Götterdämmerung

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 Götterdämmerung (help·info) ("Twilight of the Gods" – see Notes) is the last of the four operas that make up Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung), by Richard Wagner. It received its premiere at the Bayreuth Festspielhaus on 17 August 1876, as part of the first complete performance of the Ring.

The title is a translation into German of the Old Norse phrase Ragnarök, which [:] 

• in Norse mythology refers to a prophesied war of the gods which brings about the end of the world. 

However, as with the rest of the Ring, Wagner's account of this apocalypse diverges significantly from his Old Norse sources.

• The term Götterdämmerung is occasionally used in English, referring to a disastrous conclusion of events.
  

Contents  [hide] 1 Composition 2 Roles 3 Synopsis 3.1 Prologue 3.2 Act 1 3.3 Act 2 3.4 Act 3 4 Notes 5 Noted excerpts 6 Selected recordings 7 See also 8 References 9 External links

Notes

1. The opera is sometimes called in English "Dusk of the Gods," or "Doom of the Gods"; however, "Twilight of the Gods" correctly translates the German title. Dämmerung can also mean dawn as the term is used for both the rising and setting of the sun.
2. Götterdämmerung is itself a translation of "ragnarökkr" (Twilight of the Gods) as it is sometimes written in the Prose-Edda. In the older Edda only "ragnarök" (Fate of the Gods) is mentioned. It has been proposed that "ragnarökkr" was either a misconception on Snorri Sturluson's behalf or, more likely, poetic license as a play between the words "rök" (fate, doom) and "rökkr" (darkness, twilight).