Thoughts on Wagnerian Music Drama

Richard Wagner (1813 - 1833)

Ride of the Valkyries

My thoughts on Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries, without knowing what a Wagnerian Music Drama is, is that it reminds me of fantasy films. Films with heroes, legends, glowing swords, flying creatures. And that's also because I think I already did come across this very piece while watching a fantasy film. The rise and fall of the strings and the percussion that accompanies it definitely makes me imagine a race happening in the skies, flying above and below clouds and sometimes doing long falls where the characters are then greeted by the vast ocean. The "Valkyrie" in the title reminds me of the fantasy games I played when I was younger. I first encountered the word in those games, only ever stumbling upon the word in games and never in literature, but that because I rarely decide to immerse myself in reading. The Valkyrie was always a very, very powerful female character in the games. She wore gold on her head and wrists, had a pretty, flowy, fairytale-like outfit, and would duel with other players to test their strengths. Wagner seems like a person who was very fond or fascinated of legends or fantasy. I think he believed in the supernatural. The scenes that this music has me picturing is never close to those the music in earlier periods do.