Met Opera A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Britten)
Approximate running time 3 hrs. 35 min.
"Superbly cast and beautifully conducted by James Conlon...The young cast was as good as any the Met has fielded for Britten in years, led by Iestyn Davies, calmly commanding as Oberon... Mr. Davies is fearsomely eloquent and velvety in the middle and low parts of his voice...Kathleen Kim sang Tytania, the fairy queen, with fresh, sensuous lyricism."
"The quartet of misbegotten human lovers was wonderful: the tenor Joseph Kaiser as Lysander, the baritone Michael Todd Simpson a resonant Demetrius, the soprano Erin Wall bright-voiced as Helena and, most memorably, Elizabeth DeShong as Hermia, her mezzo-soprano creamy and her acting memorable in slapstick and heartache."
"The mechanicals, too, were excellent, particularly the rich-toned, thoughtful bass Matthew Rose as Bottom and the agile tenor Barry Banks as Flute. Riley Costello brought a provocatively bitter edge to Puck, which Britten wrote for a nonsinging acrobat."
— New York Times
"The performance is crisp, lithe and vivid...Iestyn Davies brings a charismatic, animated presence to the vengeful king Oberon...Kathleen Kim handles her high-flying part with cool-toned ease...The children’s chorus is exacting and energetic in percussive interludes...Matthew Rose is spot-on with his voluminous bass, his adroit physical presence and his embrace of the character’s self-aggrandizing tendencies."
—The Star-Ledger
Production a gift of the Edgar Foster Daniels Foundation
1:15 p.m.
Felix Mendelssohn
A Midsummer Night's Dream Opus 61
Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment; Charles Mackerras, conductor
1:38 p.m.
Vaclav Pichl
Violin Concerto in D major Opus 3/1
Prague Chamber Orchestra Gabriela Demeterova, violin
1:57 p.m.
Oskar Bohme
Trumpet Concerto Opus 18
Czech Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra; Arnie Roth, conductor George Vosburgh, trumpet
2:15 p.m.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Symphony No. 18 in F major K 130 (FROM THE RUSSELL KLETZING COLLECTION)
Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields; Neville Marriner, conductor Murray Perahia, piano
2:36 p.m.
Johann Sebastian Bach
English Suite No. 1 in A major BWV 806
Murray Perahia, piano