Richard Wagner, master of the very long piece, was also master of the very short. This is it:

[Aristus]

4. It's difficult to determine which of the two operatic appearances is the more moving.

Certainly the finale of the final opera is required to carry the emotional heft of the preceding fifteen or so hours of story ( and usually does ).

But its first appearance at the end of Walkure is also breathtaking. Sieglinde, in despair over the tragic occurrences of the opera, wants to die and end it all, until Brunnhilde tells her she is to give birth to the hero, Siegfried. It is at this point that she sings the Redemption theme as an expression of sudden ecstatic joy. If the singer nails it, it can leave the audience in tears, and even sobbing audibly. A good rendition can be the pinnacle of a Wagnerian soprano's career.