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Rheingold

Rheingold refers to the Rhine gold, a legendary treasure said to lie in the river Rhine and guarded by the Rhinemaidens. The gold’s immense value and its power to corrupt have made it a central motif in many stories about dwarfs and gods. In most accounts, control of the Rhine gold confers great influence, but its use often brings misfortune or a curse to those who covet it. The tale of the Rhine gold has influenced later medieval and Romantic literature and, most prominently, Richard Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen, where the gold drives much of the drama.

Das Rheingold is a one-act opera by Richard Wagner and the first work in his Ring des

Legacy: Beyond its mythic origins, Rheingold remains a prominent symbol in literature and the arts as a

Nibelungen
cycle.
Composed
in
the
1850s
and
premiered
in
1876
at
Bayreuth
as
the
opening
piece
of
the
complete
Ring,
it
introduces
the
central
characters
and
themes:
the
Rhinemaidens
guarding
the
Rhine
gold,
the
Nibelung
Alberich
who
renounces
love
to
seize
it,
and
the
gods
Wotan
and
Loge
who
seek
to
wield
its
power.
The
drama
concerns
the
moral
and
political
uses
of
wealth
and
culminates
in
the
theft
and
the
curse
that
will
propel
the
later
operas.
The
music
is
noted
for
its
continuous
structure
and
its
extensive
use
of
leitmotifs,
which
associate
specific
melodies
with
characters
and
ideas.
representation
of
dangerous
wealth
and
power.
In
Wagner’s
Ring
cycle,
Das
Rheingold
provides
the
foundational
material
that
frames
the
gods’
fate
and
the
recurring
themes
of
power,
desire,
and
consequence.
The
term
continues
to
be
referenced
in
discussions
of
German
opera
and
myth.