Die Walküre

opera by Wagner

Also known as: “The Valkyrie”

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July 16, 2026

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Die Walküre is the second of four epic music dramas that comprise Richard Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung) cycle. Composed between 1853 and 1874, the cycle is based on Germanic mythology and poetry.1

Die Walküre tells the story of the twins Siegmund and Sieglinde, who are unaware of their divine parentage. Their father, Wotan, king of the gods, orchestrates their reunion and Siegmund's retrieval of the sword Nothung. The opera explores themes of fate, forbidden love, and the consequences of divine intervention in mortal affairs.1

Wagner utilized leitmotifs—recurring musical themes associated with specific characters, objects, or ideas—to weave a continuous musical and dramatic fabric throughout the opera. The most famous excerpt from Die Walküre is the "Ride of the Valkyries".231

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Der Ring des Nibelungen
…Das Rheingold (“The Rhine Gold”), Die Walküre (“The Valkyrie”), Siegfried, and Götterdämmerung (“The Twilight of the Gods”), first performed in sequence at the Festspielhaus in Bayreuth, Bavaria, Germany, on August 13, 14, 16, and 17, 1876. Collectively they are often referred to as the Ring cycle.
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…Das Rheingold (“The Rhine Gold”), Die Walküre (“The Valkyrie”), Siegfried, and Götterdämmerung (“The Twilight of the Gods”), first performed in sequence at the Festspielhaus in Bayreuth, Bavaria, Germany, on August 13, 14, 16, and 17, 1876. Collectively they are often referred to as the Ring cycle.
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Valery Gergiev
…his version of Richard Wagner’s Die Walküre, and the Mariinsky won three of five awards in the event’s opera categories. Gergiev also released a number of recordings featuring works by composers from Russia and other states of the former Soviet Union. During this time he also oversaw the construction of…
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…his version of Richard Wagner’s Die Walküre, and the Mariinsky won three of five awards in the event’s opera categories. Gergiev also released a number of recordings featuring works by composers from Russia and other states of the former Soviet Union. During this time he also oversaw the construction of…
Read More