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Title: Wagner's Ring : A Listener's Companion and Concordance by J.K. Holman ISBN: 1-57467-070-0 Publisher: Amadeus Pr Pub. Date: 01 March, 2003 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4 (8 reviews)
Rating: 3
Summary: Opinionated and obsessional
Comment: This book makes some good points, but the author is quite opinionated (for example, his view is the "correct" view of what a good recording is) so that his advice is misleading. He also does an obsessional counting of words in the TRANSLATION of the Ring, which is not very useful since the original is in German and different translators render Wagner's words differently. I read the book through once and never returned to it, which says something about its usefulness. In contrast, for example, the books by Bryan Magee, I return to again and again for fresh insights into the Ring. Overall, this book is a disappointment and probably not worth buying. It will just take up space on your bookshelf.
Rating: 5
Summary: For broadening one's understanding of a timeless classic
Comment: Wagner's Ring, written and compiled by J.K. Holman, is an exhaustive listener's companion to the Wagnerian cycle of operas, intended to specifically delineate the subtle nuances of the musical plot. From mythological sources of the Ring operas to a full English translation of each character's lines to a close look at how the opera is stage, Wagner's Ring takes the reader through every possible aspect of the opera short of actually listening to it and seeing it performed. An excellent reference for broadening one's understanding of a timeless classic, Wagner's Ring is a strongly recommended addition to personal, academic, and community library operatic music history and reference collections.
Rating: 4
Summary: Above average.
Comment: I found this book useful on many accounts when first enjoying the Ring, but I don't think it transcends the basic much in the way that it would appeal to a veteran of the Ring. It contains a scene by scene synopsis of the operas, but this is hardly adequate compared to a libretto. The character analysis, however, is helpful in that it details possible sources for each of the characters. In the end, I'm not sure if I would be as knowledgable in the Ring if I had never read this book, but I find I haven't used it very often as of late, which tells me it is not a very enduring read, though I still listen to the cycle itself regularly and dig up new topics and controversies when I can. Speaking of controversy, a testament to the book's lack of advanced Wagnerite materials is that it contains no essays or analysis of controversial material (such as the age-old controversy around why Siegmund sings the Renunciation of Love motif when he does). One of the best features of this book, however, is the section detailing each recording of the Ring. It contains a very indepth chart, for each recording supplying what each opera times in at, who is singing each part, and a small review for each of them. But then, this isn't entirely revolutionary when we have Amazon.com. In the end, I must confess that this is an excellent gift to give someone who is beginning to delve into the Ring (I graciously received this and the Solti Ring as a gift one Christmas), but not necessary for an advanced Wagnerite.
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Title: Wagner's Ring: Turning the Sky Round by M. Owen Lee ISBN: 0879101865 Publisher: Limelight Editions Pub. Date: October, 1994 List Price(USD): $10.00 |
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Title: Ring of the Nibelung by Richard Wagner, Andrew Porter ISBN: 0393008673 Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company Pub. Date: March, 1983 List Price(USD): $16.95 |
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Title: Wagner's Ring of the Nibelung by Stewart Spencer, Barry Millington, Elizabeth Magee, Richard Wagner ISBN: 0500281947 Publisher: Thames & Hudson Pub. Date: November, 2000 List Price(USD): $29.95 |
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Title: The Tristan Chord: Wagner and Philosophy by Bryan Magee ISBN: 0805067884 Publisher: Metropolitan Books Pub. Date: 07 November, 2001 List Price(USD): $35.00 |
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Title: The Wagner Operas by Ernest Newman ISBN: 0691027161 Publisher: Princeton Univ Pr Pub. Date: 23 September, 1991 List Price(USD): $26.95 |
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