The plot synopses given at the beginning of each opera are not my work. They have been included here because they are well-written, accurate and complete, and, even though they at times resort to the all-too-common use of "scholarly" English, they are the best I've yet seen. The reader is referred to the source cited below, from which the synopses were taken, for an excellent study on Wagner's work.

THE COMPLETE OPERAS OF RICHARD WAGNER

Copyright © 1990 by Charles Osborne

First published in Great Britain in 1990 by
Michael O'Mara Books Limited,
9 Lion Yard,
11-13 Tremadoc Road,
London SW4 7NF

Published in the US in 1991 by
Trafalgar Square Publishing
NORTH POMFRET, VERMONT


Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 90-70513
ISBN 0-943955-33-5