Picture: "Path to the gothic Choir", 2006, by Raphael Lacoste
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Götterdämmerung
About this sound Götterdämmerung (help·info) (Twilight of the Gods) is the last in Richard Wagner's cycle of four operas titled Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung, or The Ring for short). It received its premiere at the Bayreuth Festspielhaus on 17 August 1876, as part of the first complete performance of the Ring.
The title is a translation into German of the Old Norse phrase Ragnarök, which in Norse mythology refers to a prophesied war of the gods that brings about the end of the world. However, as with the rest of the Ring, Wagner's account of this apocalypse diverges significantly from his Old Norse sources.
The term Götterdämmerung is occasionally used in English, referring to a disastrous conclusion of events.
Noted excerpts
Two extended orchestral selections—"Dawn and Siegfried's Rhine Journey", an abridged excerpt from the Prologue without the singers; and "Siegfried's Funeral March", lifted uncut from act 3—are often presented outside the opera house, and are published separately from the lengthy work. Early versions of these selections were approved by the composer himself. These excerpts include specially composed endings so that the excerpt is better able to stand on its own as a complete composition.
Other notable excerpts include
Siegfried and Brünnhilde's duet (Prologue). This is part of "Dawn and Siegfried's Rhine Journey".
- Hagen's Watch (Act 1)
- Hagen summons the vassals and the Wedding March (Act 2)
- Brünnhilde's Immolation Scene (Act 3) as a soprano solo with orchestra (Hagen's single line is omitted).
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Götterdämmerung
