When Richard Wagner completed the score of 'Götterdämmerung' in 1874, he had been working on the 'Ring of the Nibelung' for over 26 years, with the aim of distancing himself from the tradition of French-Italian opera. This intention can be grasped on various levels: in Wagner's adaptation of the literary sources, in the libretto he wrote himself, and in his completely innovative compositional style, where music plays a comprehensive and independent role alongside the text. The new edition includes the four librettos with all variations of the score and an extensive commentary on the history of its creation and the literary sources, on Wagner's concept of music theater and dramaturgy, on the music, and on the transmission, complemented by references to literature.