Nicholas John Bücher

»Wagner hat, sein halbes Leben lang, an die Revolution geglaubt, wie nur irgendein Franzose an sie geglaubt hat … ›Woher stammt alles Unheil in der Welt?‹ fragte sich Wagner. ›Von alten Verträgen‹, antwortete er, gleich allen Revolutions-Ideologen. Auf deutsch: von Sitten, Gesetzen, Moralen, Institutionen, von alledem, worauf die alte Welt, die alte Gesellschaft ruht. ›Wie schafft man das Unheil aus der Welt? Wie schafft man die alte Gesellschaft ab?‹ Nur dadurch, dass man den ›Verträgen‹ (dem Herkommen, der Moral) den Krieg erklärt. Das tut Siegfried.« Friedrich Nietzsche Ausgabe ediert nach den Original-Textbüchern, mit den Varianten der Partitur jeweils am Fuß der Seite, ergänzt um Nachwort und Literaturhinweise.

The English National Opera Guides were originally conceived in partnership with the English National Opera and edited by Nicholas John, the ENO's dramaturg, who died tragically in an accident in the Alps. Most of the guides are devoted to a single opera, which is described in detail—with many articles that cover its history and information about the composer and his times. The complete libretto is included in both the original language and in a modern singing translation—except where the opera was written in English. Each has a thematic guide to the most important musical themes in musical notation and each guide is lavishly illustrated. They also contain a bibliography and a discography which is updated at each reprint. The ENO guides are widely regarded as the best series of their kind and excellent value.