Die Walküre (Feb. 24, 1968)

Composer: Richard Wagner
Librettist: Richard Wagner

Klobucar; Nilsson, Rysanek, Ludwig, Vickers, Stewart

Metropolitan Opera Orchestra

Approximate running time: 3 hrs. 35 min.

Wagner’s drama of overwhelming love and devastating loss has seldom been so vividly brought to life as with this all-star cast of great singing actors. The electrifying combination of Jon Vickers and Leonie Rysanek, as twins who fall in love, is legendary. Birgit Nilsson, the defining Brünnhilde of her generation, gives one of her most touching performances as the daughter of a god who cannot withstand the power of human love. With the great Christa Ludwig as Fricka, and Thomas Stewart’s gripping portrayal of Wotan, the unraveling god, this is not to be missed.