Question

Richard Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen (Ring Cycle) has how many operas?

A) Two
B) Three
C) Four
D) Five

Answer 1

Richard Wagner's Ring Cycle, Der Ring des Nibelungen, comprises four operas: Das Rheingold, Die Walküre, Siegfried, and Götterdämmerung. It is a significant example of Wagner's concept of the Gesamtkunstwerk, spanning traditional boundaries of the classical concert repertory. Option C is the correct answer.

Step-by-step explanation:

Richard Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen, commonly known as the Ring Cycle, consists of four operas, not two, three, or five. The correct answer to the question is C) Four. This monumental work is a set of four epic operas that Wagner wrote over approximately twenty-six years, from 1848 to 1874.

The cycle is based on characters from the Norse sagas and the Nibelungenlied, and the individual operas are titled as follows:

1. Das Rheingold (The Rhine Gold)
2. Die Walküre (The Valkyrie)
3. Siegfried
4. Götterdämmerung (Twilight of the Gods)

Together, these operas form one of the largest scale works of the traditional classical concert repertory. The composite nature of the work, with rich leitmotifs and complex storytelling, makes it a prime example of the Gesamtkunstwerk, or 'total work of art', a term Wagner himself coined to describe a comprehensive piece combining music, poetry, and visual arts.