Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy: A Midsummer Night's Dream, Die erste Walpurgisnacht

Featuring

Edith Mathis
Rafael Kubelík
Ursula Boese
Annelies Burmeister
Eberhard Büchner
Kurt Masur

Siegfried Lorenz
Siegfried Vogel
Edda Moser
Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Gewandhausorchester Leipzig
Rundfunkchor Leipzig
Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy

Did you know?

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Composition History

Mendelssohn's incidental music for A Midsummer Night's Dream was commissioned by King Frederick William IV of Prussia in 1842.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Mendelssohn found Goethe's poem for Die erste Walpurgisnacht eminently musical, stating that the music was already there and he began singing the verses before composing.

Composer Biography

Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy composed the Overture to A Midsummer Night's Dream at the age of 17 years and 6 months.

Cultural Impact

The Wedding March from Mendelssohn's A Midsummer Night's Dream is considered one of the most popular and ubiquitous pieces of music ever written.

Critical Reception

Hector Berlioz, a French composer, praised Mendelssohn's Die erste Walpurgisnacht for its perfect clarity despite its complexity, and for its artful interplay of voices and instruments.

Recording & Production

This album features two different conductors: Rafael Kubelík for A Midsummer Night's Dream and Kurt Masur for Die erste Walpurgisnacht and Infelice! Ah ritorna, età felice.