Richard Wagner called Die WalkĂŒre the âfirst eveningâ of the Ring of the Nibelung; he called Das Rheingold the prologue or Vorabend. Musically and dramatically, we are introduced to a radically new and different world when the opening bars of Die WalkĂŒre resound. A fully developed orchestral palette of Leitmotivs paints a wild storm scene, and the curtain rises on a modest dwelling: a fully human scene that has nothing to do with the gods, dwarves and nymphs of Das Rheingold. At the same time, however, the way Die WalkĂŒre portrays radical beginnings reveals some telling reminiscences of the unfolding of Das Rheingold. Die WalkĂŒre is exciting and deeply feeling drama.