The Ride of the Valkyries from Die Walküre

The Valkyries are the squadron of warrior maidens whose divine function it is, under the leadership of Brünnhilde, to collect the bodies of heroes who have died in battle and transport them on their winged horses to Valhalla. At the beginning of the third act of Die Walküre (The Valkyrie) they gather on a rocky mountain top, calling to each other as they arrive, before they gallop through the air to Valhalla with their latest batch of mortally wounded heroes. It is one of the most exciting of all episodes in    Wagner’s epic four-part Ring cycle.