Die Walküre, WWV 86B

1856 · WWV 86B · Music drama in three acts

First staged in Munich in 1870. A stranger takes shelter from a storm; by the end of Act I, Siegmund and Sieglinde have recognised each other as twins and become lovers.

4 min

Recording

Ride of the Valkyries — orchestral excerptAmerican Symphony Orchestra · 1921
4:18
The Ride of the Valkyries, an orchestral excerpt from Wagner’s Die Walküre, WWV 86B, has rushing strings and a loping brass tune. This Edison disc from 1921 lasts four minutes.
Listening notes
1. Opening string figures in 9/8
  The string groups play short upward runs in alternation, with woodwind notes held above them. Wagner writes in 9/8, three beats to the bar with each beat divided into three. The brass tune that follows is in the same metre.
2. Edison recording, 1921
  The American Symphony Orchestra recorded the Ride for Edison in 1921. It was released in December 1921 on Diamond Disc 80638-R.
3. Dotted riding tune in the brass
  The riding tune stretches dotted notes across the busy accompaniment. The strings keep up their rapid figures under the brass melody’s long-short rhythm.
4. Act III, scene 1
  At the opening of Act III, the Valkyries gather on a mountain with the dead heroes they have collected for Wotan. Their calls to one another, from rock to rock, cross the orchestral gallop. This recording is orchestral and leaves out the voices.
5. Brünnhilde’s arrival with Sieglinde
  In Act III, scene 1, Brünnhilde arrives carrying Sieglinde, a living woman she has rescued against Wotan’s command. Her sisters refuse to help her. The ride leads directly into this scene.
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