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Le Crépuscule des Dieux

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Richard Wagner had the idea of writing an opera on the death of the Teutonic ur-hero Siegfried. Then he decided to add some additional material, and the project grew and grew to become the four-opera, 16-hour Ring des Nibelungen, one of the most astonishing accomplishments in all of western civilization. Gotterdammerung (The Twilight of the Gods) is the last and most amazing of the four operas of the cycle, as Wagner brings down the world of the gods and heroes in fire and water. What he accomplishes with his orchestral writing is nothing short of astonishing--and you can see how he does it by following along with this full orchestral score from Dover. Dover scores, reprints of out-of-copyright editions from other publishers, are entirely lacking in frills, and they're not that helpful to singers who need to learn a role. But inexpensive Dover scores may be a Wagnerite's best friend (after the Solti recording of the Ring!), whether you're new to the Ring or an old hand.

172 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1907

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About the author

Richard Wagner

3,383 books187 followers
Germanic legends often based romantic operas of especially known composer Richard Wagner, who worked Tannhäuser (1845) and the tetralogy Der Ring des Nibelungen (1853-1876).

From 1872, Richard Wagner lived at Bayreuth to 1883 and designed the opera house, used chiefly for performances of his works.

Works of Jacques Martin Barzun include Darwin, Marx, Wagner (1941).

Wilhelm Richard Wagner conducted, directed theater, and authored essays, primarily for his later called "music dramas." Unlike most other greats, Wagner wrote the scenario and libretto.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard...

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5 stars
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
Profile Image for Davide Nole.
173 reviews47 followers
December 18, 2015
Questo è puro amore. Siamo personalmente sotto i livelli dell'Oro del Reno, ma che personaggi!
Nulla da eccepire a nessuno, nemmeno al povero Siegfried che, finalmente, non ha spessore per un valido motivo. Lotta di potere all'ennesima potenza, una Brunilde che migliore non si può... Tanto love, se vogliamo risultare tamarri.
323 reviews3 followers
August 5, 2023
Wonderful seeing the writen score of the greatest music ever written!
Profile Image for Tyrone_Slothrop (ex-MB).
865 reviews118 followers
April 30, 2023
Ragnarok

Der Ring si conclude in una apoteosi che è divenuta archetipica di ogni letteratura apocalittica - Wagner riesce a creare un epilogo di grande forza espressiva ed epicità, in cui il destino finisce per travolgere tutti e dove, forse, si può cogliere l'idea di eterno ritorno di matrice Schopenhaueriana.
Anche gli eroi positivi, alfieri dell'amore e di una speranza di riscatto, devono finire nelle fiamme rigeneratrici - a Brunilde è lasciato il compito di chiudere il cerchio, restituendo Der Ring alle Ondine del Reno e sacrificandosi in un lavacro di espiazione totalizzante.

Anche qui, la parola diviene strumento di raggiro e imbroglio, con la quale Hagen tesse il suo complesso intrigo nel quale sia Sigfrido che Brunilde cadono - eroi puri e semplici, sconfitti dalle complessi e sottili discorsi del figlio di Alberico. Non si può non notare una critica anti-intellettuale tipica della filosofia irrazionalista del tardo-romanticismo wagneriano (che lascerà il segno anche nel pensiero di Nietzsche).

Non a caso Sigfrido non ascolta più gli uccelli che tanto gli rivelarono nel dramma precedente, cioè perde il contatto con la natura benigna e sincera, affidandosi agli uomini "tecnici": doppi, avidi ed ingannatori.

Grandiosa chiusa di una tetralogia che è giustamente divenuta una delle basi della cultura occidentale - nei suoi aspetti estremi e totali, permette di capire molto del pensiero e della storia europea dei secoli a venire.
Profile Image for Two Readers in Love.
592 reviews20 followers
October 12, 2020
Read the libretto while watching the 10Oct2020 metopera.org's generous pandemic broadcast: "Tonight’s free Nightly Met Opera Stream: Wagner’s monumental Ring cycle comes to a close with Götterdämmerung. Otto Schenk’s sweeping staging stars soprano Hildegard Behrens as Brünnhilde, tenor Siegfried Jerusalem as Siegfried, mezzo-soprano Christa Ludwig as Waltraute, baritone Ekkehard Wlaschiha as Alberich, and bass Matti Salminen as Hagen. The 1990 telecast is available tonight, October 10, beginning at 7:30PM ET until tomorrow, October 11, at 6:30PM ET."
371 reviews2 followers
January 9, 2018
Good translation. Liked how much clearer the end was to me after a read. The Brunhilde, Wotan parallels made more sense after the read. The Wotan all knowing vs the Siegfried, naive and easily fooled show both the mentally powerful and physically powerful must end. I like Brunhilde staying action where she gives up the ring and the end of Hagan. The Ring seems to be a popularization of the stories Wagner seems very willing to blend rather than use and divert.
4 reviews
August 5, 2009
This is a great book, and the score approved by Wagner himself. My only wish would be an English translation of the notes within the score, as opposed to instructions like "schneller und schneller".
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews