A Midsummer Night's Dream (Mendelssohn)

A Midsummer Night's Dream (Mendelssohn) is a collection of musical pieces by the German composer Felix Mendelssohn inspired by William Shakespeare's comedy of the same name. It consists of a concert overture written when Mendelssohn was a teenager and a substantial suite of incidental music composed for a full production of the play in Prussia over fifteen years later. The music, particularly the famous "Wedding March", has become some of the most iconic and enduringly popular in the Romantic repertoire, synonymous with the magical and fantastical atmosphere of Shakespeare's work.

Composition and premiere

The genesis of the work spans two distinct periods in Felix Mendelssohn's career. The concert overture, Op. 21, was written in Potsdam in 1826 when the composer was only seventeen years old, following a family reading of August Wilhelm Schlegel's German translation of the Shakespeare play. It premiered publicly in Stettin in February 1827, conducted by Carl Loewe. Over a decade and a half later, in 1842, King Frederick William IV of Prussia commissioned Mendelssohn to write incidental music for a new production of the play to be staged at the Neues Palais in Potsdam. This extensive score, Op. 61, was completed the following year and first performed under the composer's baton in October 1843, accompanying a theatrical production directed by Ludwig Tieck.

Structure and analysis

The complete incidental music comprises fourteen numbers, including the original overture which serves as a masterful introduction. Key movements include the delicate and shimmering "Scherzo", which depicts the fairy world, the rustic "Intermezzo" and "Dance of the Clowns" for the mechanicals, the lyrical "Nocturne" featuring a solo French horn, and the iconic "Wedding March" from the final act. Mendelssohn employs a large orchestra supplemented by a female choir and two sopranos to represent the fairies, including Titania and her attendants. The music is characterized by its brilliant orchestration, gossamer textures for the fairy scenes, and the use of recurring leitmotifs, such as the famous four-chord woodwind opening, to unify the entire work.

Reception and legacy

Upon its premiere, the overture was immediately hailed as a work of genius, astonishing critics and audiences given Felix Mendelssohn's youth. The full incidental music solidified the composer's reputation as a master of programmatic and theatrical music. The "Wedding March" achieved unprecedented cultural ubiquity after being played at the wedding of Victoria, Princess Royal to Prince Frederick William of Prussia in 1858. The work as a whole is celebrated for its perfect evocation of the play's dual worlds: the ethereal realm of Oberon and the fairies and the comedic, earthly domain of the Athenian lovers and the tradesmen.

Recordings and performances

The music has been a staple of the concert and recorded repertoire since the early 20th century. Pioneering conductors like Arturo Toscanini, Wilhelm Furtwängler, and Herbert von Karajan have left notable recorded interpretations with orchestras such as the NBC Symphony Orchestra and the Berlin Philharmonic. In the modern era, conductors including Claudio Abbado with the London Symphony Orchestra, André Previn with the Vienna Philharmonic, and John Eliot Gardiner with his Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique have produced acclaimed recordings. The suite is frequently performed in its entirety by major symphony orchestras worldwide, and the overture remains a popular standalone concert piece.

Influence and adaptations

Felix Mendelssohn's score has profoundly influenced the musical portrayal of the fantastical and has set a high benchmark for incidental music. Its "Wedding March" has become a global cultural phenomenon, defining nuptial ceremonies in the Western world. The music has been adapted and used extensively in other media, including ballet productions by companies like the Royal Ballet and in numerous film and television adaptations of Shakespeare's play. Its themes and orchestral colors have echoed in the works of later composers, including Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and the French impressionists, cementing its status as a cornerstone of Romantic program music.

Category:Compositions by Felix Mendelssohn Category:Incidental music Category:1843 compositions