Die Walküre (German pronunciation: [diː valˈkyːʁə]; The Valkyrie), WWV 86B, is the second of four long operas that make up Richard Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen (English: The Ring of the Nibelung). It was first performed as a single opera at the National Theatre in Munich on June 26, 1870. Later, it was first performed as part of the full Ring cycle at the Bayreuth Festspielhaus on August 14, 1876.
Wagner planned the Ring cycle to be performed in the opposite order he wrote the operas. This made Die Walküre the third opera written, even though he composed the music in the order the operas would be performed. The story was completed by July 1852, and the music was finished by March 1856.
Wagner followed rules for musical drama he described in his 1851 essay Opera and Drama. These rules meant the music would express the emotions and ideas in the story, using repeating musical themes to represent characters, ideas, and events instead of traditional operatic parts like arias or choruses. In Die Walküre, Wagner sometimes changed these rules, especially in Act III, where the Valkyries sing together often.
Like Das Rheingold, Wagner wanted to wait until the full Ring cycle was complete before performing Die Walküre. However, King Ludwig II of Bavaria, Wagner’s patron, insisted on a performance in 1870. Today, Die Walküre is often performed alone and has become popular as a separate work.
The story of Die Walküre is based on Norse mythology from the Völsunga saga and the Poetic Edda. In this version, the Volsung twins Sieglinde and Siegmund, who were separated as children, meet and fall in love. This relationship angers the gods, who demand Siegmund’s death. Sieglinde and their unborn child are saved by Brünnhilde, the daughter of the god Wotan, who is the main character of the opera. Brünnhilde’s actions lead to punishment from the gods.
Background and context
Wagner started working on his Ring project in October 1848 by creating a written plan for Siegfried's Death, based on the story of a legendary Germanic hero. Over the next few months, he expanded this plan into a complete "poem" or script.
After traveling to Switzerland in May 1849, Wagner decided that one work would not be enough to tell his story. He planned to create a series of music dramas, each focusing on a part of the story. These dramas would mix myths with his own ideas, with Siegfried's Death as the final piece. In 1851, he wrote an essay titled "A Communication to My Friends," where he explained his plan: he would create three complete dramas, each standing alone but not performed separately. He also included a long introduction called a Prelude (Vorspiel). He intended to perform all three dramas and the Prelude over three days and one evening at a special festival in the future.
Following this plan, Wagner placed Siegfried's Death (later renamed Götterdämmerung or The Twilight of the Gods) at the end of the series. Before it came the story of Siegfried's youth, originally called Young Siegfried and later renamed Siegfried. This was followed by Die Walküre (The Valkyrie), which told about Siegfried's origins. The entire series began with a prologue called Das Rheingold. Wagner wrote the operas in reverse order, meaning Die Walküre was the third to be created but appears second in the series.
Synopsis
During the long time since the gods entered Valhalla at the end of Das Rheingold, Fafner has used the Tarnhelm to change into a dragon and guards the gold and the ring deep in the forest. Wotan visited Erda to seek wisdom and had a daughter named Brünnhilde with her. He also had eight other daughters, possibly with Erda as well. These nine women, including Brünnhilde, are the Valkyries. Their job is to collect fallen heroes from battles and bring them to Valhalla, where they will protect the fortress from Alberich if the dwarf recovers the ring. Wotan also traveled across the earth and had twins, Siegmund and Sieglinde, with a woman from the Völsung family. The twins grew up separately and did not know they were siblings. Wotan hopes the Völsungs will produce a hero who is not bound by the gods' agreements and can take the ring from Fafner.
During a big storm, Siegmund finds shelter in a large house built around a tall ash tree. He is hurt, unarmed, and very tired, so he collapses. Sieglinde enters and gives him water and honeyed mead. She tells him she is married to Hunding and that he can rest until Hunding returns. As they talk, they feel growing interest and emotion. Siegmund plans to leave, saying bad luck follows him and he does not want to harm her. Sieglinde replies that bad luck already lives with her.
Hunding returns and questions Siegmund’s presence. Calling himself Wehwalt ("woeful"), Siegmund explains he grew up in the forest with his parents and twin sister. One day, their home was burned down, his mother killed, and his sister disappeared. Recently, he fought with relatives of a girl forced into marriage. His weapons were destroyed, the bride died, and he had to flee. Hunding reveals he is related to Siegmund’s pursuers. He allows Siegmund to stay but says they must fight in the morning. Before leaving, Sieglinde looks at a spot on the tree where, under firelight, a sword is buried up to its hilt.
Later, Sieglinde drugs Hunding’s drink and tells Siegmund she was forced into her marriage. During their wedding feast, an old man drove a sword into the ash tree, and no one could remove it. She longs for the hero who will pull the sword and save her. When Siegmund says he loves her, she agrees. When he mentions his father, Wälse, she realizes he is her twin brother. Siegmund pulls the sword from the tree, names it "Nothung," and declares it will protect her. They sing of their love as the act ends.
On a high mountain, Wotan tells Brünnhilde, his Valkyrie daughter, to protect Siegmund in his upcoming battle with Hunding. Fricka arrives and, as the goddess of family values, demands Siegmund and Sieglinde be punished for their adultery and incest. She argues that Siegmund is not a free hero but Wotan’s pawn, whose actions Wotan controls. She insists Wotan must stop helping Siegmund. Wotan realizes Siegmund is not the free hero he needs and agrees not to protect him.
After Fricka leaves, Wotan tells Brünnhilde the full story and, with sadness, cancels his earlier order. He tells her to let Hunding win and leaves.
That night, Sieglinde has a panic attack and runs from Siegmund, who follows her. She says she feels unworthy of his love because of her forced marriage. Siegmund tries to comfort her, but she faints from guilt and exhaustion.
Brünnhilde appears and warns Siegmund of his death. He refuses to go to Valhalla without Sieglinde. He believes his father’s sword will help him defeat Hunding, but Brünnhilde says the sword has lost its power. Siegmund threatens to kill Sieglinde rather than leave her alone after his death. Brünnhilde tells him Sieglinde is pregnant and he stops, but then prepares to kill her and the child. Moved, Brünnhilde decides to help Siegmund.
Hunding’s horn is heard, and he attacks Siegmund. With Brünnhilde’s help, Siegmund begins to defeat Hunding, but Wotan arrives and breaks Siegmund’s sword with his spear. Hunding kills Siegmund.
Writing history
Wagner first called his work Siegfried und Sieglinde: der Walküre Bestrafung ("Siegfried and Sieglinde: The Valkyrie Punished"), but he later changed the title to Die Walküre. He created rough story outlines for the first two acts in November 1851 and for the third act in early 1852. These outlines were developed into a more detailed written plan in May 1852, and the complete libretto was written in June 1852. It was printed privately with other Ring libretti in February 1853.
Wagner based the Die Walküre libretto on ancient Norse and Germanic stories, including the Völsunga saga, the Poetic Edda, the Prose Edda, the Nibelungenlied, and other Teutonic texts. He chose specific details from these sources and changed them to create his own story by combining events, changing the order of events, and merging characters. For example, in the Völsunga saga, Siegmund is not Wotan’s son, though Wotan helps arrange Siegmund’s conception. Sigurd (Siegfried) is not the child of Siegmund’s marriage to his sister, but of a later wife who keeps the broken sword. In the sagas, Sieglinde is named Signy, Siegmund’s twin sister, and the son she bears him is not Siegfried. Her death in the sagas differs from Wagner’s version. Hunding combines elements from multiple characters in the sagas, including Siggeir, who is married to Signy, and King Hunding, Siegmund’s enemy in the Poetic Edda.
Wotan (Odin) appears in the northern sagas as the god of life and battle, though he is not all-powerful. Fricka (Frigg) is similar to her version in the Eddas, as Wotan’s wife and goddess of family values. Brünnhilde is a minor character in the sagas but plays a central role in Wagner’s Ring cycle. In an early story, she is married to Gunther, who needs Siegfried’s help to defeat her. Some traits of Brünnhilde in the Ring appear in the Eddas and the Nibelungenlied, such as her being surrounded by Wotan in a ring of fire and rescued by a fearless hero.
The Valkyries have roots in Teutonic warrior traditions. According to Cooke, they were originally described as "grisly old women who performed rituals at sacrifices." Over time, they became legendary figures in the Poetic Edda, where they are supernatural warrior maidens who carry out Odin’s orders about who should die. In the Poetic Edda, the Valkyries are named Skuld, Skogul, Gunn, Hild, Gondul, and Geirskogul. Some names differ in other sources. Wagner invented most of the Valkyries’ names, except for Brünnhilde and Siegrune.
Wagner made several changes between his first draft and the final version. For example, in the first sketch, Wotan personally drove the sword into the tree in Act I. Siegmund removed the sword earlier in the act, and in Act II, Hunding was not killed by Wotan but was told to leave and bow to Fricka.
Besides early sketches, including an early version of Siegmund’s "Spring Song" in Act I, Wagner composed the Ring music in order. He completed the music for Das Rheingold in May 1854 and began Die Walküre in June 1854. He finished the full orchestral score nearly two years later, in March 1856. This delay was due to other events, such as Wagner’s growing friendship with Mathilde Wesendonck and a long concert tour in London with the Royal Philharmonic Society, where he conducted a season despite some controversy.
The system of leitmotifs, a key part of Wagner’s operatic style, is fully used in Die Walküre. Holman identified 36 motifs introduced in the work. The famous "Valkyrie" motif, which introduces Brünnhilde in Act II, forms the basis of the "Ride of the Valkyries" that opens Act III. Wagner wrote a concert version of the "Ride" in 1862 for performances in Vienna and Leipzig.
Performances
After finishing the score for Das Rheingold, many years passed before it was first performed. Wagner had little hope that his Ring project would be completed soon and needed money, so in August 1857, he stopped working on it and focused instead on Tristan und Isolde, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, and a revised version of Tannhäuser. However, King Ludwig of Bavaria, who owned the rights to the Ring operas, insisted that the two completed Ring operas be performed. Despite Wagner’s strong objections, the king arranged for Das Rheingold to be performed at the Munich Hofoper on 22 September 1869 and Die Walküre on 26 June 1870. Wagner was upset about the Munich performances because he was living with Cosima von Bülow, who was married. He feared returning to Munich would cause scandal and could not directly control the performances.
As the premiere of Die Walküre approached, Wagner became more worried and unhappy. A letter from critic Franz Müller, who said everything was going well, did not comfort him. Cosima wrote in her diary that his sadness “pierces my heart like a dagger,” and she wondered if this unfair situation would be corrected. The premiere was attended by important musicians, including Liszt, Brahms, Camille Saint-Saëns, and violinist Joseph Joachim. The audience and critics responded more positively than they had to Das Rheingold a year earlier, though one critic from Süddeutsche Presse disliked parts of the opera, calling the first act “drearily long-winded” and the third act “deafeningly” loud. Cosima kept all letters from Munich away from Wagner and destroyed the more negative newspaper reviews.
After the first performance, Die Walküre was shown three more times at the Hofoper, alternating with Das Rheingold in a Ring semi-cycle. King Ludwig, who missed the premiere, attended one of the later performances. The Munich festival happened during rising tensions between France and the German states, which led to the Franco-Prussian War starting on 19 July 1870.
In May 1872, Wagner laid the foundation stone for the Festspielhaus in Bayreuth, Northern Bavaria. He planned to hold the first Bayreuth Festival there in 1873, but delays in construction and finishing the Ring music caused repeated postponements. Finally, the festival was scheduled for August 1876, with Die Walküre performed on 14 August, the second day of the festival.
Wagner was deeply involved in all festival preparations. According to Ernest Newman’s biography, Wagner was “a far better conductor than any of his conductors, a far better actor than any of his actors, a far better singer than any of his singers in everything but tone.” Heinrich Porges, a contemporary writer, described Wagner teaching Amalie Materna, who played Brünnhilde, how to sing a scene where she tells Sieglinde about Siegfried’s birth. Lilli Lehmann, a singer, remembered Wagner acting the role of Sieglinde in rehearsals, saying no other Sieglinde could match his performance.
The Die Walküre performance on 14 August had no technical problems, unlike Das Rheingold the day before, and was well received by a distinguished audience that included Kaiser Wilhelm I, Emperor Pedro II of Brazil, European royalty, and many composers. Wagner, however, was not happy. He was unsettled when the 79-year-old Kaiser Wilhelm stumbled and nearly fell over a doorstep. He also criticized two singers, Niemann and Betz, calling them “theatre parasites” and saying he would never hire them again, though he later changed his mind. Wagner was unhappy with the mountain-top scenes, saying he would revise them “when I produce Walküre in heaven, at the right hand of God.”
Three Ring cycles were performed during the first Bayreuth Festival. The stage designs for Die Walküre and other operas were based on sketches by Josef Hoffman, which were turned into sets by the Brückner brothers from the Coburg State Opera. These designs, along with Carl Döpler’s costumes, influenced productions for many years.
After the 1876 festival, Die Walküre was not performed at Bayreuth again for 20 years, until Cosima revived the Ring cycle for the 1896 festival. The opera was quickly performed elsewhere: Vienna and New York in 1877, Rotterdam in 1878, and London in 1882. The New York performance on 2 April 1877, conducted by Adolf Neuendorff, was part of a Wagner festival organized by the Academy of Music and preceded the Metropolitan Opera’s premiere by nearly eight years.
The London performance on 6 May 1882, at Her Majesty’s Theatre, was the first Ring cycle performed after the 1876 Bayreuth premiere. Conducted by Anton Seidl, who had worked with Wagner at Bayreuth, it featured Albert Niemann as Siegmund. The Musical Times review was mixed, noting empty seats, stage sets that did not match Bayreuth’s, and an “inefficient” orchestra. However, the critic praised the music and drama, saying the audience was more enthusiastic than they had been for Das Rheingold. The Era newspaper criticized the story’s “incestuous” nature, calling it “brutal and degrading,” despite the music’s quality.
The New York Met performance on 30 January 1885, part of a Wagner festival conducted by Leopold Damrosch, was the first Ring opera performed there. Amalie Materna, who had played Brünnhilde in Bayreuth, reprised the role. Stage designer Wilhelm Hock recreated the original Bayreuth designs. The audience received the performance enthusiastically, demanding many curtain calls. Damrosch fell ill before the festival ended and died on 15 February 1885.
During the 1880s and 1890s, Die Walküre was performed in many European cities, sometimes as part of a Ring cycle and often as a standalone work. It was shown in Brussels, Venice, Strasbourg, Budapest, Prague, St. Petersburg, Copenhagen, and
Music
Osborne writes that, like Das Rheingold, Die Walküre is mainly a work for solo voices, but with better blending of the vocal parts into the overall musical structure. Wagner composed Die Walküre following the ideas he described in his 1851 essay Opera and Drama, avoiding traditional operatic elements like choruses, arias, and vocal "numbers." Some people disagree about how closely these ideas were followed. Critic Barry Millington says Die Walküre best shows Wagner’s Opera and Drama principles, combining music and poetry completely without losing musical quality. In his essay The Perfect Wagnerite, Bernard Shaw praises the unity of music and drama, saying every note serves the purpose of expressing the story. However, Gutman believes this unity is only clear in the first two acts, with the style reaching its peak in Wagner’s later opera Tristan and Isolde. Roger Scruton mentions moments in Die Walküre where the music deviates, such as the "Spring Song" (Winterstürme), where Siegmund sings a solo about his love for Sieglinde, similar to a traditional aria. Osborne also notes the "impressive ensembles" in Act III, where the Valkyries sing together.
The act begins in the key of D minor, which continues until Siegmund’s death in Act II. A short prelude shows a storm, with a strong rhythm in the bass that builds to a climax where "Donner's Call" from Das Rheingold is heard. As the scene continues, new musical themes are introduced: one for Siegmund, based on the "Spear" motif from Das Rheingold; one for Sieglinde, a soft string melody that Holman says shows her beauty and sadness; and another called "The Dawning of Love," which will return in the act’s final love duet. These themes and their variations are central to the act. Another striking theme is the aggressive brass staccato that represents Hunding, described as dark and harsh, like the character himself.
Wagner uses motifs from Das Rheingold to share important details. For example, the music for Valhalla, played softly on trombones, reveals Siegmund and Sieglinde’s parentage to the audience. The same theme is heard again when Sieglinde tells about an old man’s visit at her wedding. A repeated falling octave in G♭, taken from the "Sword" motif, shows Siegmund’s desperate need for the sword. This theme returns at the act’s end, with the full "Sword" motif played triumphantly in brass as Siegmund draws the sword from a tree.
The second act begins with an energetic prelude that hints at the famous "Valkyrie" motif, which will later form the basis of the "Ride of the Valkyries" in Act III. This motif was first sketched in 1851 for a planned opera, Siegfried’s Death, before the full Ring cycle plan was developed. The act’s first scene features Brünnhilde’s bold "Hojotoho!" as she answers Wotan’s call, showing her enthusiasm for her role as a warrior. The dialogue between Wotan and Fricka uses themes that express Fricka’s unhappiness with her marriage and Wotan’s frustration as he struggles to respond to her arguments.
During the conversations between Wotan and Brünnhilde, the "Woman’s Worth" motif is heard. The "Annunciation of Death" motif is key, connecting the two storylines: Wotan/Brünnhilde and Siegmund/Sieglinde. Wagner uses F♯ minor for this scene, eventually shifting to B minor to prepare for the Valkyries’ entrance in Act III.
The act opens with the famous "Ride of the Valkyries," combining the Valkyries’ aggressive theme with Brünnhilde’s war cry from Act II. This piece is popular as a standalone concert piece. Newman notes that in some versions, the original rhythm is changed, emphasizing the fourth note instead of the first.
At the act’s midpoint, before Wotan confronts Brünnhilde, the "Reconciliation" motif ("Redemption by Love," per Newman) is heard as Sieglinde praises Brünnhilde for saving her. This motif will return at the end of the Ring cycle, closing the series with a message of peace and hope.
The final part of the act features a series of carefully built musical peaks, with the most emotional being Wotan’s farewell to his daughter. The music eventually centers on Brünnhilde’s "Sleep" motif, which transforms into the "Magic Fire" music as she is surrounded by fire. Wotan sadly leaves as the act ends.
Die Walküre is scored for the following instruments:
- Woodwinds: piccolo; 3 flutes (3rd also plays 2nd piccolo); 3 oboes; cor anglais; 3 clarinets (3rd also plays D clarinet); bass clarinet; 3 bassoons
- Brass: 8 horns (5–8 also play Wagner tubas in B♭ and F); 3 trumpets; bass trumpet; 2 tenor trombones; bass trombone; contrabass trombone (also plays bass trombone); contrabass tuba
- Percussion: 2 timpani sets; cymbals; triangle; tam-tam; tenor drum; glockenspiel
- Strings: 16 first violins; 16 second violins; 12 violas; 12 cellos; 8 double basses; 6 harps
- Off-stage: cow horn; thunder machine
Critical assessment
The first performances of Die Walküre in Munich were generally praised by both audiences and critics. Many famous composers who attended the performances admired the work, recognizing it as a sign of Wagner’s talent. However, one critic from the Süddeutsche Presse strongly disagreed. This critic criticized the story for lacking moral standards and called the experience boring. They described the first act as "too long and slow," the second act as only sometimes interesting, and the third act as so loud that it was hard to hear the singers. The critic concluded that the overall experience was "not pleasant" and filled with "pagan sensuality," leading to a feeling of "tiring dullness." This negative view was repeated six years later when Die Walküre was first performed at Bayreuth as part of the Ring cycle. At that time, critics could compare it with the other three operas in the cycle. While many admired the first act, Die Walküre was considered the least liked of the four, especially because the second act was called "a great failure" and "a place of boredom."
Modern critics have generally given Die Walküre more positive reviews. Charles Osborne described the opera as "very rich" and praised Wagner for combining singing parts into the overall structure without losing their individual beauty. Osborne noted that Die Walküre is often performed on its own, even at Bayreuth festivals, showing its popularity outside the four-part series. In 2006, Millington wrote that Die Walküre best followed Wagner’s ideas about combining poetry and music, as outlined in his work Opera and Drama. He said the opera successfully balanced poetic and musical elements. Today, Die Walküre is considered the most accessible of the Ring operas and is often performed in short sections.