It’s the moment everyone’s been waiting for. The ride of the Valkyries, featuring that immortal Wagner music that got seared into moviegoers’ memories thanks to Apocalypse Now. And in the Metropolitan Opera’s new production of Die Walküre, the scene doesn’t disappoint.

Director Robert Lepage has the eight warrior sisters of Brunnhilde strapped to the movable planks of his massive set as if they were riding horses and galloping toward the audience. It’s a visually exhilarating sequence that spectacularly complements the stirring music.

Not everything works quite as well in this second installment of the Met’s ambitious new Ring cycle. Despite the ever malleable set and the series of projections that convey everything from a bleak forest to a ring of fire, the evening often suffers from a static visual quality. But the brilliance of the music and performances more than compensates.

James Levine conducts the five hour-plus evening in thrilling fashion, skillfully handling the score’s intense demands in a manner that is all the more impressive considering his recent health problems. And a truly stellar cast has been assembled, all of them in top form.

Bryn Terfel, thankfully shorn of the silly haircut he sported in Das Rheingold, is a physically and vocally commanding Wotan, easily convincing us of his godliness, while Stephanie Blythe’s formidable Fricka is more than his match. As the rebellious warrior daughter Brunnhilde, Deborah Voigt delivers an outstanding performance, nailing her character’s classic high-C battle cries of “Hojotoho!” with stunning ease and dexterity. German tenor Jonas Kaufman and Eva-Marie Westbrook are deeply moving as the lovestruck siblings Siegmund and Sieglinde, with the former providing matinee idol handsomeness to go along with his powerhouse singing.

The astute casting of these and several other minor roles demonstrates the Met’s ability to deliver singers who not only well fulfill the physical demands of their characters but are also atypically persuasive in terms of their acting. The stellar ensemble also provides estimable marquee value, not that it was needed for this immediately sold-out run.

Metropolitan Opera, Lincoln Center. 212-362-6000. www.metopera.org.