Richard Wagner (1813–1883) was a German dramatic composer and theorist whose operas and music had a revolutionary influence on the course of Western music, either by extension of his discoveries or reaction against them. Among his major works are Lohengrin (1850), Tristan und Isolde(1865), Parsifal (1882), and his tetralogy, The Ring of the Nibelung (1869-76).

Elsa’s Procession to the Cathedral (1850) comes from Act II of Wagner’s opera Lohengrin. The music in this selection is the dramatic bridal procession performed by the orchestra and double chorus.