Home > Siegfried Wagner, R. (1813-1883) Siegfried Composed 1851-1871. First performed August 16, 1876. Libretto by the composer (in German). A Summary of “Siegfried” Act 1 In a mythological time, Siegfried grows up at the dwarf Mime’s house. Siegfried’s father is Siegmund, and his mother is Sieglinde. But the two are dead. Siegfried grows up to be very powerful, so he breaks a lot of his swords which Mime created. Then, there is a piece of Nothung which Sieglinde left. The Wanderer (who is Wotan, the ruler of the gods) appears, and he tells Siegfried that only who does not know “fear” can repair the sword. Siegfried tempers the piece of Nothung by himself. Finally, the sword, “Nothung” is reproduced. Act 2 After Fafner got a lot of treasures from the gods, he transformed himself into a dragon to defend his treasures in a deep forest. Siegfried kills the dragon with Nothung, and the dragon’s blood splashes on him. He develops the ability to understand means of woodbirds’ voices. The dwarf Mime attempts to steal treasures, but he is killed by Siegfried. A woodbird teaches Siegfried about Brunnhilde in a magic sleep at the top of a mountain, and who is protected by the circle of fire. Siegfried departs for the mountain. Act 3 Siegfried arrives at the mountain, and can safety jump into the circle of fire. He sits by the side of the sleeping woman. Then, it is the first time for him to know “fear.” When he kisses her, Brunnhilde wakes from her slumber. And, they immediately fall in love. A Comment on “Siegfried” This opera, “Siegfried,” is an adventure story about the main character, Siegfried. Wagner named his son, Siegfried, who is from his second wife, Cosima. The singer, performing this role continues for a long time, about 4 hours. It is one of the most difficult roles for a Tenor to complete in all roles. Tetsuya Ohno who is a famous Japanese Tenor sang this role in Japan for the first time. When I was a university student, I received one of his vocal courses, though I am a Baritone... There is a symphony for chamber orchestra, “The Siegfried Idyll,” by Wagner. This music is composed with the same part of melodies of this opera. Wagner secretly composed it for Cosima’s birthday. On the birthday morning, Wagner surprised her by gathering musicians to play this music for her. Wagner began to compose this opera as the title, “Young Siegfried.” But, he took a break from composing it. He composed his two prominent operas, “Tristan and Isolde” and “The Mastersingers of Nuremberg” during that time. It took 15 years to compose this opera, “Siegfried,” but by then he had become a great composer for that time, as if Siegfried grew up in this opera. Gluck, C. W. (1714-1787) 　- Orpheus and Eurydice Mozart, W. A. (1756-1791) 　- The Marriage of Figaro 　- Don Giovanni 　- Cosi fan tutte 　- The Magic Flute Beethoven, L. v. (1770-1827) 　- Fidelio Weber, C. M. v. (1786-1826) 　- The Magic Bullets Rossini, G. (1792-1868) 　- The Barber of Seville Donizetti, G. (1797-1848) 　- The Elixir of Love Verdi, G. (1813-1901) 　- Macbeth 　- Rigoletto 　- Il trovatore 　- La Traviata 　- Un ballo in maschera 　- Don Carlo 　- Aida 　- Otello 　- Falstaff Wagner, R. (1813-1883) 　- The Flying Dutchman 　- Tannhauser 　- Lohengrin 　- Tristan und Isolde 　- Die Meistersinger von Nuernberg 　- The Rhinegold 　- Die Walkure 　- Siegfried 　- Twilight of the Gods 　- Parsifal Offenbach, J. (1819-1880) 　- The Tales of Hoffmann Strauss, J. (1825-1899) 　- Die Fledermaus (The Bat) Bizet, G. (1838-1875) 　- Carmen Tchaikovsky, P. J. (1840-1893) 　- Eugene Onegin Massenet, J. (1842-1912) 　- Werther Humperdinck, E. (1854-1921) 　- Hansel and Gretel Puccini, G. (1858-1924) 　- La Boheme 　- Tosca 　- Madama Butterfly 　- Turandot Leoncavallo, R. (1858-1919) 　- Pagliacci Mascagni, P. (1863-1945) 　- Cavalleria Rusticana Debussy, C. (1862-1918) 　- Pelleas et Melisande Strauss, R. (1864-1949) 　- Salome 　- The Cavalier of the Rose Copyright (C) 2005-2017 Yusuke Kamiki. All Rights Reserved.