The Stuttgart Staatsorchester, which performs on this recording, was established in 1589 as the Court Orchestra of Württemberg and staged the complete Ring cycle in the 1880s.
Composition History
Richard Wagner's tetralogy, Der Ring des Nibelungen, was first performed as a whole in August 1876 at the new Festspielhaus in Bayreuth.
Recording & Production
This recording of Götterdämmerung is part of a unique Ring cycle where each of the four operas was staged with separate producers and casts for the first time in its history.
Composition History
Götterdämmerung, the final opera in Wagner's Ring cycle, was initially conceived as Siegfrieds Tod (Siegfried's Death) in 1848.
Compositional Technique
Wagner uses leading motifs, or leitmotifs, associated with characters, events, and ideas, which recur and interweave to unify the entire Ring cycle.
Composer's Artistic Vision
The plot sources for Wagner's Ring cycle include Icelandic sagas, the 13th-century German epic Das Nibelungenlied, and the Old Norse Thidreks Saga af Bern.
Performer Biography
Luana DeVol, who sings Brünnhilde on this recording, was awarded the title 'Singer of the Year' twice for her portrayal of this role.
