Wagner's Ring: Turning the Sky Round
Lee (classics, St. Michael's Coll., Univ. of Toronto) is a frequent guest on the Saturday afternoon Metropolitan Opera broadcasts, where his lucid, witty, and learned comments both instruct and entertain. Based on his commentaries during the Ring Cycle's presentation on four consecutive April weekends in 1989, the book takes its title from C.S. Lewis's remarks upon first seeing Arthur Rackham's illustrations for the Cycle: "The sky had turned round. . . . Pure Northerness engulfed me." In a concise, beautifully shaped style, Lee summarizes the plot and analyzes each opera musically and psychologically while also examining the mythological roots and the meaning this work can hold for today's audience. The result is a readable critical essay that celebrates its subject and makes one eager to hear the operas. Highly recommended for academic and public libraries with strong music collections.- Beverly True, Cumberland Regional Lib., Amherst, Nova ScotiaCopyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.