There are some things to recommend Stephen Johnson's introduction to Der Ring des Nibelungen, but the same critique that's often leveled against Der Ring itself applies to this commentary: it's awfully long. In fact, it's longer than Das Rheingold. But for the listener who's willing to devote more than two and a half hours to getting acclimated to the complex personal relationships, the convoluted narrative, and musical leitmotifs, this detailed commentary could be just the thing. Johnson offers an extensive introduction to ...
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There are some things to recommend Stephen Johnson's introduction to Der Ring des Nibelungen, but the same critique that's often leveled against Der Ring itself applies to this commentary: it's awfully long. In fact, it's longer than Das Rheingold. But for the listener who's willing to devote more than two and a half hours to getting acclimated to the complex personal relationships, the convoluted narrative, and musical leitmotifs, this detailed commentary could be just the thing. Johnson offers an extensive introduction to the work's literary, musical, political, and philosophical genesis, as well as its subsequent cultural and political significance. That's all well and good, but for anyone who has some basic knowledge about Wagner, it's possible to skip directly to the commentary and cut over half an hour from the listening experience.Johnson's commentary itself is clear and relatively concise, considering the complexity of the material, and he does a good job laying out the story, with accompanying...
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