Horsing Around with Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries
The Best Moments
Ride of the Valkyries, WWV 86B
I'm Richard Wagner, and I'm delighted to welcome you to the best moments of my Ride of the Valkyries. You'll hear the main tune ride high in the orchestra while the Valkyries call out their battle-cry above it, and that meeting of voices and brass is why this music has lasted. On this site my fellow composers and I also help you recognize our pieces the moment you hear them, so come and try the Trainer whenever you like.
---
A Slow Pile-Up Before the Curtain
I should say first that this piece doesn't open the opera, because it starts Act 3, so the audience has already sat through two acts before it arrives. The accompaniment stacks up layer by layer, a bit like people squeezing into a lift, until the curtain finally rises on a mountain peak.
Eight Sisters and One Tune
I give the orchestra the famous main tune, and then I let the Valkyries sing their battle-cry right on top of it. Four of Brünnhilde's eight sisters are already on the peak, the other four join them, and I weave in Brünnhilde's war cry from Act 2 as well.
Banned, Then Encored
I was not at first keen on hearing this piece on its own, and in January 1871 I called a separate performance "an utter indiscretion" and forbade it. Then the complete Ring was staged at Bayreuth in 1876, I lifted the ban, and in London on 12 May 1877 I conducted the Ride and happily played it again as an encore.
---
I hope you enjoyed learning about the best moments of Ride of the Valkyries, and that you now hear a bit more in it than you did before. For me, the piece is a good reminder that a few minutes of music can carry a great deal of power, once the layers build up and the voices join in. Even so, there's still plenty more to explore in Ride of the Valkyries. You could look into how it sits within the Ring cycle, how it has been used in films, or how different conductors shape its drive and its color. If you'd like to keep going, I invite you to click on the links provided and follow whichever thread catches your interest. I think you'll find that the more you listen, the more this music has to give.