STEVES: Next up, we sail up the Danube River into Germany. Now remember, in the mid 1800s, when our next piece was composed, there was no Germany. It was a piece of real estate about the size of Montana, made up of dozens of little independent German-speaking states. While fragmented, they had a dream in common to create one unified German-speaking nation.

Now, in the 19th century, far and wide nation states were coalescing and there were wars. In the 1860s, when we Americans were fighting about separation, Germans and Italians were fighting about unification. Wannabe nations, to establish their legitimacy, dug deep, reviving mythic themes to show off their roots. You see it in the nostalgic art, and you see it in the neo-medieval castles of the age. The famous castles of “mad” King Ludwig in Bavaria, Neuschwanstein, it looks medieval, but it was actually built about the same time as the Eiffel Tower. King Ludwig was a huge fan of the romantic composer Richard Wagner. In fact, many rooms in his castle were inspired by Wagnerian operas. Wagner’s grand operas mixed Germanic myths and medieval traditions and Christian themes that together would stir the souls of his countrymen. Up next, the rousing Prelude to Act 3 from “Lohengrin.”

[music: Prelude to Act 3 of Lohengrin]