from Act II, Scene 1 of the German opera Die Walküre by Richard Wagner

Libretto: Richard Wagner

Role: Brünnhilde, a Valkyrie

Voice Part: soprano       Fach: dramatic soprano

Setting: a rocky mountain ridge, Germany, mythical times

Synopsis: Brünnhilde sounds her Valkyrie war cry and in-between lets Wotan, her father, know that his wife is coming to argue with him.

from Act I, Scene 3 of the German opera Die Walküre by Richard Wagner

Libretto: Richard Wagner

Role: Sieglinde, daughter of Wotan and Fricka

Voice Part: soprano       Fach: dramatic soprano

Setting: the interior of Hunding's house, Germany, mythical times

Synopsis: Sieglinde tells Siegmund that she has drugged her husband Hunding so that Siegmund can get away. She also tells him about a sword stuck in a tree outside that a man put there long ago. So far, no one has been able to take the sword out of the tree though.

from Act I, Scene 3 of the German opera Die Walküre by Richard Wagner

Libretto: Richard Wagner

Role: Sieglinde, daughter of Wotan and Fricka

Voice Part: soprano       Fach: dramatic soprano

Setting: the interior of Hunding's house, Germany, mythical times

Synopsis: Sieglinde expresses her great love for Siegmund, even though he is her twin brother.

from Act I, Scene 3 of the German opera Die Walküre by Richard Wagner

Libretto: Richard Wagner

Role: Siegmund, son of Wotan and Fricka

Voice Part: tenor       Fach: dramatic tenor/heldentenor

Setting: the interior of Hunding's house, Germany, mythical times

Synopsis: Siegmund soliloquizes, mentioning that his father promised him a sword at one time. In addition, he also expresses his desire for his host's wife, Sieglinde, who is actually his long-lost twin sister.

from Act I, Scene 2 of the German opera Die Walküre by Richard Wagner

Libretto: Richard Wagner

Role: Siegmund, son of Wotan and Fricka

Voice Part: tenor       Fach: dramatic tenor/heldentenor

Setting: the interior of Hunding's house, Germany, mythical times

Synopsis: At length, Siegmund tells Hunding and his wife about his early life. His father was a wolf, although his mother and his twin sister were normal. His mother was later killed and his sister was taken. Later on, Siegmund also lost his father and is now wandering through the countryside. Some time ago, he attacked and killed a group of men trying to take a woman against her will. Little does he know that Hunding's wife Sieglinde is really his long-lost sister or that Hunding's relatives were a part of the group of men that he killed.

from Act I, Scene 3 of the German opera Die Walküre by Richard Wagner

Libretto: Richard Wagner

Role: Siegmund, son of Wotan and Fricka

Voice Part: tenor       Fach: dramatic tenor/heldentenor

Setting: the interior of Hunding's house, Germany, mythical times

Synopsis: After Sieglinde offers him escape from her husband Hunding as well as a sword which is stuck in a tree outside, Siegmund compares his love for Sieglinde to the beauty of springtime.

from Act III, Scene 3 of the German opera Die Walküre by Richard Wagner

Libretto: Richard Wagner

Role: Wotan, the ruler of the gods, father of Siegmund and Sieglinde, husband of Fricka

Voice Part: bass-baritone       Fach: dramatic baritone

Setting: a mountaintop, Germany, mythical times

Synopsis: Wotan says goodbye to his daughter, Brünnhilde, who he is putting to sleep until someone can get through the ring of fire around her to wake her up. Wotan is punishing her because she disobeyed his orders by warning Siegmund that Wotan is coming after him.