The music of Richard Wagner can be daunting to beginning pianists, but this collection offers an accessible approach to the famous nineteenth-century composer's works. The arrangements focus on Wagner's melodies and style, presenting manageable excerpts from the more abstract works in simplified keys and with suggested fingerings.
Thirty-one musical pieces consist chiefly of selections from Wagner's operas. Highlights include the thrilling "Ride of the Valkyries" from
Die Valküre,
the second of the four Ring Cycle operas. Other pieces from the epic musical series include "Siegfried the Hero" from
Siegfried
and "Song of the Rhine Daughters" from
Götterd
ä
mmerung.
The collection also features pieces from
Parsifal,
Tannhäuser, The Flying Dutchman,
Rienzi, Lohengrin,
and
Tristan und Isolde,
as well as other works. Each selection features a brief Introduction that provides historical context and, in some cases, suggestions for performance.