A Midsummer Night's Dream

The success of his overture A Midsummer Night’s Dream was such that, 17 years on, Mendelssohn had no hesitation in writing incidental music for Shakespeare’s play when it was suggested by the Prussian king. This was first staged at Potsdam on 14 October 1843, in a production by Ludwig Tieck. Among the 13 pieces, several accompany passages of text and are not intended to be heard autonomously. The “Scherzo” is an animated interlude between the first two acts, whereas the infectious “Fairy March” accompanies Oberon on arrival with his retinue. A lyrical “Ye Spotted Snakes” duet for soprano and mezzo is sung by Titania’s retainers as she prepares for sleep, while an “Intermezzo” links the second and third acts by depicting Hermia’s desperation when lost in the woods and then the “rude mechanicals” who have emerged to rehearse their play. With its warmly eloquent melody on horns, the “Nocturne” in Act III rapturously depicts the sleeping lovers, while the “Wedding March” between the fourth and fifth acts portrays the marriage of Hippolyta and Theseus in what is surely Mendelssohn’s most famous piece. Act V features a mock “Funeral March” for the mechanicals, who then have a robust “Dance of the Clowns”. The finale, “Through This House Give Glimmering Light”, sets some of the closing text for female voices to music largely derived from the “Overture”, whose magical opening chords end the drama.