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    Midsummers Nights Dream

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    oweng225
    Benjamin Britten's opera "A Midsummer Night's Dream" is based on Shakespeare's play of the same name. It has a libretto co-written by Britten and his partner Peter Peers. The opera features characters from the play like Oberon, Titania, Puck, and lovers Lysander, Demetrius, and Hermia set in a fairy land forest and Theseus' palace. The through-composed score is divided into three acts set across the woodland and palace. The orchestration involves a variety of woodwind, brass and string instruments along with a stage band. While there is little dance, the opera does involve men prancing around the stage as characters.

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    Midsummers Nights Dream

    Uploaded by

    oweng225
    8 views2 pages
    Benjamin Britten's opera "A Midsummer Night's Dream" is based on Shakespeare's play of the same name. It has a libretto co-written by Britten and his partner Peter Peers. The opera features characters from the play like Oberon, Titania, Puck, and lovers Lysander, Demetrius, and Hermia set in a fairy land forest and Theseus' palace. The through-composed score is divided into three acts set across the woodland and palace. The orchestration involves a variety of woodwind, brass and string instruments along with a stage band. While there is little dance, the opera does involve men prancing around the stage as characters.

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    Benjamin Britten's opera "A Midsummer Night's Dream" is based on Shakespeare's play of the same name. It has a libretto co-written by Britten and his partner Peter Peers. The opera features characters from the play like Oberon, Titania, Puck, and lovers Lysander, Demetrius, and Hermia set in a fairy land forest and Theseus' palace. The through-composed score is divided into three acts set across the woodland and palace. The orchestration involves a variety of woodwind, brass and string instruments along with a stage band. While there is little dance, the opera does involve men prancing around the stage as characters.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
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    8 views2 pages

    Midsummers Nights Dream

    Uploaded by

    oweng225
    Benjamin Britten's opera "A Midsummer Night's Dream" is based on Shakespeare's play of the same name. It has a libretto co-written by Britten and his partner Peter Peers. The opera features characters from the play like Oberon, Titania, Puck, and lovers Lysander, Demetrius, and Hermia set in a fairy land forest and Theseus' palace. The through-composed score is divided into three acts set across the woodland and palace. The orchestration involves a variety of woodwind, brass and string instruments along with a stage band. While there is little dance, the opera does involve men prancing around the stage as characters.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
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    Britten : Midsummers Nights Dream

    Composed by: Benjamin Britten (1913-1976)


    Premiered 1960

    About the Libretto:

    Composed by Britten, with a collaboration from his partner Peter Peers, based off of a
    Shakespeare play of the same title.

    Characters:

    Obern (King of the Fairies) – Countertenor


    Tatiana (queen of the Fairies) – Soprano
    Puck – Spoken
    Cobweb – unspecified
    Mustardseed – Unspecified
    Moth – Unspecified
    Peaseblossom – Unspecified
    Lysander – Tenor
    Demetrius – Baritone
    Hernia – Mezzo
    Helena – Soprano
    Theseus – Bass
    Hippolyta – contralto
    Bottom – bass baritone
    Quince – Carpenter
    Flute – Tenor
    Snug – Bass
    Snout – Tenor
    Starveling – Baritone

    The setting

    The Opera is set in the Fairy Land in the deep wood as well as Theseus’ Palace

    Score Breakdown

    Act 1 – The wood (Deepening Twilight)


    Act 2 – The wood (Dark Night)
    Act 3 – The wood (morning), Theseus Palace. (2 scenes)

    The Piece is “throughcomposed”

    The Opera Does not have a large chorus, but rather a few pages as well as minor characters (NO
    WOMENS CHORUS)
    Orchestration

    Two Flutes
    Oboe
    One Bb Clarinet
    One A Clarinet
    Bassoon
    Two Horns
    Trumpet in D
    Trombone
    Percussion
    2 Harps
    Harpsichord
    Celesta
    Strings (4.2.2.2.2)

    Stage Band comprised of Recorders, Woodblocks, and Finger Cymbals

    Movement in this Opera

    This opera doesn’t have much dance dance but there is a large amount of grown men prancing
    around stage

    Problems with this opera:

    Ngl this opera is pretty chill

    Owen’s magical rating

    9.8634/10

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