SIEGFRIED WAGNER (1869-1930): Rainulf und Adelasia, Op. 14.

Description: Premiered in 1920, Rainulf is set in Calabria in 1194, based on historical characters (as often with Siegfried) but who also acquire autobiographical traits from the Wagner family and who, after much scheming, blind ambition and treachery, come to a bad end. Peter P. Pachl provides 13 pages of information about the work, from synopsis to an exegesis on "Onomatopoetics and Onomatopoetry", including highly useful "spotlights" on each of the many scenes in this nearly three-and-a-half hour drama, untangling the dense web of musical and dramatic motifs and generally increasing our admiration for the music and philosophical mind of this remarkable composer. 3 CDs. German-English libretto. Elisabeth M. Wachutka (soprano), Frank van Aken (tenor), Hana Minutillo (mezzo), Roman Trekel (baritone), Die Stuttgarter Choristen, Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz; Werner Andreas Albert.