Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung), WWV 86
Richard Wagner
Work background
Researched classical background
Wagner's Ring comprises four linked music dramas whose story follows a struggle over power, promises, and a gold ring. Recurring musical ideas connect characters, objects, and changing situations across an exceptionally large design. The orchestral narrative often recalls information the characters do not state. This catalogue entry groups the entire cycle; each drama can also be performed and encountered independently.
A listening guide
Choose one recurring idea and follow how its orchestration and context alter as the drama advances.
Listening suggestions are editorial guides to the music.
Forces: Vocal soloists, chorus in the final drama, and large orchestra
Premiere: 1876 (first complete cycle)
The four dramas were composed and some performed over earlier decades; 1876 dates their first complete presentation.
This entry describes the musical work or cycle. Composition, premiere and publication dates describe different events. Performers and recordings can be explored through the external listening search.
Also known as: The Ring of the Nibelung; Das Rheingold; Die Walkure; Siegfried; Gotterdammerung
Date, title and version notes
A complete cycle is four operas, not one short song or one uniformly sized recording.
The Ring Transformed | Metropolitan Opera
Work identity, chronology where stated, and the specific musical or historical context summarized in this entry. | Reviewed 2026-10-19
Historie der Bayreuther Festspiele - Die Entstehungsgeschichte im Uberblick
Festival historical account: Ring completion, preparation and the first complete Bayreuth cycles; not a performance-specific interpretation of the music. | Reviewed 2026-10-19
Sources for this work
The Ring Transformed | Metropolitan Opera
Work identity, chronology where stated, and the specific musical or historical context summarized in this entry. | Reviewed 2026-10-19
Historie der Bayreuther Festspiele - Die Entstehungsgeschichte im Uberblick
Festival historical account: Ring completion, preparation and the first complete Bayreuth cycles; not a performance-specific interpretation of the music. | Reviewed 2026-10-19
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