3 immortal pieces from the opera DIE WALKÜRE (The Valkyrie) by Wagner- with the best interpretations from YouTube (Hits, Best of)

“The Valkyrie” offers a wealth of great scenes that belong to the greatest in all of opera literature. First and foremost Wotan’s farewell scene and Sieglinde’s and Siegmund’s happiness in love.

Wagner’s great Tenor aria: “Winterstürme wichen dem Wonnemond”

A magical force draws the two together. The storm has passed and the moon magically shines in the sky.
The music suddenly changes. After the encounter with Hunding and Sieglinde’s dramatic narration, we experience Siegmund in a lyrical passage. Wagner composed a cantabile for this love song, the likes of which we never experience elsewhere in the entire Ring. In ” Italian ” manner, accompanied by muted strings and swaying triplets, a lyrical aria unfolds.

Let’s listen to the greatest Wagnerian tenor Lauritz Melchior.

Winterstürme wichen dem Wonnemond… Du bist der Lenz (1) – Melchior / Walter / Lehmann

The Ride of the Valkyries

Brünhilde and Sieglinde have fled to Valhalla to find help from their sister Valkyries.
The third act begins with the so-called Valkyrie Ride. The seven sisters are seen dragging bloodied, slain warriors to Valhalla. A thunderstorm rages and the Valkyries shout their battle cry “Hojotoho”.

Hojotoho! Hojotoho! Heiaha! Heiaha! – Jankowski

Wotan’s punishment of Brünnhilde – the great farewell scene

Brünnhilde has defied Wotan’s command. Wotan expels her from Valhalla and takes away her status as a god. He warns her sisters that whoever approaches her will meet the same fate. Wotan wants to put her to sleep on a path, where the defenseless one is at the mercy of the first man. Wotan chases away the Valkyries. Now alone with her father, Brünnhilde appeals to him to put a fire around her sleeping place for her protection, so that only a hero can get her. Now Wotan is overcome by emotion at the loss of his favorite daughter and the two fall into each other’s arms. With a tender kiss on her forehead, Wotan puts Brünnhilde to sleep and he instructs Loge to build a wall of fire around Brünnhilde’s sleeping place.
Wotan’s farewell to Brünnhilde is one of the great scenes of the Ring. Listen to how Wotan, tenderly moved, says goodbye to Brünnhilde and the music dissolves in an ecstatic conclusion. This musical section is marked by many leitmotifs.

First we hear the nostalgic resting place motif:

Musical Quote «Sanctuary motif»

Then we hear the Siegfried motif in the horns («Denn einer nur freit die Braut, der freier als ich, der Gott»). It is followed by Wotan’s love motif (from 2:55), which expresses the pain of parting. It appears first in the winds and then, in an overwhelming gesture of pain, in the violins:

Musical Quote «Wotan’s-Love motif»

The long lyrical scene in which Wotan puts Brünnhilde to sleep ends abruptly with the spear motif with which Wotan moves to action:

Musical Quote «Spear motif»

With the magic fire motif, Wotan, with the help of Loge, lights the fire around Brünnhilde’s sleeping place

With the counterpoint of various motifs, this scene ends wonderfully.

Leb wohl du kühnes herrliches Kind – London / Leinsdorf