With the production of the 'Ring' by Tankred Dorst last year, the 'Ring' productions looked back on a history of 130 years.
14 productions by 12 directors (only the brothers Wieland and Wolfgang Wagner staged two productions each) are proof of the inexhaustability of Richard Wagner's opera tetralogy. Again and again, great opera directors (after the Wagner family itself) have taken on the colossal challenge of a production: from Patrice Chéreau and Peter Hall to Harry Kupfer and Jürgen Flimm. Unlike anywhere else in the world, Bayreuth is the place to study the context of contemporary history and theatre aesthetics. Hence, a look into the history of the 'Ring' in Bayreuth is a look not only into the unique chronicle of the performance history of Richard Wagner's greatest masterpiece but also into the little history of the Bayreuth Festival, thus making this illustrated volume a unique document of opera history and a must-have for every Wagner fan.

Philippe Olivier, Alsatian writer, TV author and musicologist, was born in 1952. From 1975-1993 he worked as a producer with the broadcasting company France Musiques, from 1994-1998 as a marketing director with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg, and since April 2007 has been guest professor at the Rostock Hochschule für Musik und Theater. He has published numerous books and produced various films, especially about Richard Wagner and his descendants.

14 productions from the 130-year history of the 'Ring' in Bayreuth in a richly illustrated de luxe edition

Grußwort von Dr. Wolfgang Wagner
Wirkungen des Zeitgeistes. Einleitung
Ein Gleichnis des Bleibenden und des Vergänglichen. Variationen
Die Inszenierungen:
Ein leerstehendes Gehäuse. 1876
Statuen statt Sänger. 1896-1914
Umgestaltungen. 1924-1931
Kunst und Ideologie. 1933-1942
Tabula rasa. 1951-1958
Die segmentierte Scheibe. 1960-1964
Der Turm von Babel. 1956-1969
Pop-Art. 1970-1975
Skandal und Legende. 1976-1980
Achillesferse. 1983-1986
Die Straße der Geschichte. 1988-1992
Mythen des Alltags. 1994-1998
Wotan mit Armbanduhr. 2000-2004
Der Sensenmann. 2006
Anhang:
Bibliografie
Dank
Abbildungsverzeichnis
Personenregister