Wagner's Ring Cycle - An Introduction 

The Ring of the Nibelung is one of the great artworks of the western tradition. It is a modern epic that explores the corrupting influence of power and wealth, and the resulting conflicts between love, jealousy and greed. 

Wagner remains highly influential and controversial; his operas continue to raise strong feelings both pro and contra. The Royal Opera at Covent Garden are in the midst of building a new Ring Cycle: Götterdämmerung will be performed for the end of January 2027, and it is anticipated that performances of the complete cycle will take place in autumn 2027. 

The London Literary Salon will take this opportunity to study Wagner’s epic music drama in depth.  We will begin this autumn with an introductory salon on the cycle as a whole and Wagner’s methods. The Ring comprises four separate operas (Das Rheingold, Die Walküre, Siegfried and Götterdämmerung) and when performed as a cycle is 15 hours in length, taking place over four evenings in the space of a week. Wagner’s literary sources were The Nibelungenlied, a German medieval epic poem and Scandinavian/Icelandic sagas of the Norse gods: The Prose Edda, The Poetic Edda and the Völsunga Saga. 

In our Tristan and Isolde study last year we discussed Wagner’s medieval sources as literary works in their own right, and then looked at the opera. After receiving positive feedback, we are taking the same approach to The Ring. In 2027 the we will offer studies on The Nibelungenlied, The Prose Edda and The Poetic Edda, as well as listening sessions for The Ring Cycle. We invite you to join a group of interested Salonistas to experience this great artwork together. No background in music education is necessary. Our first Salon study,The Ring Cycle: An Introduction, will be structured in four parts: 

Session 1 – The Story

We will cover the plot for the whole cycle and consider Wagner’s poetic and dramatic methods.

Session 2 – The Music

We will explore the nature of the music and musical methods, with an introduction to the main leitmotifs and some of the ‘highlights’ from the cycle. 

Session 3 – The Philosophy 

We will review the transition from revolutionary politics to the philosophy of Schopenhauer and its relevance to music and tragedy.  This session will also continue the discussion of music from the previous meeting. 

Session 4 – The Performance

We will consider the idea of a ‘total work of art’ and present an overview of different ways in which the ring cycle has been interpreted and staged.  We will also discuss recordings and filmed productions that participants may wish to consider. 

JOINING DETAILS:

• Four-meeting study, live on Zoom, led by Sean Forester with Salonista and Wagner enthusiast Richard Fox
• Sundays, 8-29 November 2026, 5.45-8.15 pm (UK time)
• £200 for four 2.5 hour meetings, to include background notes and resources