The Classic In Wagner

About the Book

I basically set out to search for The Ring of the Nibelung in The Iliad. Wagner was a great lover and admirer of all things Greek – art, drama, theater, tragedies, and so on. Due to this, I figured out, there could be some elements of the The Iliad in The Ring. To do this work I read both books thoroughly more than once, then I started working, going from The Ring into The Iliad. I went to The Ring in its natural sequential order, took bits of it and went to The Iliad to find out if there were some things related to these bits in it. I was basically searching for The Ring of the Nibelung in The Iliad. What I found was a translocated, fragmented Ring, something like 23 situations which find their echo in The Iliad, or you may possibly turn it around: 23 situations in The Iliad which found reminiscences in The Ring.

It is not easy to prove tht there was any influence of The Iliad in The Ring. What I found is only the product of my associations, and I don’t venture to make any statements on the matter; but whatever I found, is it purely coincidental? This has been my own way of looking at The Ring, and I let it stand.

The book also contains an Appendix entitled The Bayreuth Experience which refers to the Wagner Festival held every summer in Bayreuth (Bavaria, Germany). This is a very detailed account about the Festival, from how to get tickets, tours to Bayreuth, accomodations, prices, what to do in town, records, videos, how to hear the Festival live from radio Bavaria, and many other aspects related to the Festival. It will help people who may wish to attend the Wagner Festival in Bayreuth sometime in the future.

About the Author

I am a Venezuelan, a retired scientist: virologist. I taught Microbiology and did research at Harvard for 17 years; then at Mass General Hospital research on HIV. Back in Caracas I opened the laboratory for diagnosis of HIV for the Instituto de Higiene de Venezuela, and isolated HIV for the first time there. I am an opera lover; belong to several musical organizations: Asociación Wagner de Venezuela, the Wagner Society of New York, the Meropolitan Opera Guild, the Maria Callas International Club (London), the Group 27 of Verdi (I represent the opera Luisa Miller). Have lectured on opera with my group Apreciación Musical Operática (AMO). I travelled to see opera in many cities in the world.