Sarajevo Philharmonic - Mendelssohn- A Midsummer´s Night Dream, Op. 21 (2023) [Official Digital Download]

The overture in E major, Op. 21, was written by Mendelssohn at 17 years and 6 months old (it was finished on 6 August 1826). Contemporary music scholar George Grove called it "the greatest marvel of early maturity that the world has ever seen in music". It was written as a concert overture, not associated with any performance of the play. The overture was written after Mendelssohn had read a German translation of the play in 1826. The translation was by August Wilhelm Schlegel, with help from Ludwig Tieck. There was a family connection as well: Schlegel's brother Friedrich married Felix Mendelssohn's Aunt Dorothea.

While a romantic piece in atmosphere, the overture incorporates many classical elements, being cast in sonata form and shaped by regular phrasings and harmonic transitions. The piece is also noted for its striking instrumental effects, such as the emulation of scampering 'fairy feet' at the beginning and the braying of Bottom as an ass (effects which were influenced by the aesthetic ideas and suggestions of Mendelssohn's friend at the time, Adolf Bernhard Marx). Heinrich Eduard Jacob, in his biography of the composer, surmised that Mendelssohn had scribbled the opening chords after hearing an evening breeze rustle the leaves in the garden of the family's home

TRACKLIST

1. Sarajevo Philharmonic - A Midsummer´s Night Dream, Op. 21, MWV M13: Ouverture (Allegro di molto)
2. Sarajevo Philharmonic - A Midsummer´s Night Dream, Op. 61, MWV M13: I. Scherzo (Allegro vivace)
3. Sarajevo Philharmonic - A Midsummer´s Night Dream, Op. 61, MWV M13: II. L´istesso tempo (Fairies´ March) (Allegro vivace)
4. Sarajevo Philharmonic - A Midsummer´s Night Dream, Op. 61, MWV M13: III. Song with Chorus (You spotted snakes) (Allegro ma noon troppo)
5. Sarajevo Philharmonic - A Midsummer´s Night Dream, Op. 61, MWV M13: V. Intermezzo (Allegro appassionato)
6. Sarajevo Philharmonic - A Midsummer´s Night Dream, Op. 61, MWV M13: VII. Notturno (Con moto tranquillo)
7. Sarajevo Philharmonic - A Midsummer´s Night Dream, Op. 61, MWV M13: IX. Wedding March (Allegro vivace)
8. Sarajevo Philharmonic - A Midsummer´s Night Dream, Op. 61, MWV M13: XI. Dance of the Clowns (Allegro di molto)
9. Sarajevo Philharmonic - A Midsummer´s Night Dream, Op. 61, MWV M13: XII. Allegro vivace come prima
10. Sarajevo Philharmonic - A Midsummer´s Night Dream, Op. 61, MWV M13: Finale (Through this House Give Glimmering Light) (Allegro di molto)



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