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