| Abstract |
The redeemer of the title is Parsifal, reborn in Wagner's opera of the same name from Siegfried of Der Ring des Nibelungen. More than a metaphor, this rebirth is a true spiritual, musical, and dramatic reincarnation that reflects Wagner's profound knowledge of and belief in Buddhism. From his unique perspective as a Wagnerian and a Buddhist monk, the author traces the textual, thematic, and musical links between the Ring and Parsifal to show that the composer clearly, if not explicitly, intended his last opera as the fifth work in the Ring tetralogy. The depth of Wagner's understanding of Buddhism, paired with his unfailing artistic intuition, enabled him both to unite and transcend the Ring's and Parsifal's diverse influences--Schopenhauer and Greek tragedy, Teutonic mythology and Arthurian legend, Mystery religions and Christianity, Chretien and Wolfram. The author explores the relationship of this expanded Ring not only to Tristan und Isolde, but also to the composer's uncompleted but specifically Buddhist opera Die Sieger. He lays bare the means by which Alberich, Wotan, Brunnhilde, and Siegfried, once in pursuit of gold, power, and glory, are reborn as Klingsor, Amfortas, Kundry, and Parsifal to pursue instead the path to enlightenment, finally reuniting in the land of Monsalvat the stolen Spear with the Holy Grail. |
