THE RING of the NIBELUNG ALBERICH Or the Consequences of the Wili for Power the Rhinegold the Gold Rests on Tbe Ground Of

THE RING OF THE NIBELUNG ALBERICH or The Consequences of the WilI for Power

The Rhinegold

The gold rests on tbe ground of the rlver Rhine. The rhinemaidens guard it. The dwarf Alberlch approaches the bathing maidens to seduce them, They Iure,mock and refuse him. The sun makes the gold shine. Whoever, so the rhinemaidens say, is able to forge a ring out of the gold will dominate the world, Alberich steals the gold, curses Iove and forges the rIng for hìmself,

The god Wotan rules the world. The giants Fafner and Fasolt are constructing for him the castle Valhalla to exchange for the godess Freia, but Wotan never had any intention of relinquishling her to the giants. For that reason the giants make another much more profit-able proposal: the magic powerful rhinegold instead of Freia. Until the goid ls paìd, they keep Frela as hostage.

Wotan goes with hls eonsultant Loge to Alberich's empire. By' the power of the rìng, Alberich causes the forging of the magic hood, whlch transforms him into any desired shape. To frighten his unbidden guests, Alberlch demonstrates his power. FinalIy, on request of Loge, he transforms himself into a toad. Wotan and Loge take hlm as their prisoner.

To get back bis freedom; Alberlch has to leave his complete property, and wlth it his power, to Wotan. With the stolen gold Wotan pays off the giants. Fafner claims tbe RING as well as the gold, which Wotan wants to keep for hlmself. Erda predicts the end of the gods because the RING is cursed, Against his will, Wotan Ieaves the giants the RING. Fafner kills his brother Fasolt, who also wanted to have the RING, and transforms himself into a dragon. Wotan and hìs followers seek protection within the walls of Valhalla.

THE WALKÜRE

Siegmund and Sieglinde are the twin children of Wotan. They have not seen each other since their childhood. Wotan wants to unlte them and makes them meet each other, Hunding, Sìeglinde's tyrannìcal husband, comes back to hls house and recognizes in Siegmund the murderer of one of hìs relatives. Therefore they must duel. Siegmund is without a weapon. Sieglinde wants to leave her husband and shows Siegmund the sword Nothung, whìch Wotan put in the trunk of a tree for him. Siegmund and Sieglinde recognlze that they are twins and that tbey love each other, They flee together.

Wotan orders Brünhllde, his favorite daughter from the relaltion-ship wlth Erda, to flght for hls step brother Siegmund. Frlcka, Wotan's legaI wlfe, protests decìslvely against the incest of the twins. For that reason she demands the death of Sìegmund, Wotan gives in. Brünhilde has to tell Siegmund of hls impending death. The flght takes place. Brünhilde protects Siegmund. Therefore Wotan breaks Nothung, allowing Hunding to kill Sìegmund. Wotan then kills Hundlng.

Brünhilde brlngs Sieglinde to the summit of a mountain for safety and proclaims to her that she will soon be mother. She leaves her the pieces of Nothung for her future son. In correspondence with existìng law Wotan must punish his rebel daughter. He therefore encloses her in a rlng or fire whlch only a hero can penetrate.

SIEGFRIED

Mime, Alberich’s brother, follows a concrete plan, after having brought up Siegfried only to use him to obtaio the ring, he wants to kill him. Wotan, findlng out the intentlons of Mime, is nOW also determined to use his grandson for the recovery of his lost power. Fort hat reason he tricks Mime into making Siegfrled reforge the sword Nothung. Ignorantly SIEGFRIED forges Nothung again.

Siegfried kills Fafner, whose blood borns his fingers. He licks away the blood and by that he understands Wotan's bird of the woods, whlch advlses Siegfried to gain control of the whole treasure, to kill Mime and to win Brünhllde.

Wotan does not want to recognize Slegf'ried's power. Therefore he provokes Siegfried by revealing to him that he once caused the death of his father Siegmund by destroying Nothung with his spear. Siegfrled smashes his grandfather's spear with Nothung to take revenge for hls father. So Wotan loses hìs power forever. Siegfried fearlessly crosses the sea of flames and wakes Brünhilde wlth a klss, Brünhilde sees in her love for SIEGFRIED her destìny as a woman.·

GÖTTERDÅMMERUNG The Norns predìct the end of the gods. SIEGFRIED Ieaves BRÜNHILDE to conquer the world. He Ieaves her the rlng as a symbol of his Iove, Hagen, the son of ALBERICHt wants to recover the power of hls father. For that reason he persuades Gunter und Gutrune, hls halfbrother and half'sister, to conspire against Siegfried, the owner of the RING. Gutrune offers Siegfrled a love potion whlch takes away bis memory. To win Gutrune, Siegfried promlses Gunter to arrange for hlm a marriage with Brünhilde. Therefore be transforms hlmself into Gunter wlth the magic hood and hurries to Brünhllde. To prerect herself, she shows him the ring, whlch he tears away from her, Siegfrled sends Brünhllde to Gunter and transforms hlmself back again.

Brünhllde does not understand her destlny any longer. But by seeIng the RING at Siegfried’s finger, she understands that he has betrayed her.In mad jealousy she she conspìres wlth Hagen and Gunter to klll Siegfrled.

Durlng a chase, Hagen offers Slegfrled a drink which gives hlm back his memory. ,thus Slegfrled is remlnded of his love for Brünhllde. Hagen uses thls opportunity to kill Siegfrled. Gunter also wants to conquer the Rlng and tberefore is killed by Hagen. The moment Hagen wants to tear away the rlng from Siegfrled's hand, the arm of the dead Slegfried rlses up. In her mournlng for SIEGFRIED Brünhilde glves back tbe cursed ring to the Rhlnemaidens, sets the "world of the gods on fire, and throws herself into this fire. Alberich steals again the gold to forge again the ring of will to power.