Richard Wagner had the idea of writing an opera on the death of the Teutonic
ur-hero Siegfried. Then he decided to add some additional material, and the project grew and grew to become the four-opera, 16-hour
Ring des Nibelungen, one of the most astonishing accomplishments in all of western civilization.
Gotterdammerung (The Twilight of the Gods) is the last and most amazing of the four operas of the cycle, as Wagner brings down the world of the gods and heroes in fire and water. What he accomplishes with his orchestral writing is nothing short of astonishing--and you can see how he does it by following along with this full orchestral score from Dover. Dover scores, reprints of out-of-copyright editions from other publishers, are entirely lacking in frills, and they're not that helpful to singers who need to learn a role. But inexpensive Dover scores may be a Wagnerite's best friend (after the Solti recording of the
Ring!), whether you're new to the Ring or an old hand.
