A new SACD book by Jordi Savall - The most comprehensive recording of Mendelssohn's masterpiece with a cast of English and German actors.

Fascinated by Shakespeare's comedy, the 17-year-old Mendelssohn embarked on a project in July 1826, which he completed after just one month: the ravishing overture A Midsummer Night's Dream. The extraordinary orchestration transports the listener into the magical atmosphere of an enchanted night and the exuberant mood of the comedy's characters. Berlioz admitted that he had "never heard anything so thoroughly Shakespearean". 15 years later, Mendelssohn followed the wishes of the Prussian King Frederick William IV and composed incidental music for the entire play. As if no time had passed, it takes up all the elements already present in the overture.

Jordi Savall went above and beyond for this work. In addition to the music composed by Mendelssohn for orchestra, choir and soloists, this set offers the melodramas with the spoken texts, which show how Shakespeare's work is enhanced by Mendelssohn's music. Also included is an abridged version of the play, which makes it possible to follow the action. The texts are declaimed and sung in both English (disc one) and German (disc two), as the work was written in Germany. For those listeners who only want to hear the music without the spoken texts, discs three and four offer the program in a "concert version".