Part of the Wagnerism Audiovisual Companion. Most audio samples are by kind permission of Pristine Classical.
Haus Wahnfried in Bayreuth, circa 1900.
p. 3: The Rhinemaidens's cry of "Traulich und treu..." — what is trusty and true lies only in the depths — followed by the false splendor of the gods' entrance into Valhalla.
From Clemens Krauss's 1953 Ring at Bayreuth (Pristine).
p. 4: The room in the Palazzo Vendramin where Wagner died, with a replica of the Sterbesofa (death sofa).
The actual Sterbesofa at the Wagner Museum in Bayreuth:
p. 5: Fergus Hume's sonnet on Wagner's death can be found in Bad Wagner Poetry. A sample of the obituary headlines, from the Chicago Tribune:
p. 6: William Henry Venable's "Wagner Dead" also appears in Bad Wagner Poetry.
p. 10: Ivy collected from Wagner's grave, by Anton Bruckner (left) and Isabella Stewart Gardner (right).
p. 11: D'Annunzio's tribute at the Palazzo Vendramin.
p. 17: Prelude to Das Rheingold
p. 18: "Weia! Waga!" from Rheingold, with Alberich's entrance.
From Krauss's 1953 Ring at Bayreuth (Pristine).
p. 27: The Rhinemaiden Woglinde sings the leitmotif of the Renunciation of Love, explaining to Alberich that only one who forswears love can wield the power of the gold.
From Krauss's 1953 Ring at Bayreuth (Pristine).
p. 28: After Wotan tricks Alberich into giving up the Ring, the dwarf delivers his terrifying curse — "the lord of the ring as the slave of the ring."
Gustav Neidlinger in Krauss's 1953 Ring at Bayreuth (Pristine).
p. 28: The gods' entry into Valhalla.
From Wilhelm Furtwängler's 1950 Ring at La Scala (Pristine).
p. 31: Wotan's cries of anguish in Act II of Walküre.
Hans Hotter in Keilberth's 1955 Ring at Bayreuth (Testament).
p. 33: Siegfried's leitmotif.
The example comes from a YouTube channel devoted to the Wagner leitmotifs. An English translation of Hans von Wolzogen's original leitmotif guide can be found here.
p. 35: The prelude to Act III of Siegfried.
p. 35: The Renunciation of Love motif in Rheingold, Walküre, and Götterdämmerung.
From Krauss's 1953 Ring at Bayreuth (Pristine).
p. 36: The Spear motif in Rheingold, Siegfried, and Götterdämmerung.
From Krauss's 1953 Ring at Bayreuth (Pristine).
p. 36: Wagner's house in Tribschen, outside Lucerne.
Cosima Wagner painted by Franz von Lenbach.
p. 38: Nietzsche's composition Manfred Meditation inspired a memorably insulting letter from Hans von Bülow.
p. 43: Views of the Bayreuth Festspielhaus, from the train station and from the grounds of the Green Hill.
p. 49: A somewhat stylized image of Wagner holding forth at Wahnfried, with Russ in the foreground.
pp. 49-50: In the fall of 1876, after the first Bayreuth Festival, Wagner took an Italian sojourn, setting himself up in characteristically grand style at the Grand Hotel Vittoria in Sorrento.
Malwida von Meysenbug, Paul Rée, and Nietzsche enjoy a carefree moment in Sorrento.
p. 63: The "glorification of Brünnhilde."
Leonie Rysanek in Furtwängler's studio recording of Walküre (Pristine).
p. 64: The ending of Götterdämmerung: the final part of Brünnhilde's monologue, with the "glorification" melody resurfacing, followed by the destruction of Valhalla and the return of the Ring to the Rhine. Further appearances of the "glorification" are at 1:16:33 and 1:18:28.
