The Annotated Ring Cycle

Reviews / Votes

This volume is noteworthy for its inclusion of pen drawings by Mott and other relevant colorful historical illustrations placed throughout.... In this volume's robust introduction, Walter states that his annotations will center Wagner's work (i.e., the Ring cycle) and its text as the authoritative sources (instead of drawing on outside commentaries and analyses of the opera). To that end, Walter uses his own English translations of the text of Die Walku?re, keeping in mind the alliterative effects and rhyme scheme that were important to Wagner's original German (which in Walter's book is printed alongside the English). At the end of each act of Die Walku?re, Walter gives a one-page review of its events and themes. Walter's useful introduction to Wagner's masterpiece breaks down the epic opera's plot, musical motifs, and poetic structure into digestible pieces of information; ideal for readers with any amount of previous knowledge of the Ring cycle. * Library Journal * Lively and vivid, Frederick Paul Walter's new translation will delight those familiar with the opera, while providing an inviting entry point for those who know the tale only through its role as a foundation work that has influenced everything from Bugs Bunny to The Lord of the Rings. The annotations are often wry and humorous, without in any way ceasing to be informative. The volume's numerous illustrations are a bonus, reminding the reader that this is a work meant to be seen and heard, not merely read. -- Jane Lindskold, New York Times bestselling author of The Firekeeper Saga This is a striking publication: in four large-format softbacks with vivid full-color covers, it is the work of Frederick Paul Walter, an American scriptwriter, fine-arts broad-caster and translator of several Jules Verne novels. * The Wagner Journal * [D]on't be afraid: Walter is neither dumbing down nor "making relevant" Wagner's complex masterwork. His English translations of Wagner's libretti and stage directions are crisp and modern, his annotations and asides as perspicacious as they are breezy and entertaining. His hope is that 'newcomers and old-timers will each find that these volumes add pleasure and value' to their enjoyment of The Ring. * Limelight Magazine * The main element of Walter's project, the translation of Wagner's poem, succeeds in its principal aim, which is "to provide a clear rendering of Wagner's libretto in modern English" and to give some idea of its alliteration, colloquialism, and humor. This is a tricky undertaking. * Wagner Society of North America * Walter's Ring Cycle series is written for a general audience and, given the publisher's cover designs and illustrations by Cliff Mott, will please readers of graphic novels as well. * The Paper - ABQ *