Samples from Benjamin Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream

If you’re deciding whether or not to come to tomorrow’s optional showing of Benjamin Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, here are a few samples from YouTube to give you a flavor of the music.

I don’t know which staging Larry has on DVD, but there is little chance we will watch one of these specific versions.

Fabrice di Falco as Oberon (2007):

Escolania de Montserrat boys’ choir as fairy chorus (2005):

David Daniels as Oberon (2005):

Inna Dukach as Helena (2004):

Randal Turner as Bottom (2002):

Emails from Larry: How to get extra credit for tomorrow’s showing of Benjamin Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Email 1:

Class starts at 8:30 on Thursday–we’ll be in our regular lecture hall.

Email 2:

Five issues to consider for tomorrow’s extra-credit opera by Benjamin Britten:

1. Britten uses three acts rather than Shakespeare’s five. Why?
2. Britten starts the opera in the wood rather than in Athens. Why?
3. Britten emphasizes the role of the fairies. Why?
4. In Shakespeare’s play, Snug lets us know that the lovers have been married. (p.70, end of Act IV). Britten omits this speech and accordingly alters the action of Shakespeare’s Act V. Why?
5. Onstage last night, the actors left out lines from pp. 86-88. Britten keeps most of these lines (though he gives some of Puck’s on p. 86 to the fairies to sing). Why? (Questions 2 and 5 are related.)

Please print this page and bring it to class tomorrow in you decide to do the extra credit.