# What are your favorite Wagner pieces?



## Jordan Workman (May 9, 2016)

What are your favorite Richard Wagner pieces--both complete works and smaller pieces of a larger work? You can list multiple pieces. I personally like: 'Nothung!' (Siegfried) and 'Ein Schwert verhiess mir der Vater' (Die Walkure) the most. Also, what are your favorite Heroic and Heldentenor pieces by Wagner as well?


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## consuono (Mar 27, 2020)

The prelude to Die Meistersinger. I would say also the Tannhäuser prelude if I didn't always associate it with Bugs Bunny riding on that fat-bottomed white horse now. I see on YT that there's a live performance featuring some topless women, so maybe that would overcome the Bugs Bunny imagery.
PS...also Siegfried's funeral music and the final scene from Götterdämmerung, of course.


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## annaw (May 4, 2019)

I‘d add “Siegmund heiß und Siegmund bin ich!” and the encounter between Brünnhilde and Siegmund in Die Walküre. Also, Wotan’s Farewell. Then, the Immolation scene from Götterdämmerung and the orchestal leitmotif game which finishes the whole Ring, “So sterben wir” from Tristan, Walther’s song from Tannhäuser ... etc.

I honestly find it very difficult to say which is my favourite Wagner opera. It’s possibly Ring or Parsifal. Lohengrin is certainly my favourite from the early late operas but I find his late late operas to be more mature and complex both content-wise and musically.


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

1. Der Ring
2. Tristan und Isolde
3. Siegried's Idyll
4. Lohengrin
5. Parsifal
6. Tannhäuser 
7. Der Fliegende Holländer
8. Wesendonk Lieder

I don't care for bleeding chunks, so I included the complete operas I like.


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## Enthusiast (Mar 5, 2016)

I agree about bleeding chunks - although some of them are very effective - so it is just the operas for me

Tristan
Ring
Meistersinger
Parcifal
Lohengrin


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## Coach G (Apr 22, 2020)

My three favorite pieces of classical music are Beethoven's _Symphony #6 "Pastorale"_, *Wagner's Siegfried Idyll*, and Barber's _Knoxville: Summer of 1915_.


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## Allegro Con Brio (Jan 3, 2020)

Well, I like Wagner and I'm still into "bleeding chunks" because the biggest obstacle to my fully appreciating his works is their immense length - in my opinion not even such a genius as Wagner could make something interesting out of every single moment. My favorite such chunks are Prelude, Love Duet, and Liebestod from _Tristan_ and the entire prologue section of _Gotterdammerung_ up through Rhine Journey, which IMO is a masterpiece of dramatic structuring.


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## MarkW (Feb 16, 2015)

Do I have to have one?


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## ThaNotoriousNIC (Jun 29, 2020)

In the top ten Wagner operas thread in the Opera sub-forum I listed Die Walkure as my favorite opera by Wagner. That has not changed since then and it is my favorite opera of all time.

Aside from looking from the operas as a whole, here are my favorite selections from five different Wagner's operas:

Parsifal, Act I: Communion music/Knights of the Grail

Lohengrin, Act III: Morgenrote/King Heinrich march

Tannhauser Overture

Die Walkure, Act III: Wotan's Farewell and Magic Fire Music

Das Rheingold: Thor's music and the Entry of the gods into Valhalla

If I had to pick one of those five as my ultimate favorite, the current winner would be the selection from Parsifal.


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## hammeredklavier (Feb 18, 2018)

consuono said:


> I would say also the Tannhäuser prelude if I didn't always associate it with Bugs Bunny riding on that fat-bottomed white horse now. I see on YT that there's a live performance featuring some topless women, so maybe that would overcome the Bugs Bunny imagery.


This might also help you overcome that imagery:

*[ 7:40 ~ 7:50 ]*





*[ 0:14 ~ 0:28 ]*


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## Axter (Jan 15, 2020)

1, I am in live with Tannhäuser Overture.
2, Lohengrin 
3, Walküre, Ride of Valkyries.


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## MusicSybarite (Aug 17, 2017)

I like all his operas (except Die Feen and Das Liebesverbot), possibly in this order:

Götterdämmerung
Die Walküre
Parsifal
Das Rheingold
Tannhäuser
Tristan und Isolde
Lohengrin
Siegfried
Rienzi
Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
Der fliegende Holländer

Now, the chunks:

*From Götterdämmerung:*

_Dawn and Siegfried's Rhine Journey._ This passage brings some nice memories of my childhood. I was deeply enthranced by this absolutely radiant and epic music.

_Immolation Scene._ One of the best endings to any work ever. Thoroughly transcendent music.

*From Die Walküre:*

Orchestervorspiel (act I)
Ride of the Walkyries
Wotan's Farewell and Magic Fire Music. Another passage beyond words.

*From Siegfried:*

_Forest Murmurs.
Brünnhildes Erwachen._ For me it's the seed of Strauss's music.

*From Das Rheingold:*

_Vorspiel
Entry of the Gods into Valhalla_

*From Parsifal:*

_Vorspiel
Verwandlungsmusik
Nun achte wohl
Mittag. Die Stund' ist da
Geleiten wir im bergenden
Höchsten Heiles Wunder!_ Sublime. Just sublime.

*From Rienzi:*

_Ballet music
Herbei! Herbei!_ A very dramatic ending.

*From Tannhäuser:*

_Ouvertüre_

*From Die fliegende Holländer:*

_Ouvertüre
Summ und brumm, du gutes Rädchen. _I love this enchanting chorus.

*From Lohengrin:*

_Vorspiel (act I)
Vorspiel (act III)_

*From Tristan und Isolde:*

_Vorspiel
Mild und leise_

*From Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg:*

_Vorspiel_

There are others, but for now I remember these.


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## Animal the Drummer (Nov 14, 2015)

The prelude to "Tannhäuser" for me too, closely followed by "Siegfried's Journey to the Rhine".


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## larold (Jul 20, 2017)

from Lohengrin *Elsa's procession to the cathedral* rewritten for band.

*Meistersinger*

Tannhauser scene 3 *""Dich treff ich hier" and arrival of the guests and speech at the Landgrave*.

Die Walkure *Wotan's farewell* and *Magic fire music* in Stokowski syntheses.

*Wesendonck songs*.


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## Skakner (Oct 8, 2020)

My favorite Wagner operas are *Die Walkyre* and *Parsifal*.
The last two Scenes from Act 2 and the whole Act 3 from Die Walkyre are my top.
I like most of the overtures, especially from *Tannhauser*, *Parsifal* and *Der fliegende Hollander*.


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## JAS (Mar 6, 2013)

It was Siegfried's Death and Funeral Music that first got me hooked. (Yes, I started by listening to those great bleeding chunks, and still do, although I also listen to the full operas.)


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## Wilhelm Theophilus (Aug 8, 2020)

Elsa's procession to the cathedral, Lohengrin
prelude to act 3 Lohengrin
master singers overture
prelude to act 3 master singers
The Ring
Tannhauser overture
Albumblatt in E major


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## Xaltotun (Sep 3, 2010)

Pretty much everything he wrote, more or less. All the operas, Siegfried idyll... and Das Liebesmahl der Apostel! Seldom heard but remains a favourite.


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