The images evoked over the years by The Valkyrie and Wagner’s other operas are wonderfully diverse. Shown here are Wagner’s favorite tenor, Ludwig Schnorr von Carolsfeld, in a typical costume of the day; Sieglinde with a drinking horn for Siegmund by book illustrator Arthur Rackham, from 1910; and Brünnhilde, the Valkyrie of the title, complete with face tattoos, from a production of 2011. Top left: Lebrecht/The Image Works. Top right: Private Collection/Photo © Chris Beetles Ltd, London/The Bridgeman Art Library. Bottom: David Beloff.