By Natalie Clare<\/strong><\/p>\n Shakespeare\u2019s Hermia tells us that love looks not with the eye but with the mind. In the bard\u2019s beloved, fanciful comedy A Midsummer Night\u2019s Dream<\/em>, love and dreams may be one and the same!<\/p>\n A Midsummer Night\u2019s Dream<\/a><\/em>, with its lyrical prose and poetic sensibilities, lends itself neatly to a musical rendering. The text invites us to glimpse the lives of four Athenians, each in the throes of their own romantic woes. But comedic confusion and magical misunderstandings abound as characters Lysander, Hermia, Demetrius, and Helena experience chance encounters with the fairies of the forest \u2014 encounters that alter the course of their hearts\u2019 desires. The play is Shakespeare\u2019s triumphant ode to love\u2019s potency and the playful surprises it has in store.<\/p>\n On stage, A Midsummer Night\u2019s Dream<\/em> unfolds against Felix Mendelssohn\u2019s lush and romantic score. The show famously includes the composer\u2019s \u201cWedding March<\/a>,\u201d which is, arguably, the de-facto music we often think of in relation to traditional ceremonies. (The piece was popularized by Princess Victoria when she wed Prince William of Prussia in 1858.)<\/p>\n Actor John de Lancie<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n Principal Guest Conductor Jean-Marie Zeitouni will return to the Chautauqua Auditorium<\/a> stage, accompanied by renowned actor John de Lancie who summons Shakespeare\u2019s fairies, royalty, and fools in love through a dramatic reading. De Lancie is a multifaceted performer audiences will recognize from stage and screen. His film credits include The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, Multiplicity, <\/em>and Reign Over Me<\/em>, among others. On television, he\u2019s played as Q in Star Trek: The Next Generation<\/em> and appeared in Breaking Bad, The Librarians, The West Wing, Days of Our Lives, <\/em>and My Little Pony \u2013 Friendship is Magic.<\/em> Actress Marnie Mosiman also contributes to the theatrics of Midsummer, <\/em>and the mischievous Puck will be brought to life in a fitting manifestation of the character\u2019s influence over the events of the play. Vocals will be sung by local performers: soprano Jennifer Bird-Arvidsson and mezzo soprano Abigail Nims, both of whom teach at the University of Colorado Boulder.<\/p>\n Musically, Mendelssohn\u2019s score reflects a well-matched pairing between the Romantic composer and the dreamy world of Shakespeare\u2019s imagination. He was inspired to compose an overture to the piece after reading the play at age 17. The overture was wildly popular and toured around Europe. Years later, at the request of Prussian King Frederick William IV, Mendelssohn wrote 14 additional pieces for a live production of the play. A Midsummer Night\u2019s Dream<\/em> is arguably his most well-loved and recognizable works, typifying the period\u2019s expressive and passionate characteristics.<\/p>\n In an essay for NPR<\/a> published in 2014, American conductor and violinist Marin Alsop wrote how Mendelssohn perfectly captures \u201cthe spirit and essence of Shakespeare.\u201d She describes how well the musical marriage plays out between Shakespeare\u2019s dancing fairies and royal court, and Mendelssohn\u2019s moments of fanfare and whimsical interplays between strings and woodwinds. Alsop writes, \u201cAlong with music, Mendelssohn loved language and was extremely well-read. Within his deft grasp of Shakespeare, he also includes several vocal numbers in the incidental music, representing the actual voices of the fairies.\u201d<\/p>\n For fans of the bard and lovers of classical music alike, A Midsummer Night\u2019s Dream<\/em> invites audiences to an enchanting musical evening.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_cta button_url=”https:\/\/coloradomusicfestival.org\/concert\/a-midsummer-nights-dream-with-john-de-lancie\/” url_new_window=”on” button_text=”Midsummer Tickets” _builder_version=”4.16.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Experience the music and magic of <\/span>A Midsummer Night\u2019s Dream <\/span><\/i>for one night only at Chautauqua Auditorium on July 31. Tickets are on sale now:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_cta][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Jean-Marie Zeitouni conducts Mendelssohn’s Midsummer Night’s Dream \u2014 including its famous Wedding March \u2014 with help from actor John de Lancie and more. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":78,"featured_media":271466,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":" By Natalie Clare<\/p> Shakespeare\u2019s Hermia tells us that love looks not with the eye but with the mind. In the bard\u2019s beloved, fanciful comedy A Midsummer Night\u2019s Dream<\/em>, love and dreams may be one in the same!<\/p> A Midsummer Night\u2019s Dream<\/a><\/em>, with its lyrical prose and poetic sensibilities, lends itself neatly to a musical rendering. The text invites us to glimpse the lives of four Athenians, each in the throes of their own romantic woes. But comedic confusion and magical misunderstandings abound as characters Lysander, Hermia, Demetrius, and Helena experience chance encounters with the fairies of the forest \u2014 encounters that alter the course of their hearts\u2019 desires. The play is Shakespeare\u2019s triumphant ode to love\u2019s potency and the playful surprises it has in store.<\/p> On stage, A Midsummer Night\u2019s Dream<\/em> unfolds against Felix Mendelssohn\u2019s lush and romantic score. The show famously includes the composer\u2019s \u201cWedding March,\u201d which is, arguably, the de-facto music we often think of in relation to traditional ceremonies. (The piece was popularized by Princess Victoria when she wed Prince William of Prussia in 1858.)<\/p>![\"John](\"https:\/\/coloradomusicfestival.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/073122-300x300.jpg\")
Mendelssohn\u2019s A Midsummer Night\u2019s Dream<\/em> captures romantic musical magic.<\/h3>