
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
About this book
A PRESTO BOOK OF THE YEAR 2024
'Gripping.'
FINANCIAL TIMES
'Breathtaking.'
SIMON CALLOW
'Vivid.'
BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE
A colourful and concise telling of the fascinating story behind Richard Wagner's extraordinary masterpiece,
Ring of the Nibelung.
The Ring is one of the most epic and compelling stories of the nineteenth century, created by a composer who was, alongside Dickens, Tolstoy and Victor-Hugo, also one of the century's master storytellers. But the story of how Wagner created the work is one full of intrigue and triumphs against unlikely odds - as well as controversy, due to the composer's anti-semitic views and popularity with the Nazi party.
In
Story of the Century, Michael Downes combines cultural history and biography to offer this accessible and insightful introduction to
The Ring and its mythology. He tells the story of how and why this extraordinary masterpiece came into being, why it takes the form it does, why it fascinates and obsesses so many and horrifies others, and why it matters.
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Information
Table of contents
- Landing Page
- Title Page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Maps
- Prologue
- 1: Wagner’s story: Kapellmeister and revolutionary
- 2: Sourcing the story: song and saga
- 3: Shaping the story: Stabreim and Schopenhauer
- 4: Sounding the story: text into music
- 5: Selling the story: from book to building
- 6: Staging the story: from casting to curtain-up
- 7: The story retold
- Chronology
- The story itself: synopses of each drama
- Notes
- Further reading, viewing and listening
- Illustrations and credits
- Acknowledgements
- Index
- Plates
- About the Author
- Copyright