A Midsummer Night's Dream - Benjamin Britten (1913-1976)

The fairytale forest is an unpredictable place. With the added mischief of supernatural beings and the magic of woodland fairies alighting carelessly on the wrong recipient - especially when it’s a night of “midsummer madness” - William Shakespeare seizes the spell and conjures up his excellent comedy, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which he had performed in London a little before 1600.

This magic is contagious. A dreamlike poetic breeze rose through time to reach Benjamin Britten, who composed one of the finest 20th-century operas. The libretto, written by the composer with tenor Peter Pears, skilfully distils Shakespeare’s plot into three acts, preserving his incomparable verse.

Performed at last at the Opéra de Lausanne for the very first time, this music lights up the English bard’s lyricism, its sensuality casting a spell over us.