- The Cameo: Freia in Das Rheingold and the Woodbird in Siegfried are smaller parts that don't require the tremendous voice and endurance of a typical Wagnerian soprano. Therefore, it is possible for coloratura sopranos who normally stick to the Italian and French repertoire to fill those roles, such as Joan Sutherland as the Woodbird in Georg Solti's Siegfried recording and Kathleen Battle in the same role for James Levine.
- Schedule Slip: Wagner spent most of the 1850s writing the music of the first three Ring operas, but after completing the first two thirds of Siegfried, he broke off work for over a decade, only returning to the cycle after he had completed and produced two other long operas (Tristan und Isolde and Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg).
- Sequel First: Das Rheingold was actually the last of the operas to get an American production.
- What Could Have Been:
- In an early draft, Götterdämmerung ended with Brünnhilde bringing the dead Siegfried to Valhalla, his death having redeemed the gods.
- According to some accounts, Wagner wanted to end Götterdämmerung by burning down the theatre it debuted in, destroying the only manuscript of the opera with it.
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