The Munich opera is doing the Ring cycle this year. I have some individual nitpicks, but I have to say so far it's a far better production than anything that was staged in Bayreuth these recent years. On Sunday, The Valkyrie premiered, and by and large, it was a splendid evening. However, something occured to me, to wit, that not only are Siegmund and Sieglinde, the original incestous twins in a brutal saga with a high body count, basically the mirrorverse versions of Jaime and Cersei Lannister in that they're the most likeable and least messed up people in the entire four operas tale, but Richard Wagner does the tv version of Game of Thrones one better in how by the way he uses music for their favourite plot device. If you're not familiar with the Ring of the Nibelung, here is the 15 minutes version written by yours truly. For the purposes of enjoying the demonstration of masterly musical sexposition below, here's an excerpt of my summary, to wit, what happens in the first act of Die Walküre:

Siegmund: *arrives exhausted and obviously coming directly from a fight at a strange house*

Sieglinde: Hail, stranger, to whom I feel immeditiately attracted and who looks oddly familiar.

Hunding, Sieglinde's husband: Why do these two look so oddly alike, I wonder? Say, stranger, what's your story?

Siegmund: Call me... Wehwalt, since I don't trust you, sinister host. However, I do feel drawn to you, beautiful hostess, and shall tell you a bit of my life. I lost my sister and mother early in life, but my father, a one-eyed mysterious man whom we shall call... Wolfe, and I spent years together in the forests being outlaws. And then he suddenly was gone, which sucked. Also, I always try to do the right thing, but everyone seems to hate my guts as a result. Just recently, I've come across a young girl who was going to be married against her will. I was her champion and fought for her freedom, but killed her immediate male family in the process. So I'm on the run again from the rest of the clan.

Hunding: No kidding. I'm a member of the rest of the clan. Since you've eaten and drunk at my house, you're safe here tonight, but tomorrow, you're dead. Also, I just love how you have no weapons and I can totally lock you up here. Wife, to bed!

Siegmund *alone* : Damm it, Dad. You promised there'd be help in my hour of greatest need! Where is it?

Sieglinde: Hail, guest. I drugged my husband, whom I hate anyway. I got abducted from my family as a little girl and sold to Hunding. On the day of our marriage, a mysterious one-eyed man who looked oddly familiar showed up and put this sword into the tree that's standing in the middle of Hunding's house, saying only the greatest hero would be able to pull it out. I figured that might be you. Want to try?

Siegmund: No kidding. One-eyed man, you say? And also, your voice... something about you... could you be...

Sieglinde: Could you be...

Siegmund: My sister!
Sieglinde: My brother!

Both: Let's have sex!

Siegmund: *pulls out sword*

Twins: *run away to have sex or have sex right away, depending on the production*

Now, here's the recognition scene, in which Siegmund and Sieglinde have to figure out who they are, the sword business, drop some anvils that they're Wotan's illegitimate kids and get across that sex is had immediately with the whole sibling bit not seen as hindrance but rather as affirmation that they're literally made for each other (see what I mean about mirrorverse Jaime and Cersei?); all this in a manner that makes the audience to cheer them on, despite the original audience being a bunch of mostly straightlaced Wilhelmians.

First, a Russian production, in which Sieglinde is magnificently sung by Elena Nebara:



Sadly, this ends just three minutes before the scene does and thus does not include the "Braut und Schwester bist du dem Bruder/ So blühe denn, Wälsungenblut" (aka the Incest Yay! conclusion the twins draw) . However, YouTube offers the last three minutes from other productions. Here's one of the most famous, the centennial anniversary Ring in Bayreuth 1976, directed by Patrice Chéreau, conducted by Pierre Boulez. Sieglinde is Jeannine Altmeyer, Peter Hofmann (before he lost his voice, as a young up and coming tenor) as Siegmund.




And to round it off and bring the present day in, here are Jonas Kaufmann and Eva-Maria Westbroek loving the incest for the last three minutes: