Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung), WWV 86, is a cycle of four
German-language epic music dramas composed by Richard Wagner. The works are based
loosely on characters from Germanic heroic legend, namely Norse legendary sagas and the
Nibelungenlied. The composer termed the cycle a "Bühnenfestspiel" (stage festival play),
structured in three days preceded by a Vorabend ("preliminary evening"). It is often referred
to as the Ring cycle, Wagner's Ring, or simply The Ring.
Wagner wrote the libretto and music over the course of about twenty-six years, from
Wagner wrote the libretto and music over the course of about twenty-six years, from
1848 to 1874. The four parts that constitute the Ring cycle are, in sequence:
Individual works of the sequence are often performed separately, and indeed the operas
Individual works of the sequence are often performed separately, and indeed the operas
contain dialogues that mention events in the previous operas, so that a viewer could watch
any of them without having watched the previous parts and still understand the plot. However,
Wagner intended them to be performed in series. The first performance as a cycle opened the
first Bayreuth Festival in 1876, beginning with Das Rheingold on 13 August and ending with
Götterdämmerung on 17 August. Opera stage director Anthony Freud stated that Der Ring des
Nibelungen "marks the high-water mark of our art form, the most massive challenge any opera
company can undertake."