ok one other thing - probably common knowledge but just noticed that the theme for the storm through which Siegmund flees at the beginning, is the same as when Donner conjures up a storm to dispel the mist to get a better view of Valhalla in Das Rheingold. To a god, a storm is a toy, something to be whimsically used for their pleasure. For a tired and hunted mortal, it means he'll be wet and cold too (though not the same storm of course). Think that fits with this
thinking about this again - the siegmund, sieglinde and hunding drama probably has the mostly deeply felt stakes in the whole cycle despite/because of only involving 3 people rather than gods and the fate of the world.
Quite exciting when Hunding comes towards the end of act 3, blowing his relentless dull ostinato leitmotif on his horn (not the only person to play his own leitfmotif! Siegfried does too):
"Wehwalt! Wehwalt! Steh' mir zum Streit, sollen dich Hunde nicht halten." (Wehwalt! "Wehwalt! Stand and fight, or should I flush you out with dogs)
Like yeah, here he comes! And he thinks you're still unarmed, the coward! Cut his head off! And by the way he's not called Wehwalt anymore!
(also Hunding - Hunde - dog-coded, vs the wolf-coded Siegmund and Siegfried - rule following/god-fearing vs wild, etc)
Themes also touched on in terry pratchett's essay 'the last hero' (jk)
I'm with you on his sincerity - see also 'nun weisst du fragende Frau, warum ich Friedmund nicht heisse' (similar theme to your example), 31.30 in this one https://youtu.be/Qx55EmiFadg?si=uNJXMWmZI6lMSDON - don't think I've heard that much vibrato from a male anywhere else in the operas!
ok one other thing - probably common knowledge but just noticed that the theme for the storm through which Siegmund flees at the beginning, is the same as when Donner conjures up a storm to dispel the mist to get a better view of Valhalla in Das Rheingold. To a god, a storm is a toy, something to be whimsically used for their pleasure. For a tired and hunted mortal, it means he'll be wet and cold too (though not the same storm of course). Think that fits with this
thinking about this again - the siegmund, sieglinde and hunding drama probably has the mostly deeply felt stakes in the whole cycle despite/because of only involving 3 people rather than gods and the fate of the world.
Quite exciting when Hunding comes towards the end of act 3, blowing his relentless dull ostinato leitmotif on his horn (not the only person to play his own leitfmotif! Siegfried does too):
"Wehwalt! Wehwalt! Steh' mir zum Streit, sollen dich Hunde nicht halten." (Wehwalt! "Wehwalt! Stand and fight, or should I flush you out with dogs)
Like yeah, here he comes! And he thinks you're still unarmed, the coward! Cut his head off! And by the way he's not called Wehwalt anymore!
(also Hunding - Hunde - dog-coded, vs the wolf-coded Siegmund and Siegfried - rule following/god-fearing vs wild, etc)
Nun, mein Wälsung! Wolfssohn du
Themes also touched on in terry pratchett's essay 'the last hero' (jk)
I'm with you on his sincerity - see also 'nun weisst du fragende Frau, warum ich Friedmund nicht heisse' (similar theme to your example), 31.30 in this one https://youtu.be/Qx55EmiFadg?si=uNJXMWmZI6lMSDON - don't think I've heard that much vibrato from a male anywhere else in the operas!