Prelude to Act III of Lohengrin
Lohengrin was first performed in 1850, and is certainly a Romantic opera in the strictest sense. It is based upon the legendary romance of the 13th century of Lohengrin, a knight of the Holy Grail, who is sent in a boat pulled by swans to rescue the maiden, Elsa, who must never ask his name. The young King Ludwig II of Bavaria was so moved by Wagner’s opera that he more or less bankrupted his country in order to build the famous castle, “Neuschwanstein”, that is so beloved by today’s tourists to Southern Germany. >>>