Review (PDF)

Wagner's Ring Of The Nibelung: A Companion

"An important work for Wagnerites and musical scholars."―Choice There had long been a need for a modern English translation of Wagner’s Ring―a version that would be reliable and readable yet at the same time be a true reflection of the literary quality of the German libretto. First published in 1993, this acclaimed translation, which follows the verse form of the original exactly, filled that niche. It reads smoothly and idiomatically, yet is the result of prolonged thought and deep back- ground knowledge. The translation is accompanied by Stewart Spencer’s introductory essay on the libretto and a series of specially commissioned texts by Barry Millington, Roger Hollinrake, Elizabeth Magee, and Warren Darcy that discuss the cycle’s musical structure, philosophical implications, medieval sources, and Wagner’s own changing attitude to its meaning. With a glossary of names, a review of audio and video recordings, and a select bibliography, this book is an essential complement to Wagner’s great epic. 16 black-and-white illustrations

Paperback: 384 pages

Publisher: Thames & Hudson; Revised edition (October 2010)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0500281947

ISBN-13: 978-0500281949

Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 1.4 x 9 inches

Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds

Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)

Best Sellers Rank: #374,937 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #24 in Books > Humor & Entertainment > Sheet Music & Scores > Composers > Wagner #99 in Books > Humor & Entertainment > Sheet Music & Scores > Historical Period > Late Romantic #254 in Books > Humor & Entertainment > Sheet Music & Scores > Forms & Genres > Opera

The introductory materials and commentary are useful to whatever extent the reader wants those things (apparently some reviewers here don't), but I'd guess most buy this book for the excellent English translation of the librettos.I bought the Kindle edition primarily because I thought it would be a handy way to follow the libretto as I listen to the music, but I do also find the various commentary sections, synopses, references, etc., very interesting & useful.However, there is a huge....HUGE....problem with the Kindle edition! There is absolutely no table of contents, no index, no navigational aids or references whatsoever. I've never seen a Kindle book so poorly structured- a 384 page book (that's 18,268 "locations" with small text and wide margins) without navigation. ("Cover" and "Beginning" are the only two jump points.) It makes this ebook virtually unusable as delivered. I've started the slow, tedious process of going through and placing bookmarks at each chapter start and on other important pages, but this is a very cumbersome solution, as you can't even edit the bookmarks into brief descriptive titles or organize them into an outline format. You end up with an extremely long list of marks that are essentially the first couple lines of text on the referenced page; it's a bit like scanning through your email when all you have are those two-line blurbs. Anything so precise as, say, jumping directly to a particular scene in one of the operas is out of the question.This is beyond an oversight, beyond an inconvenience. I consider it a fundamental flaw and I may try to get my money back. For $14+, I don't expect some cut-rate, half-a**ed scan of a real book, but that's what I got. I'm pretty annoyed. (If that's not obvious by now.

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