Richard Wagner‘s “Ride of the Valkyries” theme was used as prelude music during a Donald Trump rally Wednesday night in San Jose. (Go to the 29-minute mark on the video.) The general interpretation is that Trump was trying to summon echoes of a Hitler rally, as der Fuhrer was a huge Wagner fan. I’m no Trump apologist, but “Ride of the Valkyries” is not a Hitler thing — it’s an Apocalypse Now thing. It signifies force, aggression, blowing the enemy to Kingdom Come. It’s still an ugly anthem, of course, especially in the context of a political rally, but for the last 37 years “Valkyries” has belonged more to Francis Coppola than Hitler or even Wagner himself.
