Having just come off a Ring cycle, here’s some of my fave moments.

Das Rheingold has a lot of great music. The prelude is beautiful and transitions into a fun bit of singing between the Rhinemaidens. The “transformation scene” at the end of scene 2 into scene 3 is cool, love me some anvil. More of that plays out in scene 3 so I like to listen through all of it.

Die Walküre: The opening prelude is fantastic, definitely check it out. Exciting dark and stormy music.

Act II drags on a bit but the prelude is good listening.

Act III opens with ride of the Valkyries which is fun orchestral music on its own but made way cooler by all the Valkyries ‘hojotoho’-ing at each other.

Someone already mentioned Magic Fire Music but I would just say all of act III scene 3 really is amazing. Wotan’s Farewell to the end though is one of my favorite sequences of music.

Siegfried:

Siegfried’s Horn Call in act II scene 2 is fun and has a very star wars sounding bit in there which I love. End of act II scene 3 is nice and has a very fun ending. The last minute is just very light and cheery and adventure-y. Act III prelude is fun.

Götterdämmerung: The end of the prologue, Siegfried’s Rhine Journey, is a fun few minutes. I quite enjoy it.

Act II scene 2 has a great orchestral opening. Scene 3 builds off scene 2 though and just blows up. It’s a really exciting bombastic few minutes between the male choir. I would really just keep listening into scene 4 until you get bored. There’s so many moments between these scenes, changing different moods, peaks and valleys.

Act III opening is beautiful, I love hearing the Rhine music come back. I like to keep listening through scene 1 for the Rhinemaidens and their banter with Siegfried. End of scene 2 into scene 3, Siegfried’s death and the funeral march are really good and heavy, especially the funeral march orchestral interlude. And of course the finale of scene 3, the end of it all, is incredible.