The exquisite beauty of Wotan’s farewell to his daughter, the valkyrie Brünnhilde, is one of the high points of the Ring Cycle†:
(it’s sung here by James Morris in the 1990 Metropolitan Opera production – the DVD has been released by Deutsche Grammophon)
The scene gives us fine examples of Wagner’s use of the leit-motif…
…and chromatic harmony (look at the number of sharps, flats and naturals in this motif which evokes the magic sleep!)
General course materials:
†If you visit the previous Wagner post (Wotan defied) you’ll find an entertaining and informative comment by Kevin on this performance of Valkyrie Act 3 at the home of all things Wagnerian, the Festspielhaus in Bayreuth:
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The Art of Listening 