Wagner's The Ring Without Words - Leitmotifs with Brett Mitchell

Colorado Symphony Music Director Brett Mitchell describes the famous leitmotifs from Richard Wagner’s The Ring of the Nibelung in a musical demonstration at the top of the Colorado Symphony's 2018 condensed performance without words.

[tylerpugh]

One of the best “Master Classes” On The Ring I have ever heard. I have followed The Ring for more than 40 years, and just tonight invited a friend who knew nothing about Wagner for a cocktail to hear this presentation. Magnificent. Thank you for a wonderful program. I think I may have created a new Wagner fan!

[Dylonely_]

3:18 Rhine leitmotif
5:07 Valhalla motif
6:29 Nibelung motif
7:54 Thunder motif
9:50 Sieglinde and Siegmund love
12:28 Siegfried motif
13:06 Wotan’s love motif
14:10 Brünnhilde slumber
19:00 Forest murmurs
20:21 Siegfried heroic motif
20:48 Dragon motif
22:20 Sword + Siegfried heroic motif
24:11 Brünnhilde motif
24:53 Siegfried’s horn call
25:18 Heroic motif in its splendor
28:27 Rhinegold in Götterdämmerung
29:28 Siegfried motif
31:36 Rhine maidens motif
31:55 Valhalla motif
32:15 Redemption by love leitmotif

[IloveChrome]

Please let this be a singular installment of a more elongated series. Someone loves and knows of Wagner as much as I? Paradise. More. More. More.

[jarod]

I love many forms of music; rock, folk, country, classical. The overtures & preludes of the Ring touch me like no other music, so much, that I feel it was written for me, and it belongs to me & me alone. If I were to be stranded on a desert island, the Ring Without Words would be all I needed.

[lakkfatt]

Das hat mir die Augen bzw. die Ohren geöffnet für Wagners geniale Musik. Amazing, wonderful, epic… Thank you, Brett, and the fabulous Colorado Symphony.

[milesmartin]

Beautiful music, smart analysis, and he is a wonderful speaker as well! Excellent.

[barbararetzlaff]

Very helpful, just the right amount of detail for now. Such beautiful music.

[stefimandi]

More, more of this kind of performances, please!

[Daniel-wisk]

Many many thanks, mille mercis, muchísimas gracias, for this beautiful moment (from a Wagner lover, Parisian by birth and by love, now living in Seville)

[hja]

Wonderful explanation and Performance, thank you .
Hans

[maryann]

Baby Ring Head checking in 👼 🤔
Wonderful intro to this legend. What have I wandered in to?
🎶😏💜🎶

[wotan]

Fascinating! OK, here’s a very specific question about a theme in Die Walkure, which I’ve never seen answered. After Fricka demands Wotan’s oath to renounce Siegmund and the Walsungs, there is a rising motif in the orchestra, which eventually breaks apart into a garbled minor key. It isn’t based on any previous leitmotif in the Ring, nor is it ever heard again. I once read an article that asked the question of some famous conductors, and their response was basically, “beats me.”

[adilsonjassis]

Se houvesse mais concertos explicativos como esse, os amantes da música clássica seriam imensamente beneficiados e aumentados. Amei, amei

[tommot]

THIS IS TRULY AMAZING! WHAT A GREAT FORMAT! THANK YOU SO MUCH!

[restoreamericanvalues]

Shades of Young people's concert...well-done!

[jmballestra]

Une autre précision : un "Leitmotiv" très important aurait pu aussi être mentionné : "L 'épée " !!! Mais globalement, cela demeure une prestation fort intéressante !!!!

[jmballestra]

Très intéressant ( bien qu'incomplet concernant les "Leitmotive " ) ....L'orthographe de certains noms de personnages dans les sous-titres est souvent très ...fantaisiste

[karl]

Siegfried: 20:21
Dragon: 20:48
Fight: 21:22

[DjTonioRoffo]

Transpose Wagner to the late 20th century and imagine him scoring, oh I don't know... the marvel universe?

[pegapl]

Performed with profound knowledge and a lot of love for the music and the audience, you cannot imagine a better tutor for the ring than Brett Mitchell.
Ring fan, Heinz