Night Falls On The Gods - Page 2

a person can possibly exist. Hagen then tells him of Brynhild and
her rampart of fire; also of Siegfried. Gunther takes this rather
in bad part, since not only is he afraid of the fire, but
Siegfried, according to Hagen, is not, and will therefore achieve
this desirable match himself. But Hagen points out that since
Siegfried is riding about in quest of adventures, he will
certainly pay an early visit to the renowned chief of the
Gibichungs. They can then give him a philtre which will make him
fall in love with Gutrune and forget every other woman he has yet
seen.

Gunther is transported with admiration of Hagen's cunning when he
takes in this plan; and he has hardly assented to it when
Siegfried, with operatic opportuneness, drops in just as Hagen
expected, and is duly drugged into the heartiest love for Gutrune
and total oblivion of Brynhild and his own past. When Gunther
declares his longing for the bride who lies inaccessible within
a palisade of flame, Siegfried at once offers to undertake the
adventure for him. Hagen then explains to both of them that
Siegfried can, after braving the fire, appear to Brynhild in the
semblance of Gunther through the magic of the wishing cap (or
Tarnhelm, as it is called throughout The Ring), the use of which
Siegfried now learns for the first time. It is of course part
of the bargain that Gunther shall give his sister to Siegfried
in marriage. On that they swear blood-brotherhood; and at this
opportunity the old operatic leaven breaks out amusingly in
Wagner. With tremendous exordium of brass, the tenor and baritone
go at it with a will, showing off the power of their voices,
following each other in canonic imitation, singing together in
thirds and sixths, and finishing with a lurid unison, quite in
the manner of Ruy Gomez and Ernani, or Othello and Iago. Then
without further ado Siegfried departs on his expedition, taking
Gunther with him to the foot of the mountain, and leaving Hagen
to guard the hall and sing a very fine solo which has often
figured in the programs of the Richter concerts, explaining that
his interest in the affair is that Siegfried will bring back the
Ring, and that he, Hagen, will presently contrive to possess
himself of that Ring and become Plutonic master of the world.

And now it will be asked how does Hagen know all about the
Plutonic empire; and why was he able to tell Gunther about
Brynhild and Siegfried, and to explain to Siegfried the trick of
the Tarnhelm. The explanation is that though Hagen's mother was
the mother of Gunther, his father was not the illustrious Gibich,
but no less a person than our old friend Alberic, who, like
Wotan, has begotten a son to do for him what he cannot do for
himself.