Wagner - RIDE OF THE VALKYRIES - Furtwangler
The Ride of the Valkyries, by Richard Wagner, in a classic recording with Wilhelm Furtwangler and the Vienna Philharmonic. Illustrations are by Arthur Rackham. "One golden summer in adolescence...I heard the 'Ride of the Valkyries' on a gramophone and saw Arthur Rackham's illustrations to The Ring." (C.S.Lewis) The music: probably the most famous and instantly identifiable of Wagner's works is this short orchestral prelude from Die Walkure, the second opera in the monumental Der Ring des Nibelungen. It has gone on to enter popular culture, being used in many films, most notably the helicopter attack sequence in Apocalypse Now. In terms of composition it perfectly demonstrates Wagner's epic sense of drama, and also his masterful orchestration.
This marks the pioneers of fantasy music, over 75 years ago. He was born way before this time.