If you turn the crank of this small music box, you will hear the "Ride of the Valkyries", probably the most famous melody from Richard Wagner's opera cycle "The Ring of the Nibelung". Richard Wagner composed this opulent work from 1848 onwards, incorporating motifs from Germanic religions and the heroic epic "Saga of the Nibelungs". The "Ride of the Valkyries" introduces the third act of the second opera "Die Walküre" (The Valkyrie). The dramatic and stirring music was used by the National Socialists in their news coverage, but also accompanied a scene in the anti-war movie "Apocalypse Now".
To this day, Wagner's adoration by Hitler as well as Wagner's anti-semitism are controversially discussed, especially in Germany and Israel.
The gentle melody sounds more powerful when you remove the little musical mechanism from its lovingly decorated box. Since the mechanism is mounted on a small wooden board, this music box unfolds its sound particularly well when it is pressed onto a large resonating body, such as a table, a chair or a Cajon.
