The "Nibelung" of the title (The Ring of the Nibelung) is the dwarf Alberich, and the ring in question is the one he fashions from the Rhine Gold. The title therefore denotes "Alberich's Ring".

The Bayreuth Festspielhaus was dedicated solely to the performance of Wagner's stage works. The foundation stone was laid on 22 May 1872, Wagner's 59th birthday, and the building was first opened for the premiere of the complete four-opera cycle of Der Ring des Nibelungen from 13 to 17 August 1876.

Wagner completed Parsifal in January 1882, and it premiered on 26 May. He was by this time extremely ill, suffering from a series of increasingly severe heart problems. During the sixteenth and final performance of Parsifal on 29 August, Wagner entered the pit unseen during act 3, took the baton from conductor Hermann Levi, and led the performance to its conclusion.