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Story of the Century: Wagner and the creation of The Ring

Michael Downes

A colourful and concise telling of the fascinating story behind Richard Wagner’s extraordinary masterpiece, Ring of the Nibelung.

86 in stock

£22£20
Format
Hardback
ISBN
9780571371990
Date Published
07.11.2024
Delivery
All orders are sent via Royal Mail and are tracked: choose from standard or premium delivery.
Summary

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.

Critic Reviews

Story of the Century is a breathtaking account of the creation of one of the most astonishing works of art ever attempted, the work of one of the most extraordinary artists who ever lived. The revelation of Wagner’s mind and temperament at work is as illuminating as it is astonishing.

Simon Callow
Critic Reviews

A straightforward, gripping account of making art.

Jonathan McAloon, Financial Times
Critic Reviews

[Downes] writes superbly about the complicated musical development of the piece. The book’s prose is anchored so deep in the rhythm of the Ring that if you know the music you’ll hear it in your head as you read.

Sue Prideaux, Spectator
Critic Reviews

Perceptive and evocative . . . [Downes] writes illuminatingly about the function of the leitmotifs. Drawing on Wagner’s Mein Leben and Cosima Wagner’s diaries, he creates a vivid picture of the evolution of the original production, and its afterlife in America and (fatefully) in Germany . . . The perfect book for Wagnerite beginners.

Michael Church, BBC Music Magazine
Critic Reviews

Intelligently written, immaculately researched . . . [Downes] packs an enormous amount of information into his chapters, all in a free flowing style which is as easy to read as Wagner’s music is to listen to . . . A must-have companion for anyone who is interested in the Ring Cycle.

Brian Bannatyne-Scott, Edinburgh Music Review