Song Details
- Album Release Date: 2012
- Genre: opera
Song Meaning of “Die Walküre / Zweiter Aufzug: “Was verlangst du?”” by Richard Wagner
The scene in Richard Wagner’s Die Walküre / Zweiter Aufzug: “Was verlangst du?” is a pivotal moment in the opera. It’s the most intense scene between the two lead characters, Sieglinde and her half-brother Siegmund. She has just revealed to him that he is her long lost half-brother, and that he was thought to have been killed in a past battle. She welcomes him with open arms and listens to his plight, prompting the question “Was verlangst du?,” or “What do you ask (of me)?”
In this moment, the characters are facing a crossroads. They are thrown together in this awkward meeting after all the years apart and have to decide how to proceed—whether they should embrace or deny this newfound relationship. Sieglinde is asking Siegmund for his wishes—asking him what he needs to make his life easier. However, her offer comes with a warning: that Siegmund’s choice may be complicated by their familial ties.
The song captures the newfound love and emotion that the two characters must now confront. Sieglinde is asking for a promise from both of them, that they will accept the card that fate has dealt them and find a way to make the best of it.