Performers
- Paulina Herman soprano
- Symphony Orchestra and Choir of the Karol Szymanowski State Music School Complex No. 4 in Warsaw
- Wojciech Pławner conductor
- Jakub Kaczmarek choirmaster
- Students of the Primary Music School of the Karol Szymanowski State Music School Complex No. 4 in Warsaw
- Izabela Miśkiewicz, Agnieszka Sienkiewicz-Scholl, Agnieszka Widlarz supervision of students
- Andrzej Ferenc narrator
Programme
Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy Midsummer Night’s Dream, Op. 61 (selection) [37’]
Overture: Allegro di molto – Poco ritenuto
I. Scherzo: Allegro vivace
III. Song with Choir: Allegro ma non troppo
V. Intermezzo: Allegro appassionato – Allegro molto comodo
VII. Nocturne: Andante tranquillo
IX. Wedding March: Allegro vivace
X. Funeral March: Andante comodo
Finale: Allegro di molto
Concert description
We have always been attracted to the world of fantasy, from ancient myths, Scandinavian sagas and Arthurian legends to today’s fantasy films and literature. The idea of a universe in which intrigues are set and solved by magic is still attractive, present in works for children and young people.
William Shakespeare, the brilliant English playwright of the 16th century, also created a fantastic reality, for some fairy-tale and cheerful, for others difficult and ambiguous, in his comedy A Midsummer Night’s Dream, a tale of the amorous adventures of several couples in love in the Athenian forest, in the kingdom of Oberon and Titania – king and queen of the elves.
In 1826, 230 years later, the 17-year-old genius Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, fascinated by Shakespeare’s work, composed the overture to A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Felix had already been hailed as a child prodigy. He composed symphonies, played the piano, organ, violin and viola, studied history, geography and philosophy. Many years later, he composed another 13 movements of the musical setting of Shakespeare’s entire comedy, commissioned by the King of Prussia. In today’s concert we will hear a selection of 8 movements, including the famous Overture, Scherzo and Wedding March.