‘Abendlich strahlt der Sonne Auge’ (Wotan’s address, Das Rheingold, Scene 4)

Program notes

About the Work

This is the radiant close of Das Rheingold, the ‘preliminary evening’ of Wagner’s four-opera cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen. The gods have recovered their gold and built their fortress; now Wotan, their chief, stands before the completed castle as evening falls. In ‘Abendlich strahlt der Sonne Auge’ (‘The sun’s eye shines at evening’), he greets the stronghold gleaming in the sunset and names it Walhall (Valhalla). A rainbow bridge appears, and the gods prepare to cross into their new home in triumphant procession. Yet Wagner laces the splendour with foreboding: we have just heard the dwarf Alberich’s curse on the ring, and the music’s very grandeur is shadowed by the knowledge that this divine glory is built on theft and will end in ruin. Sung by a bass-baritone of authority and beauty of tone, Wotan’s address is one of the great moments of noble Wagnerian declamation: majestic, conflicted, and quietly tragic.

What to Listen For

Listen for the broad, hymn-like sweep of Wotan’s vocal line, set against shimmering orchestral light as the fortress catches the sunset. Wagner’s leitmotifs do the storytelling: hear the gleaming ‘Valhalla’ theme in the brass, the cascading ‘rainbow bridge’ music and, crucially, the dark glint of the curse and the sword motif slipping in beneath the splendour. The triumph is real but hollow, and a great singer lets you hear Wotan’s unease inside the grandeur.