Wagner’s ‘Die Walküre’ from China’s National Centre for the Performing Arts on WHRO-FM

This week, WHRO-FM has an epic afternoon in store for you, full of mythological grandeur, forbidden love and family drama. Wagner’s “Die Walküre” contains some of his most famous music, particularly the vivid “Ride of the Valkyries” and the final “Wotan's Farewell.”
Somewhere across a mythical ancient Germanic and Norse landscape, the twins Siegmund and Sieglinde, separated as children, meet again as adults, and, without knowing they are siblings, fall in love. They flee together, pursued by Sieglinde's husband Hunding. Wotan wants to protect Siegmund, but his wife Fricka, goddess of marriage, demands that he obey divine law and allow Siegmund to die. Wotan's favorite daughter, the Valkyrie Brünnhilde, defies her father and protects the pregnant Sieglinde. As punishment for her disobedience, Wotan strips Brünnhilde of her divine status and places her into an enchanted sleep, surrounded by fire.
Soprano Ewa Vesin portrayed Brünnhilde, the real emotional center of the opera. Vesin brings the power of the Valkyrie while allowing the character's transformation, from confident divine warrior to compassionate woman, to emerge. As Siegmund, tenor Daniel Brenna brings extraordinary stamina and dramatic power to the role.
Conductor Pietari Inkinen leads a dense, massive, and continuous Romantic orchestral soundscape driven by a complex network of recurring musical themes the Leitmotifs. Instead of traditional separate arias and choruses that stop the action, Wagner uses an ongoing stream of music where the orchestra does as much storytelling as the singers themselves.
This Saturday at 1:00 p.m., tune in to WHRO-FM 90.3 for this Romantic orchestral opera, and enjoy famous Wagner’s works, as well as outstanding singers’ performances. Don’t forget that you can also listen online via our Media Player.