1. The story of 'The Ring of the Nibelung'
Read the following synopsis of 'The Ring' before you view the programme:

Below the watery depths of the River Rhine in Germany lies a lump of magic gold guarded by the beautiful Rhinemaidens. If the gold were stolen and forged into a ring, the wearer would be all powerful. But it would only be possible to steal the gold by cursing love.

Alberich, an ugly dwarf who lives in the gloomy kingdom of Nibelheim beneath the Rhine, longs for the love of the Rhinemaidens. But instead of love, the Rhinemaidens cruelly mock him for his ugliness. They also accidentally reveal the secret of the gold. Humiliated by their rejection Alberich renounces love and claims the gold.

Valhalla, the fortress palace for Wotan and his fellow gods, has just been built by the two giants Fafner and Fasolt. Payment for the building work is to be Freia, Wotan's sister-in-law and goddess of love whose golden apples hold the key to the gods' immortality. In spite of her sister's protests she is handed over to the giants.

Meanwhile, Alberich scuttles off back to Niebelheim with the gold and makes his brother Mime forge the ring that will give him total power.

Wotan, ashamed at having handed over Freia to the giants, is desperate to find an alternative payment. He enlists the help of Loge, god of fire. Fire goes everywhere, sees everything, so Loge tells Wotan of the forging of the all powerful ring. Together they descend to Neibelheim to try and steal the ring back. But Wotan's decision to steal it to use for his own ends, thus breaking the moral code of the gods, is the beginning of the end of his right to rule.

Alberich tries out the magic of the ring by turning himself into a mighty monster. Loge sees his chance, and persuades Alberich to become a tiny toad. The ring slips off his finger, Wotan grabs it and returns to Valhalla. In his fury, Alberich curses all who might possess the ring.

The giants agree to take the ring for payment and release Friea, but in a bitter squabble over possession of the ring, Fafner kills his brother Fasolt. The gods, horrified at how fast Alberich's curse has worked, retreat to Valhalla. Fafner, the surviving giant, turns himself into a fearsome dragon to guard the ring.

Wotan's nine daughters, the Valkyries, collect dead heroes from the battlefield to take them back to Valhalla. His favourite daughter, Brünnhilde, takes pity on Siegmund by trying to save his life. Wotan, however, must have his way. Siegmund is killed in battle and Brünnhilde carries him to Valhalla leaving behind his dying wife, baby son Siegfried and a shattered sword. Wotan punishes Brünnhilde's disobedience by putting her to sleep on a mountain top surrounded by a ring of fire which can only be penetrated by a fearless hero. Baby Siegfried and the fragments of shattered sword are gathered up by Mime and taken home to his new home in the forest.

Siegfried grows to become a noble and fearless hero. He forges the shattered pieces of the sword and slices through his chains. As he wanders through the forest, a woodbird leads him to the fire mountain where Brünnhilde lies. On the way he encounters the dragon Fafner and, in a titanic struggle, the dragon is slain.

Ignorant of its power, Siegfried slips the ring on and washes himself in a forest lake, now stained with the dragon's blood. Dragon's blood has magical qualities. But a leaf, stuck to his back, leaves a spot unprotected by the now magic water. With the help of the sword he cuts through the ring of fire and rescues Brünnhilde. As a token of his love he puts the ring on Brünnhilde's finger.

But Alberich, watching, stabs Seigfried in the spot left by the leaf and kills him. Alberich makes to grab the ring from Brünnhilde's finger but she picks up Siegfried's sword and in turn kills the dwarf. Overwhelmed with grief, Brünnhilde joins Seigfried on his final journey.

The ring falls back into the water, down to the darkest depths where the Rhinemaidens will keep it safe until the next time.

Also read a biography of Wagner and a background to the opera. This will be invaluable in your work.

2. Norse/Anglo-Saxon myths and legends

• View the first two films in 'The Lord of the Rings' trilogy (The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers) or better still read JRR Tolkien's book 'The Lord of the Rings' – a classic introduction to the style of Anglo-Saxon/Icelandic/Germanic/Norse myth and epic. Despite having been written in the twentieth century, Tolkien, who had been a Professor of Anglo-Saxon at the University of Oxford, uses all the elements of these earlier styles in 'The Lord of the Rings'.
• Read the classic Early English epic poem 'Beowulf'
• Find some examples of epic Norse poems or translations of old folk tales.

Compare all the above with the synopses of Wagner's Ring Cycle and some of his other operas such as 'Lohengrin', 'Tannhäuser' and 'Tristan und Isolde'.

3. The growth of industry and empire in Britain
Unlike much of Europe during the nineteenth century, Britain was not engaged in the same nation building evident in many countries. It had already undergone its own 'revolutions' of sorts in past centuries such as the English Civil War and the abolition and restoration of the monarchy in Stuart times. In addition, its own country map did not have the same level of fragmented small nation states as evident in Italy and Germany. The monarchy might have been secure during the reign of Queen Victoria; however, other revolutions were taking place in the world of industry, exploration, expansion and trade.

Task: Consider the extent of achievements in Victorian Britain and make a list of about ten key developments linked to the above list (industry, exploration, expansion and trade). Now try to list notable achievements, receiving international acclaim, that you are aware of in British music during this period. Now consider key successes in the literary world during this time. What might this tell you about the focuses of Victorian Britain, and, if anything, about our national obsessions or psyche?

Find out about the Art movement known as the 'Pre-Raphaelites'. Look at some of their work and discuss the similarities between the work of say Burne-Jones, Rossetti and William Morris and the mural work evident in the extravagant palaces of 'mad' King Ludwig II of Bavaria. What do you notice?

After viewing the programme, compare these to the 'obsessions' explored on camera in Germany, Italy and other European countries mentioned.