Wagner's Ring: Turning the Sky Round by M. Owen Lee
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Book Reviews of Wagner's Ring: Turning the Sky Round
Book Review: Wagner's Ring
Summary: 5 Stars
Enthralling! An analysis that makes the music all that more meaningful in terms of ideas and emotions in addition to its already intrinsic beauty.Book Review: An excellent introduction to Wagner's magnificent "Ring"!
Summary: 5 Stars
A must-read for Wagner lovers, and those who want yet anotherbook on "The Ring" cycle. It is brief yet insightful. Enjoy!
Book Review: A few things you should know about 'Turning the Sky Round'
Summary: 4 Stars
This well known and fascinating little book by M. Owen Lee contains a wealth of thought-provoking insights into Wagner's 'Ring', perhaps the most monumental work of art in human history. As Lee observes, 'The Ring' uses "external nature to tell us about our inner selves...it takes place outside of time, in the human imagination and memory. On the landscape of your soul, as you listen." It is about evolution, writes Lee, but is "as far in advance of Darwin's theory than myth has always been in advance of science."
To give an example of Lee's insight, he points out the similarities between the opening scene of 'Das Rhinegold' and the 'Forest Murmurs' scene from 'Siegfried', with the forest taking the place of the water as a symbol of the unconscious. The song of the woodbird even echoes the same melody as that of the Rhine Maidens. I must have been blind not to see this before Lee pointed it out! It's so obvious!
Lee is to be congratulated for writing such a deep and philosophical, yet highly accessible book. From reading reviews of opera DVDs on Amazon, it would appear that most lovers of classical music these days no longer wish to understand music with their blood. To them it is just beautiful, highly sophisticated sound, but with no deeper meaning. Wagner would have despised these soulless cretins, or 'cultured philistines' as Nietzsche called them.
Although Lee's interpretation of Wagner becomes too 'psychological' at times, rather than spiritual (even stooping to Freudian theories in a couple of places), it IS fasincating to learn that Siegfried's maturation process matches EXACTLY the three archetypal forces Jung held that a male must face before achieving wholeness (i.e. the attainment of the Self - and after Siegfried has faced these forces, he must then confront Wotan, who tells him "I am your Self").
All of the musical Leitmotifs in the Ring can be divided into two categories: those connected with unconscious nature, and those connected with conscious man. The opening song of the Rhine maidens ("Weia, Waga! Woge du Welle," etc.) can be seen as a kind of 'baby talk', where consciousness arises from the depths and learns to order things for the first time. The Rhinegold itself is the light of consciousness, hidden in the dark waters of the unconscious. With the light of consciousness comes the free choice between what is good and what Father Lee calls 'evil', although Nietzscheans may prefer 'degenerative' or some similar word. Alberich "steals away the golden eye and uses it for evil", yet "a noble, unforgettable theme" sounds when he does so. Lee thinks this is because although "the wresting of consciousness from nature is associated with guilt, the step had to be taken if the human race was to break its bond with mothering nature, the bond that kept it unaware, unthinking, merely intuitive like the animals." This breaking away brought with it knowledge, but also the awareness of death.
In Lee's interpretation Wotan's sacrifice of an eye gives him perfect outward vision, but means he can't see inwardly into his own soul. This is where Brünnhilde comes in. The ending signifies "the transformation of Brünnhilde, Wotan's Wiile (will), into what the whole of Wagner's Ring is striving to create - a new world. It is Wotan's will that the world of Wille (will) be destroyed and transformed into something newer and purer."
The ending of the Ring is not a "return to the beginning", it is a transformation. If it was a return, then Wagner would have brought it back to its original key of E flat, but instead after "a series of awe-inspiring chord progressions", it ends in D flat. So the consciousness of Wotan yields to "the next evolutionary development in human nature." As to what that development will be, Lee's guess is as good as yours or mine.
No Wagnerian should miss out on this book, which also contains an annotated list of further reading, and transcriptions of the most significant musical motifs in the cycle.
You may also enjoy Time Struggle 1: The Wolves of Odin (Volume 1).
Book Review: exquisitely succinct interpretation and introduction....
Summary: 4 Stars
to one of the most multi-layered works of art in existence.
I have wanted to see this opera series for over 20 years, ever since I saw an opera properly prepared by a Wagner fanatic. Finally, I was in a place where I could, so I turned to the various preparations that I could find.
This short book was indisputably one of the best, and it doesn't shy from bold pronouncements and interpretations. Lee is a classical scholar of great learning and brings together a huge range of sources in this 100plus-page book.
First, he gives a synopsis. Then, he interprets it, with full awareness that the reader may disgree. While the content is covered by other reviewers here, I wanted to say that this added immensely to my experience of this uniquely complex work of near-modern art. Plus, it is aimed that at erudite admirers, but to those (like me) desperate for an anchor as I approach the unique intensity of Wagner.
While it relies a bit too heavily on depth psychology, which places this interpretation at a certain time, it is never dogmatic and addresses many of the other philosophical ideas that underlie it. This is my only caveat. Truly great works of art are re-interpreted by every age, and this one will be too. In addition, it cannot be the only source one approaches - you need to listen to the music as well, so this is one supplement.
Warmly recommended.
Book Review: Too superficial for my tastes
Summary: 3 Stars
I've heard comments about Lee--praise for his academic expertise and resentment for his referring to Wagner as "that terrible man" in another book. So I picked this up while watching the 2001 Seattle "Ring."I don't consider myself a "Ring" expert by any stretch of the imagination. I consider myself a Wagnerian, find Wagner's music emotionally evocative, mentally stimulating, etc. I don't consider Wagner a "terrible man," however, nor do I consider him a superman, despite his musical talent, even genius. Sorry, but he, like all of us, was all-too human.
There are some points of the book that I appreciate. It is, as Lee points out, Wagner's musical talent that needs to be acknowledged. It is that, more than anything else, text or characters, for example, that stimulates me in "The Ring" or any other of Herr Wagner's operas.
And the summaries of each opera were helpful before I saw each one. I've seen tapes of them all before, but one can forget the stories, and a review like those Lee provided before each commentary was helpful.
Then there are the major leitmotifs of the opera, to which Lee frequently refers. But, unless you are very good at "hearing" the music you are reading, you may want to have a keyboard by you, or something by which you can listen to those themes. That will help you understand the operas and the concept of leitmotifs better.
However, one must keep in perspective what was going on in Germanic Europe in the Wagner era. Jung, Freud, Mesmer, and other gurus and similar fantasy builders were part of what was happening there. In fact, I see that as similar to some of the Eastern gurus who got footholds in the West during the 1960s. I fear that Lee doesn't keep that in perspective enough. He rambles on interminably on the "depth" of the "myths," ala Jung. And with that psychobabble I beg to differ. Myths are first and foremost stories. And stories are told to make a point. Lee refers at times to the Brothers Grimm with whom most of us are familiar. However, he refers to their stories as if there is almost an inherent message to be understood by the children hearing them. But any story is open to interpretation. Perhaps the stories most diversely interpreted are what is known as "scripture." Gerry Falwell and I interpret those documents very differently. So are ANY stories interpreted, including, if not especially, the Ring. Lee was so mesmerized by the "depth" of the "myth" that I think he may have left out other influences on Wagner. For instance, I believe Wagner had some commercial drive. I say that not in a critical sense, it's just reality. There was, for instance, appropriate to the time, a desire among German nationalists for a "national opera." Indeed, it may be from this book that I learned that fact. The Ring fulfilled that to a degree, though its sources are more Nordic and Icelandic than German. The times made the story more appropriate--saleable--than it may have been in another era. Wagner's genius at synthesis, taking bits and pieces from many sources and putting them into a plausible series of stories supported by superior--and evocative--musical background made it particularly "commercial."
As to the "mythic" structure of the Ring, I suspect that this was a result of Herr Wagner's rather extensive ego--bigger than reality--coupled with the dramatic effect of such myth. Guys going to work at the university or the factory and coming home to their wives and kids don't have quite the effect that greedy dwarves, ignorant and amorous giants, gods and their incestuous offspring have. The Grimms and Aesop also knew that well.
For those Wagnerian die-hards, no, I'm NOT criticizing Wagner for that. I just returned from a fabulous production of the Ring, to reinforce my video and audio recordings of the art, and the books and other media I have that examine it. I just fear that Lee--and some other authors--make Wagner more of a legend than he perhaps intended. (Note that I give the book 3 stars, not fewer!)
Overall, it's not a bad book, but, if you're familiar with the Ring, and don't get into popular psychological rap, I would recommend other books, including Ernest Newman's "The Wagner Operas" and others whom Lee uses as resources. And I'm reading another Lee book which I prefer. I think that'll get more stars.