Episode 4: Die Walküre (The Ring) by Richard Wagner

This one is INTENSE - but we ARE talking about Wagner and we ARE distilling a multi-hour opera into 12 minutes! Sit back and immerse yourself in the 19th Century's Teutonic Game of Thrones! Note that this video only considers Die Walkure, the second of Wagner's Ring Cycle operas.
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MUSIC CREDITS:
Composer: Richard Wagner
Work: Die Walkure, WWV 86B
Performer: James King, Regine Crespin, Gottlob Frick, Hans Hotter, Birgit Nilsson, Christa Ludwig
Conductor: Sir Georg Solti
Year: 2015 (recorded 1965)
Label: Decca
Catalogue No: 4788370
With thanks to Emilia Strachevskaia.

[@MrJogaga]

"Don't forget to listen to the piece in full" - See ya in 15h Guys ;)

[@MilesTV2010]

It’s been six months.. the piece must be long

[@vedantdave9778]

@@MilesTV2010 Two years now... that piece sure is loooonggg!

[@abdelrahmanmohamedafifi6879]

3 years now, hello from the abyss that is the future

[@mixlennoxx6144]

For sure🙌🏻

[@kellangearytv1720]

Ah, man…

[@Ntreik96]

Wagner: got a ring before LOTR and brother-sister and aunt-nephew incest before GOT

[@kirbyculp3449]

Is that in the opera or did Wagner boff his relations?

[@gwydionrhys7672]

@@kirbyculp3449 The opera.

[@arigol2]

Even a bit like Luke and Lea

[@Packless1]

@@arigol2 ...as he said: He did it first...! ;-)

[@Flame-rp6yq]

"you're still the worst father ever" Zeus: *sips worst husband and father mug* are you challenging me?

[@suitablepancake7162]

I mean… let’s put it that way, all the valkyries are children of him with another woman, not to mention the twins and like a lot of people who are not in the opera. He also put his son in danger forcing him to become a hero so he’d be able to pull the sword out of the tree.

[@Replicaate]

There's also the epic Wagner wrote about his malfunctioning washer-dryer, The Rinse Cycle. ...alright I'll see myself out now.

[@pwnar]

I came here for Peer Gynt, and ended up learning about Richard Wagner. 10/10 would learn again.

[@ClassicsExplained]

You are always welcome on our channel :) Wagner took us quite a while, but we promise to upload the next video soon

[@mrlopez-pz7pu]

Maybe you should unlearn it.....he got several things wrong.

[@powergaming3429]

@@mrlopez-pz7pu seemed pretty accurate to me...

[@felixdittrich5469]

@@powergaming3429 Maybe he meant Wagners version in contrast to the original Song Of The Nibelungs?

[@Operafreak9]

..and that is wrong? I don'tthink so. Wagner got " it" precisely right.

[@iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiivy]

8:49: "Barely five minutes, it's the reason for the entire opera's popularity." Yeah, well it's either that or two hours of incestual love stories.

[@ClassicsExplained]

:)

[@SEELE-ONE]

Its the incest... GOT is a testament to that

[@richardwagner7408]

As one of those "die-hard Wagner enthusiasts" , who makes "the annual pilgrimage to Bayreuth" I must say , it was a great pleasure , to discover your Werkseinführung . Thumbs up !

[@ClassicsExplained]

Thank you so much Richard Wagner! It is my dream to watch it there!

[@drdnlover4608]

I couldn't help it... I shed a tear while listening to the music. Wagner has these things. His music, it's beautiful. Gorgeous. It's lovely. Yes, that's the word I was looking for. I love his music. Love. You decided to end the video with the leitmotif of Brünnhilde's sleep, which ends "Die Walküre". That's a very important piece to me. I lost someone very close to me... and that piece was sounding in my head while I was giving my farewells. Well, this was a hell of a video. I loved it.

[@ClassicsExplained]

Thank you so much for this feedback! I'm sorry to hear about your loss... yes, music has this power of preserving our memories and enhancing our emotions

[@meganlewis2377]

@@ClassicsExplained are you gonna do Verdi’s Il Trovatore, Bizet’s Pearl Fishers, and Smetana’s Bartered Bride?

[@krisztinaritavass2283]

This was beautiful and perfect :) But you summed up Siegfried + Götterdammerung too quickly. Is there maybe a sequel? Please?

[@ClassicsExplained]

Great idea! Yes, we'll try to do it a bit later as a sequel

[@poltermens2470]

Still waiting for the other 2 operas of the ring...

[@MartyMusic777]

I think the best quote I can think of regarding Die Walküre is by Anna Russell: "and so Siegmund falls madly in love with Sieglinde, regardless of the fact that she's married to Hunding (which is immoral), and she's his own sister (which is illegal). But that's the great beauty of grand opera: you can do anything so long as you sing it."

[@djcfrompt]

"You'd never get away with all this in a play, but if it's loudly sung and in a foreign tongue..."

[@qawi272]

This guy basically invented modern film music. He is why there is a „fellowship of the ring“ - theme...or shall I say „fellowship of the ring“ - Leitmotif?

[@johanneswerner1140]

For German speakers: there is a short (availae as a double album) version commented by Vicco von Bülow (Loriot), which is as always sharp witted and hilariously brilliant.

[@Packless1]

...kenn ich...! ...ist großartig...! :D

[@giladkay3761]

You're saying it as if the original isn't in German😅

[@johanneswerner1140]

Well... I see your point 😄 it's just that Loriot's explanations and humour would be lost if you don't understand it. Heck, I don't understand sung opera texts in any language I am halfway fluent in at least half of the time anyways, so for that part it might as well be in (insert lame joke about foreign language of your choice).

[@powergaming3429]

Great video, but pls do Siegfried and gotterdammerung aswell

[@tinyguy9398]

Lohengrin and Parsifal double feature. please!!! You can discuss the reused assets linking the operas (like the swan motif) and also Wagner's obsession with redemption through love underpinning most of his mature operas.

[@tinyguy9398]

Amongst many other things :-)

[@tammygant4216]

Wow! You made me want to listen to the piece in full AND see the entire opera AND think of other works besides LOTR and GOT which had hints of this masterwork. All in just 12 1/2 minutes!!

[@ElizabethMcCormick-s2n]

Beethoven wouldn't have liked Wagner!

[@sinewave3547]

"Wedex " had me crying 😂

[@iowasenator]

I certainly enjoyed this video. However, I was disappointed when you guys didn't explain the final two operas of The Ring. It was very similar to watching an excellent movie on tv when, prior to the climax and resolution, it says "To Be Continued." Despite the great quality of this video and the information it contains, had I known beforehand it was incomplete, I would have passed on watching.

[@ClassicsExplained]

Thanks a lot for the feedback! We are trying to keep our videos as short as possible (which was a huge challenge with Wagner!). We will, in the future, explain the other parts of the cycle - promise!

[@2009Guillaume]

@@ClassicsExplained One year later...

[@Ahmed-zr6gd]

@@ClassicsExplained two years later

[@jingqiao661]

@@ClassicsExplained Three years later...

[@moosicisthegood]

@@ClassicsExplained give us the other two operas!

[@plixypl0x]

Wagner: violently opinionated. Yes. Yes he was.

[@Operafreak9]

And you're not?

[@TristanMA]

Engelbert Humperdinck was a follower of Wagner, but he lightened the master's vision with his adaptation of the Grimm Brothers Hansel und Gretel.

[@xxsaruman82xx87]

Thank you for using the best Ring recording ever made!

[@ClassicsExplained]

truly! Thank you for watching our video!

[@DonVal86]

Your videos are informative and humorous. You deserve more subscribers.

[@begovicvic89]

Listening to the ring cycle without the words is an epic journey... i had the chance to play a version for just for the brass section with my Conservatoire. Would never forget it till I die ❤

[@wotan10950]

I actually don’t care for the other Ring operas, but Walkure is brilliant from beginning to end. Most listeners focus on the big guns - the Ride, Brunnhilde’s battle cry, OHerstes wunder, Wintersturme, Wotan’s abschied. But pay attention to the often-ignored moments - Hunding has a legitimate grievance; Sieglinde’s narrative Der manner sippe is really her most important moment; Fricka’s arguments are compelling; Wotan’s breakdown before Brunnhilde; and Brunnhilde’s prosecutor-defendant arguments with Wotan - these are such towering moments that one could find something new with every hearing.

[@flaggerify]

He doesn't even mention Wotan’s abschied.

[@Packless1]

8:45 ...smells like napalm...! ;-) 11:10 ...lost the ring...? ...sounds familiar...! ;-) ***************************** ...i had this first...! :D :D :D

[@barney6888]

Solti/VPO Ring is still an amazing and gorgeous achievement.

[@steveeliscu1254]

Generally considered the greatest recorded achievement in classical music history. The Goetterdaemmerung by itself would earn that.

[@kittymervine6115]

I was reading about Mrs.Wagner.... who worked hard with her buddy (he who should not be named) to keep the Ring going. But, this is one heck of an opera.

[@Ollymin]

Tympany are already plural so you don’t need to to put ‘s’

[@Krapoutchniek]

Just a tiny error : when Brünnhilde is announcing to Siegmund that he is about to die, Sieglinde is sleeping and cannot cry. But it's a great video btw :p

[@QuinceDixVids3829]

You're wrong bruh

[@suitablepancake7162]

@@QuinceDixVids3829 he’s quite literally not; she is sleeping. Also there were so many more inaccuracies.

[@QuinceDixVids3829]

@@suitablepancake7162 What were they?

[@wabearchemedes]

Please feature Meyerbeer, the subject of Wagner's hate.

[@peterpan8147]

Knowing the whole Ring by heart (more or less) I thoroughly enjoyed this presentation! A minor inaccuracy here and there but so minor I won't even mention it. Fantastic job!!!

[@jaynepritchard4034]

Fascinating! Loved learning the story behind the music, one of my favourites! Love the animation 😍😍😍

[@ClassicsExplained]

Thank you!!! Yes, our animation is the best :))))

[@flaggerify]

I wouldn't say "Ride of the Valkyries" is the ENTIRE reason for the opera's popularity. It's not the best music in the opera - or even in that Act.

[@markhughes7927]

11:33 Fun fact🎉: the dragon ‘Faffner’ was built in a factory in Wandsworth London and sent by post to Bayreuth in sections but the neck section never arrived - presumed misdirected to Beirut - where in some dusty basement of the war ravaged city there is a chance if slim that it still exists mainly dragonless!

[@BugMagnet]

"I gott zhere first!" loved the accurate accent in this one.

[@FunFilmFare]

@2:03 Imagine how the "Thor" characters would react watching Wagner's Ring Cycle! (Odin=Wotan, Loki=Loge, Thor=Donar)

[@mmm7528]

*Donar

[@paleozoey]

well considering that they're both variants of the same original indo-european pantheon (as are the gods of greece and india), there's a reason for the similarities in name- they were once literally the same!

[@davidbastardo4154]

What a stupid comment.

[@howardman3926]

They're not characters. They're gods.

[@janach1305]

Roy Thomas at Marvel Comics included an adaptation of the Ring in Thor comics in the Seventies. He later did a more direct graphics novel version illustrated by Gil Kane that had no connection with the Thor comics.

[@hyperboreandream]

Why the hell did you show the modern German borders for 1813? You shouldn't insult other nations.

[@Operafreak9]

The best short insight into the Ring is Sir Roger Scruton's on youtube. I have a hundred books on Wagner, numerous DVDs, but I would direct anyone willing to delve into the depths to listen to Scruton's brief insights into this most profound creation on youtube.

[@sophiatalksmusic3588]

Wagner: *doesn't like jews and is super racist for some reason* Also Wagner: Hm, incest? That's acceptable.

[@mckavitt13]

Jews. Like Americans, Brits, Germans... Get it?

[@adamofblastworks1517]

@@mckavitt13 no.

[@alexroselle]

Wagner was such a crank, even Nietzsche had to call him out in a whole essay

[@davidbastardo4154]

@@alexroselle There were several books, starting by Ecce Homo.

[@dylanbaker1928]

Could you please do Carmina Burana please?

[@ClassicsExplained]

I absolutely love this piece. It has been suggested by a few people and it is one I started researching recently with the aim to making a video. So stay tuned!

[@bovineking8927]

@@ClassicsExplained Excited!

[@loge10]

And written by a guy who was more of a Nazi than Wagner ever was...

[@meganlewis2377]

@@ClassicsExplained And don’t forget Rigoletto, Carmen, Turandot, and The Barber of Seville!

[@TristanMA]

The Ride of the Valkyries (often done in instrumental concert form) has the same triple rhythm as Dukas' The Sorcerer's Apprentice, Gounod's Funeral March of a Marionette, Puccini's La Tregenda from Le Villi, and Lyadov's Tone Poem depicting Baba Yaga.

[@Pouseaoe]

Charles Ives symphony 2 would be sweet

[@tonybarde2572]

I have a bad habit of listening to the finale from Gotterdammerung while quoting the Book of Revelation (Specifically 21:1). It scares me how similar Norse Mythology's Ragnarok is to the Christian Bible's Book of Revelation

[@steveeliscu1254]

Here's an interesting reference: They played the whole Solti Ring non-stop on radio in NYC shortly after it was out on records as a set (1966, I believe.) After the end of Goetterdaemmerung, they replayed the last 4 or so minutes while superimposing speeches from LBJ about Vietnam. Quite powerful at the time.

[@tonybarde2572]

@@steveeliscu1254 Yeah

[@elenafriese891]

I mean, an explanation for that might be that the guy who wrote down the book where Ragnarok is described existed in a world that had been Christian for centuries as an attempt to call on a shared heroic past with a different country while trying to set it very thoroughly in the past so as not to do a blasphemy. So it's hard to tell if Ragnarok was even a *thing* when this was a living religion, was almost certainly not as big a deal even if it did exist, and probably was very effected by Christian descriptions of apocalypses.

[@tonybarde2572]

@@elenafriese891 Ok

[@rontennis6569]

Lol at making the Italians black

[@TristanMA]

Wagner's Ultimate Halloween Masterwork, based on Norse Mythology

[@begovicvic89]

God's entry to valhalla was my ringtone ages ago 😂😂 my favorite section of the entire opera maybe...

[@TheMikeSmash]

Please make more videos! This is absolutely amazing

[@ClassicsExplained]

Thanks a lot! We certainly will!

[@TristanMA]

French composers like Eric Satie, Claude Debussy, Gabriel Fauré, Maurice Ravel, Paul Dukas, Charles Marie-Widor, César Franck, , Léon Boëllmann, and Maurice Duruflé, embraced music that was sometimes frivolous, sensuous, and often adapted from popular forms and cultures hostile to the idea of German supremacy. Pretension and earnestness was abandoned in favor of deliberate simplicity and clarity by the French composers.

[@mmarci23]

0:25 Fight cloud 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@TristanMA]

Works with Similar rhythm to the Ride of the Valkyries include Gounod's Funeral March of a Marionette, Dukas' The Sorcerer's Apprentice, and Lyadov's Baba Yaga.

[@TristanMA]

In Das Rheingold, Fafner kills Fasolt. Siegfreid slays Fafner in Dragon form, kills his foster Father Mime, and breaks Wotan's Spear in Siegfried. In Götterdämmerung, Siegfried is courrpted by the Gibchungs Gunther and Gutrune, Hagen, stabs Siegfried in the back, and Brundhile returns the Ring to to the Rhine Maidens through her sacrifice by Fire in the Immolation scene.

[@TristanMA]

Jean Sibelius would depict the Kalevala in works such as The Swan of Tuonela and Tapiola.

[@TristanMA]

The same Acursed Ring of Alberich was worn by Carmen in Bizet's final drama, and it led to her death, along with all Seville, at the hands of Satan.

[@JozefLucifugeKorzeniowski]

Thinking of Wagner reminds me how the Germanic tribes may have overrun Rome for the final time but the Romans overran the Germanic spirit in the end.

[@julie.daytona]

Super freaking informative, funny, expansive! Well done! Bravo! Am sharing this always!

[@hauthot287]

Contrary to popular belief, this is the true origin of the Habsburgs

[@forickgrimaldus8301]

No wonder they have Chad Chins, only Odin is Chad enought to give that.

[@lordprimus2410]

germany wasn't around in 1813, that was when the german states were seperate and also the borders were a bit different

[@Flame-rp6yq]

this sounds similar to Andvari's ring of gold which could find sources of gold Andvari was a dwarf that could turn into a pike and lived behind a waterfall and used the ring to become wealthy one day Loki stole the ring while the dwarf was a pike who cursed the ring to bring misfortune and distraction to all who possesses it Then son of a dwarven king, Fafnir who turned into a dragon to protect his newfound riches from the ring but Fafnir was slain by young legendary Germanic hero Sigurd Sigurd was killed in his sleep along with his 3yo son Sigmund by Gothorm Gothorm was slain by Sigurd with his final breath

[@ClassicsExplained]

Yes! Amazing how many sources cross paths

[@scottyoung4590]

Jack Crawfords forward in his translation of Saga of the volsungs thoroughly explains the different versions of this story throughout Europe

[@richardpaxford5792]

Oh my god those flying horses! 😀

[@ClassicsExplained]

:)

[@ravensthatflywiththenightm7319]

Speaking of the play itself, is it just me or Fricka kind of guaranteed the doom of the Gods?

[@suitablepancake7162]

Not really. She told Wotan that incest=bad and also Hunding asked her to protect his marriage (which is quite literally her job!!!) and she also didn’t know about the immortals ending because Wotan was a dick and didn’t think to tell her.

[@DDlambchop43]

um, maybe I"m completely wrong (I've never been able to sit thru the ring cycle) but according to the mythology its based on, Fafnir is a dragon

[@nlv7125]

I just saw the title, and I already let a like. You analized 2 of my favourites pieces on this chanel, and now there is the third.

[@ClassicsExplained]

Thank you! There will be many more in the future! And you just get to love music more when you understand it better.

[@bobsbigboy_]

teutonic would have been a better word than aryan bro lmao... kinda tasteless. Aryan people was still only known as peoples from indo-europe

[@daaimdaanish7016]

Magic Fire Music!... That's my Mutha F**Kin JAM! Real talk... one of my top 100 favorites... especially the last 3-4 minutes...Wow... Also, excellent video... you just snagged another subscriber.

[@LittleMongoosie]

So great! I love the historical context you offer. Have you watched Anna Russell's Ring cycle sketch? It's another great take

[@ClassicsExplained]

Thank you so much - and for your suggestion :)

[@simonboyce2235]

​@Classics Explained can You do One on felix mendelssohn ?

[@composerdoh]

Are you all planning on coming back to the Ring?

[@ClassicsExplained]

We are! Though it won't be soon as we have a long list of works to cover before that. But we will get there eventually! sorry for keeping you waiting

[@rnw26l]

I enjoy you so much. Thank you. Best wishes from Belgium.

[@spacemunky8164]

Any relation to Robert wagner? 15hrs!!!! I could read a ladybird book in that time.

[@sporeolegy]

Sigmund and Sieglinda are no closer to brother and sister than that of Adam and Eve.

[@thejampaps]

Bugs Bunny's "What's Opera Doc?" brought me here. Also end up learning about this epic from Richard Wagner.

[@ClassicsExplained]

Amusing pathway! We're happy you learnt something new

[@kirbyculp3449]

Kill da wabbitt!!

[@meganlewis2377]

In this opera Fafner turned from giant to dragon, and Wotan has to give the ring and the gold to the giants or they’ll have Frieya.

[@diosnelfrica7589]

Fricka 🤣 I so love how her name is my last name

[@erick-gd7wo]

Das Nettenflixen..... Hhhhhhhhh, einfach Genial....

[@bannedagain1483]

Eccentric, antisemitic, armour er, what isn't there to love with grand maestro Wagner?

[@gguuyy22]

Im going to watch act 2 by the end of the month and im trying to understand it. so much drama that makes me confused, I guess i have to watch this video several times. lol

[@ClassicsExplained]

This opera is really like watching the Lord of the Rings! Sorry if our video is confusing - it was quite a challenge to explain a 15-hour plot + the context in just 14 minutes. You can leave your questions here and we'll explain it further :)

[@gguuyy22]

Classics Explained Man, you mad a very good video! It’s just me very slow to understand and probably my English is that good. 🤷‍♂️🙈 Thank you for making this video though and I like the others videos too. 👍💐 keep uploading videos! 💐❤️

[@bobsbigboy_]

the concept of aryan was not existing in germany before Hitler

[@peterinbrat]

I thought there would be more helicopters..

[@TristanMA]

It was not just Italians that Wagner turned against, but also French with Ballet. Famous Ballet from Italian Opera comes from Verdi's Aida (March and Ballet) and Ponchielli's La Gioconda (Dance of the Hours). Famous French Composers he turned against were Mayerbeer and Offenbach.

[@Operafreak9]

Ballet should never be allowed to interrupt the intensity of the opera.

[@TristanMA]

In the Histroy of opera, some form of dance was almost always included. Sometimes it helps to provide an emotional break from the intensity of the drama in order to keep the audience from being overwhelmed. That said, I can appreciate the effetivness of Wagner's continous storytelling. @@Operafreak9

[@TristanMA]

Except to provide breaks. @@Operafreak9

[@yverenecherilin9573]

But my loves this channel

[@claytonbenignus4688]

Aren't those Mussorgskys out of place riding with those Valkyries at 8:59 ???

[@ClassicsExplained]

Well spotted!

[@ravensthatflywiththenightm7319]

Subscribed.

[@ClassicsExplained]

welcome aboard!

[@u1zha]

Wotan indeed is a terrible dad

[@michaelexman5474]

"i got there first" also the hand grenades maybe a few lemons also.

[@farizakhmedov8553]

Very good video, exactly what i was searching for :D

[@lenthisgoldstein9553]

Wotan's name properly pronounced is Vote-ahn.

[@ClassicsExplained]

Yes it is. Though we try generally in our videos to stick with English pronunciations just for consistency and ease of understanding :)

[@TheMister123]

"Anti-SEEEEmite"? Brits making up their own pronunciations and enunciating them with confidence is so ... British. 😂

[@ClassicsExplained]

You say tomayto and I say tomarto!

[@greatmomentsofopera7170]

Woe-ton?

[@cintiamalizia1005]

Amazing explanation 🙌🏻

[@robertagregory7177]

Wow, thanks for the explanation of the story…still confusing. I used to work at the Seattle Opera House backstage and maintenance and they used to put on a mega Ring Cycle every several years that was sold out, the scenery was an f-ing MOUNTAIN, the costumes were amazing and the singers top-notch. I worked during performances and caught as much as I could on the monitors and was dead lost as far as the plot. I vowed to save up to sit through the whole thing when I retired but they haven’t presented it again since that last one 15 years ago. Not a huge Wagner fan but I would still love to see it.

[@TristanMA]

This is Wagner's most famous work for Halloween, apart from The Flying Dutchman.

[@suitablepancake7162]

Ok but like some of the things you said are straight-up wrong, sorry to say so… Wotan never planned on Siegmund to retrieve the ring, also how could you leave Erda out of this?? And also like, Brunhilde only protected Siegmund because he threatened to murder Sieglinde in her sleep in order to have her come with him to the afterlife, and because she misinterpreted her dads plan/didn’t know the entirety of it. Also you stated the reason Hunding and Siegmund were enemies completely wrong and left out the part THAT HUNDING LITERALLY LET SIEGMUND STAY IN HIS HOUSE FOR THE NIGHT OUT OF THR KINDNESS OF HIS HEART AND NO OTHER REASON because Siegmund was super battered from trying to escape from an angry mob who was angry because he killed a bunch of people trying to be heroic and ended up also killing the person who he was trying to protect in the crossfire. Also the sword broke BEFORE the battle and not during.

[@Zenocrat]

Fantastic video! Keep making 'em!

[@noneofyoubusiness4895]

2:34 More like: "We've built it. Now where's our mother****ing money, punk?"

[@ninap.6133]

My God this is brilliant. 👏🏼👏🏼 As a 3-decade Wagner lover, thank you for this. So enjoyable and VERY well done. Bravo to you and your team! Incredible job with this!

[@laurencerosenthalwinckler4439]

2237 views?!??!?!?!

[@ClassicsExplained]

Yeah, classical music is still not as attractive as cute kittens or celebrity news :)

[@djangaver]

how the fuck did people understand this story back in time? I wouldn't get the story even if I had lived it. I feel so stupid now

[@stefanufer608]

Excellent!

[@ainsoph5339]

wie geil!

[@hayleysteindorf670]

Amazing video! I was thinking about a video that covers Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde.