Arthur Rackham's illustration to the Ride of the Valkyries

The Ride of the Valkyries (German: Walkürenritt) is the popular term for the beginning of Act III of Die Walküre by Richard Wagner. It is probably Wagner's best-known piece after the Bridal Chorus from Lohengrin. It stands out in part because of its references in popular culture, where it is used to represent stereotypical Grand Opera. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (600x853, 137 KB) Ride of the Valkyries. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (600x853, 137 KB) Ride of the Valkyries. ... An illustration from Alices Adventures in Wonderland Arthur Rackham (September 19, 1867 – September 6, 1939) was a prolific English book illustrator. ... Die Walküre (The Valkyrie) is the second of the four operas that comprise Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung), by Richard Wagner. ... Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner (22 May 1813 – 13 February 1883) was a German composer, conductor, music theorist, and essayist, primarily known for his operas (or music dramas as he later came to call them). ... The Bridal Chorus from the opera Lohengrin, by German composer Richard Wagner, is the standard march played for the brides entrance at most formal weddings in the United States and at many weddings thoughout the Western world. ... Lohengrin is a romantic opera (or music drama) in three acts by Richard Wagner. ... Popular culture, sometimes called pop culture, consists of widespread cultural elements in any given society. ... Grand Opera is a style of opera mainly characterized by many features on a grandiose scale. ...

In the opera-house, the Ride, which takes around eight minutes, begins in the prelude to the Act, building up successive layers of accompaniment until the curtain rises to reveal a mountain peak where four of the eight Valkyrie sisters of Brünnhilde have gathered in preparation for the transportation of fallen heroes to Valhalla. As they are joined by the other four, the familiar tune is carried by the orchestra, while, above it, the Valkyries greet each other and sing their battle-cry. Apart from the song of the Rhinemaidens in Das Rheingold, it is the only ensemble piece in the first three operas of Wagner's Ring cycle. Outside the opera-house, it is usually heard in a purely instrumental version, which may be as short as three minutes. The Valkyries Vigil, by the Pre-Raphaelite painter Edward Robert Hughes. ... Sigurd and Brynhilds funeral In Norse mythology, Brynhildr was a shieldmaiden and a valkyrie. ... “Valhall” redirects here. ... The Rhinemaidens The Rhinemaidens (de: Rheintöchter) are protagonists in the four-part Der Ring des Nibelungen by Richard Wagner. ... For the famous train, see Rheingold Express. ... This article is about the series of operas; for the film, see Dark Kingdom: The Dragon King. ...

In popular culture

Ride of the Valkyries is probably best known as the music used by the 1979 movie Apocalypse Now for a scene in which a squadron of helicopters attacks a Vietnamese village. It has since been used in a countless number of movies, commercials & video clips for dramatic emphasis, e.g. in the movies Jarhead and Blues Brothers as well as Lord of War. Apocalypse Now is a 1979 American film set during the Vietnam War. ... A helicopter is an aircraft which is lifted and propelled by one or more large horizontal rotors (propellers). ... Jarhead can refer to Military slang for a member the United States Marine Corps, i. ... The Blues Brothers: Dan Aykroyd (left) and the late John Belushi The Blues Brothers is the name of a blues band fronted, incognito, by comedians Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi. ... Lord of War is a 2005 film written and directed by Andrew Niccol and starring Nicolas Cage. ...

In real life

A group of German tanks are said to have played "Ride of the Valkyries" on their shortwave radios just before an assault launched in World War II. The scenario is described in the book The Forgotten Soldier, written in late 1940s and first published in French in the 1960s, which claims to be a personal account of the author, Guy Sajer, and his experience as a German soldier of the "Großdeutschland Division". He describes standing next to the tanks in the Battle of Memel (now Klaipeda) where he was gathering together with a ragtag force to attempt a breakout from a surrounded position, and says in the book that it was "a fitting accompaniment to supreme sacrifice" (p.418, The Forgotten Soldier, Brassy's 2001 edition). This article is about an album. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... The Forgotten Soldier is presented as an autobiographical account by a veteran under the pseudonym Guy Sajer of World War II as experienced on Germanys Eastern front. ... Guy Sajer is the author of The Forgotten Soldier. ... Infanterie-Division Großdeutschland (mot) Panzergrenadier-Division Großdeutschland Panzer-Korps Großdeutschland The Großdeutschland Division (lit. ... The Battle of Memel[1] was fought on the Eastern Front of World War II in late 1944 and early 1945. ... Klaipėda. ...

Audio

• Listen to the piece at the Gutenberg Project in MP3 format
• Listen to the full piece at Carolina Classical in RealMedia format

MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3, more commonly referred to as MP3, is an audio encoding format. ... RealMedia is a multimedia container format created by RealNetworks. ...

Video

• The helicopter attack from Apocalyse now.