The Ring Disc: An Interactive Guide to Wagner's Ring Cycle. Interactive CD-ROM for IBM PC and Compatibles

Abstract

Interactive CD-ROM for IBM PC and compatibles. Urbana, Ill.: Media Cafe, 1997. $99.99. Requires an IBM or compatible with Pentium processor running Windows 95 or Windows NT 4.0, with 8 MB RAM, 4x CD-ROM drive, 800 x 600 screen resolution with 16-bit color, 16-bit sound card and speakers, mouse. Media Cafe's recent interactive release of the four operas that make up Richard Wagner's Ring of the Nibelungen continues the exploration of the possibilities offered by the CD-ROM medium. This CD-ROM uses new audio-compression technology developed by the Media Cafe that allows space on the disc for not only the sound recording but also the entire piano-vocal score, a full libretto and English translation, a series of linked essays, and numerous color images. The quantity of digitized information is impressive, and it is not difficult believe that Media Cafe spent three years developing the Ring Disc. Although the product has some drawbacks, it is for the most part easy install, use, and enjoy. The performance used as the basis of this CD-ROM is the 1958-68 Decca recording by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Georg Solti. Among the singers are George London (and later Hans Hotter) as Wotan, Kirsten Flagstad as Fricka, Birgit Nilsson as Brunhilde, Joan Sutherland as the Wood Bird, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau as Gauter, and Christa Ludwig as Waltraute. The user views the standard Schirmer vocal score as well as Wagner's libretto and a parallel English translation (by an unidentified translator) while listening the music. Commentaries by musicologist J. Kern Holoman provide brief statements about the action and the leitmotifs as they appear. The key terms and names are linked longer essays, which can he read at leisure. The synopsis of each scene contains a description of the action, with references the major themes. Clicking on the underlined leitmotif names offers the viewer a chance see a reduced score with a brief description of the origin of the motive; clicking on an eighth-note icon engages an excerpt player, which presents the motive aurally. A tool-bar button allows the listener jump the exact place in the score where the selected leitmotif occurs. This feature connects explanatory information with the actual music, making the rich musical symbolism immediately apparent. Another feature of interest is the gallery of photographs showing singers in the roles they interpreted. Most of the major characters are represented in several contexts, and some, such as Wotan, are shown in as many as eleven poses. Many of these photos were provided by the Hulton Deutsch Collection, by Ron Scherl of the San Francisco Opera, and by Winnie Klotz of the New York Metropolitan Opera. They were taken either on stage during a production or off stage featuring the character in costume. Other photographs reproduce historically important interpreters of that character. Sadly, information about these pictures is lacking. It would also have been helpful had the photographs been identified with an act or scene number so the visual images could have been as precisely linked the opera as the leitmotifs are. Further data about the identity of the singers and the productions would have been helpful the serious student. Two tool bars are used navigate the program. The upper tool bar consists of a set of buttons and icons that include the title of the opera currently playing, the act and scene number, two timing figures (one showing the time elapsed since the beginning of the scene, and the second showing the time elapsed since the beginning of the current opera), a set of three location buttons (rewind, play/pause, fast forward), and an additional set of two buttons allowing one rewind or fast forward either the commentary or score. The lower tool bar offers several choices, including go to (synopsis, characters, leitmotifs, symbols, images, credits, and a forty-item bibliography), back, history (which activates a window listing the pages visited since the last time you started the disc), a wide-ranging search function, and view and help buttons. …