Bücher der Reihe Studies in Musical Genesis, Structure & Interpretation

"Elektra", the fourth opera written by Strauss, opened his successful partnership with the librettist Hugo von Hofmannsthal and solidified his status as a leading composer. This study examines the opera in a musical-historical context and analyzes its key features.

In this book, Warren Darcy traces the compositional genesis of Richard Wagner's opera Das Rheingold, the first opera of his great operatic tetralogy Der Ring des Nibelungen. He also attempts a comprehensive formal and tonal analysis of the piece. Basing his work upon Wagner's textual and musical manuscripts, he employs the most up-to-date analytical techniques.