then asked if he could have the Tarnhelm back but Loge says that it is part of his ransom. Alberich hopes he can keep the ring, but Wotan demands that he should give it up, Alberich refuses to give it up so Wotan takes it off of his hand by force and puts it on his own finger. Crushed by his loss, Alberich lays a curse on the ring saying that until it returns to him, whoever possesses it will live in anxiety and will eventually be robbed of it and killed.







    Falsot and Fafner returned with Freia, they were reluctant to release her but they insisted that the gold should be piled high enough to hide her from view. The gods began to stalk the gold in front of Freia until it covered her completely, unfortunately Falsolt spots a remaining crack in the gold through which one of Freia’s eyes can be seen, there was no more gold to plug up the crack but Fafner who has noticed the ring on Wotan’s finger, he demands that Wotan add it to the pile to block the crack. Loge protests that the ring belongs to the Rhein maidens and Wotan angrily declares that the ring is his. Fasolt and Fafner grab Freia and start to leave when suddenly Erda the goddess of the earth arrives and she warns Wotan of impending doom, urging him to give up the ring. Troubled Wotan calls the giants back and gives up the ring. Fasolt and Fafner release Freia and began to divide the treasure, but they began to argue over the ring, Fasolt takes the ring and Fafner wanted it but Fasolt refused to give it to him, so Fafner takes his club and bludgeons Falolt to death. Wotan, horrified, realizes that Alberich’s curse came true and it has an evil power. After Fafner killed Fasolt, he took the ring and the treasure.

    Donner summons a thunderstorm to clear the air around the castle and after which Froh creates a rainbow bridge that stretches to the gate of the castle. Wotan leads the gods across the bridge to the castle which he names Valhalla. Loge does not follow, he stays aside that he is tempted to destroy the treacherous gods by fire, he decided to think it over, far below, the Rhine maidens mourn the loss of their precious gold and condemn the gods as false and cowardly.