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Richard Wagner (1813–1883) Orchestral Music from Der Ring Des Nibelungen to Grasp the Essential Meaning of Der Ring Des Oblivion

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Richard Wagner (1813–1883) Orchestral Music from Der Ring Des Nibelungen to Grasp the Essential Meaning of Der Ring Des Oblivion WAGNER Orchestral music from Der Ring des Nibelungen Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra JoAnn Falletta Richard Wagner (1813–1883) Orchestral music from Der Ring des Nibelungen To grasp the essential meaning of Der Ring des oblivion. The result: by the mid-20th century, more books if he knew the composer personally. Bülow remarked: ‘Do Although all of Wagner’s major works were written for Nibelungen, we recall Wagner’s lifetime pursuit of and journal essays had been written about Richard I know him? He married my widow!’ the lyric stage, he was no less a remarkable symphonist surpassing love, in real life and in his music dramas. Indeed, Wagner than any other individual in secular world history. We make the point about Wagner’s attachments with a masterful command of the orchestral palette. With the key element of the Ring saga is the altruistic power of In fact, Wagner’s detractors had plenty to crow about: because they reflect the primary tenets of the operas from an ear tuned to innovation, he embellished the standard love, in addition to the folly of greed and the lust for power. his extravagant indebtedness and especially his his desk. The denouements are dependably delivered at instrumentation to include the so-called Wagner tuba, In Das Rheingold, Alberich, a Nibelung dwarf bitterly published essays which revealed he could be anti- the last moment via the redemption of eternal love: devised in Paris in the atelier of Adolphe Sax (inventor of foreswears love to cast a fateful spell on the Ring and any religion, anti-government, and anti-Semitic in particular. Tannhäuser’s soul is saved by Elisabeth, the Flying the saxophone). Wagner also noted that Sax had vastly who possess it. The curse prevails throughout the drama Indeed, he was anti-anyone who was not altogether pro- Dutchman finds eternal peace through Senta’s sacrifice, improved the bass clarinet, which found beautiful until it is purged by Brunhilde’s immolation at the final curtain. Wagner, especially when it came to the money needed to Elsa redeems the honour of her Lohengrin, Isolde dies in application in The Ring (and earlier in Tristan). In sum, as At once revered and reviled, Richard Wagner stands produce his very expensive operas. Tristan’s lifeless arms, Brünnhilde avenges the death of an orchestrator, it is fair to say that Wagner paved the alone – more than two centuries after his birth – as the Apart from his diverse relationships with women, Siegfried with her own fiery immolation, etc. However way for ‘the future of music’ as Richard Strauss, Gustav most revolutionary figure in the history of music. Wagner was married twice, first to the soprano Minna great the crisis – it is only exalted love that saves the day. Mahler, Igor Stravinsky and others waited in the wings. As a child, Wagner was not in the least a wunderkind Planer, a practical woman who could not keep up with Apart from his conflicted lifestyle and the sagas of his The expanded orchestra brings up yet another in the manner of Mozart, Mendelssohn or Chopin. Yet by Richard’s extravagant ideals. After their divorce, Wagner libretti, Wagner is revered today for his music. In remarkable fact: for reasons of staging and because the his early teens he was so certain of future greatness that was smitten by Mathilde Wesendonck. She was the wife of particular we note his extraordinary gift for harmony and orchestra could easily overpower the singers (particularly he began to write his autobiography. Moreover, young one of Wagner’s loyal benefactors, Otto Wesendonck, who sublime chromatic progressions. He famously claimed to in The Ring), Wagner designed and supervised the Richard’s early training on the piano was far from invited Richard to take up residence at the guest house at write ‘music of the future’ – and he famously succeeded. construction of the opera theatre at Bayreuth known as remarkable, although he was an avid student of theory and the Wesendonck estate in Zurich. (Otto had presented His genius for harmonic allure is likewise apparent in his the Festspielhaus. With the classic fan shape of a Greek harmony. Perhaps the greatest passion of his youth was Richard with the gold pen he used to score his later operas, use of Leitmotifs (small tuneful fragments) as thematic amphitheatre, the Bayreuth Festspielhaus also has a literature, with keen interest in historic mythology, from the including the Ring cycle.) But when Otto returned from a signatures for individual characters and events on stage. special recessed pit for the orchestra, with six descending Dark Ages though to the Renaissance, from which he long two-month business trip, he learned that all of Zurich As for the storyline of The Ring, Wagner wrote the tiers. The brass are positioned at the lower levels, derived the storylines for all of his grandiloquent operas – buzzed with gossip about Mathilde and Richard. Wagner four libretti in reverse order, beginning in 1848. However, woodwinds at centre and strings on top. Moreover, except Rienzi, Tannhäuser, Lohengrin, Die Meistersinger von was obliged to take the waiting horse-drawn carriage to the the music was composed straight away according to the for the opening for the conductor, the entire orchestra is Nürnberg, Tristan und Isolde, Parsifal and, of course, the train station. Without even a travel bag, he stopped at his storyline, and was finally completed in 1874, 26 years covered from view. The effect is that the overall loudness four operas which comprise The Ring: Das Rheingold, Die barber to borrow enough money to make it to Venice. later. The full four-opera cycle requires about 16 hours to can be managed more readily by the conductor, very Walküre, Siegfried and Götterdämmerung. However, to Otto’s credit, he permitted Wagner to perform. In all there are 49 roles cast for 15 sopranos, 10 much like a volume control on a fine stereo. On the creative ledger, Wagner inspired almost correspond with Mathilde. Secluded in Venice, Richard mezzo-sopranos, 4 contraltos, 7 tenors, 9 bass-baritones Given that Wagner’s own libretti provide the foundation boundless admiration and loyalty. But in real life he was wrote to her that he was composing the greatest opera ever and 4 basses. for his ‘music dramas’ (he preferred to avoid the term targeted by cults of opposition, mostly for his debts and written about impossible love – Tristan und Isolde. In spinning the Ring allegory, Wagner also employed ‘opera’), the current recording offers a purely symphonic political entanglements. At one point, even while his In turn, Wagner began a permanent attachment with a mythical menagerie: Dragon, Frog, Bear and Horse rendering of select moments from all four operas. celebrity flourished, he became a fugitive from Germany, Cosima von Bülow, the wife of the renowned piano (Brünnhilde’s mount), a Forest Bird, Ravens, Hounds, With Wagner’s gift for the orchestral palette and taking up exile in Switzerland for more than a decade. virtuoso and Wagner maestro Hans von Bülow. Cosima Wolves, and Rams. He also conjured a trove of trinkets – scenic characterisation, his operas readily lend The reasons for the dichotomy are really quite simple. was also the daughter of one of Wagner’s most each of which has a magical function as the story evolves: themselves to the genre of the tone poem. Perhaps no On one hand, Wagner’s music was so compelling that his celebrated supporters – none other than Franz Liszt. Ring of Gold, Tarnhelm (magic helmet), Silver Horn, other composer for the lyric stage exceeds his craft. With idealist groupies were happy to overlook everything else, Astonishing as it was, while still married to Bülow, Cosima Reedpipe, Sword (Nothung), Spears, Magic Potion and barely more than a title for reference, a listener can sense while his detractors believed he was such a rogue – i.e. bore Richard three children. Cosima and Richard were Magic Fire. the course and spirit of the drama at hand. The all- the devil incarnate – that he deserved censure at every finally married in 1870. Despite all this, Bülow continued As for the many roles and scenes in The Ring, the orchestral settings presented here are exemplary. turn. To make their point, the anti-Wagner clique wrote to be a Wagner supporter. Some years afterward, tableaux presented here concern dramatic moments for Featuring seven tableaux, each provides an evocation of hundreds of volumes and essays about why he deserved conducting Wagner’s music in London, Bülow was asked Wotan, Siegfried and Brünnhilde. a major scenario in the saga: Das Rheingold – Entrance of the Gods into Valhalla: With Götterdämmerung – Siegfried’s Rhine Journey: With a Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra magical gold that had been stolen from the Rhine, Wotan joyful heart, Siegfried travels along the Rhine with his makes nefarious deals with underworld giants to build enchanted horn. Valhalla, the palace of the gods. Götterdämmerung – Siegfried’s Death and Funeral Music: Die Walküre – The Ride of the Valkyries: Brunnhilde and Siegfried’s innocence is fatally betrayed. After the truth is the intrepid Valkyries fly over the celestial realm carrying known he is placed in honour on a great funeral pyre. dead heroes on the backs of their winged steeds, returning them to Valhalla. Götterdämmerung – Brünnhilde’s Immolation Scene: Brünnhilde lights a torch from Siegfried’s pyre and casts it Die Walküre – Wotan’s Farewell and Magic Fire Music: into Valhalla where the conspiring gods await their fate. Brünnhilde disobeyed Wotan’s order to leave the innocent Mounted on her stallion, Grane, Brünnhilde leaps into the Siegmund unprotected in battle. In farewell, Wotan offers flames, redeeming her eternal troth with Siegfried. The a profound lament.
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