The Ring of the Nibelung: German - English Libretto Das Rheingold

Richard Wagner (Author)
Richard Wagner (1813-83) redefined opera and had an overwhelming impact on German and Western culture. His major works include Lohengrin, Tannhauser, Tristan and Isolde, Parsifal and the four parts of The Ring of the Nibelung: The Rhinegold, The Valkyrie, Siegfried and Twilight of the Gods.

John Deathridge (Translator)
John Deathridge is Emeritus King Edward Professor of Music at King's College London and one of the world's foremost authorities on the music of Richard Wagner.
 

A superb new translation of the libretto to Wagner's Ring cycle

'Smiling in sorrow
I sing of love'

The Ring of the Nibelung, Wagner's epic cycle of four musical dramas about primal envy, cosmic conflict, the search for glory, spectacular self-sacrifice, redeeming human love and the downfall of gods, revolutionized the nature of opera and conjured up an entire mythological world. It is also one of the greatest texts ever written for the lyric stage, where words are not an adjunct to the music, but an essential part of a transformative experience. John Deathridge's superb new facing page translation of the Ring libretto conveys the pungency and vitality of Wagner's words, reflecting the work's literary power while retaining its sense and dramatic energy.
Translated with an introduction and notes by John Deathridge