Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night's Dream / Branagh, McNair, Kirchschlager; Abbado
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CD Details
Edition: Music CDCD Release Date: 1996-12-17
Music Label: Sony
Soundtracks:
- Overture, Op. 21
- Incidental Music, Op.61: No. 1 Scherzo
- Incidental Music, Op.61: No. 2 L'istesso Tempo: 'How now, spirit, whither wander you?'
- Incidental Music, Op.61: Fairy March
- Incidental Music, Op.61: No. 3 Song With Chorus
- Incidental Music, Op.61: No. 4 Andante: 'What thou seest when thou dost wake?'
- Incidental Music, Op.61: No. 5 Intermezzo. Allegro Aspassionato: 'This is thy negligence'
- Incidental Music, Op.61: No. 7 Notturno
- Incidental Music, Op.61: No. 8 Andante: 'And now I have the boy'
- Incidental Music, Op.61: No. 9 Wedding March
- Incidental Music, Op.61: Finale. Allegro Di Molto: 'Through the house give glimmering'
- Symphony No. 4 In A major, Op. 90: I. Allegro Vivace
- Symphony No. 4 In A major, Op. 90: II. Andante Con Moto
- Symphony No. 4 In A major, Op. 90: III. Con Moto Moderato
- IV. Salterello. Presto
Music reviews of Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night's Dream / Branagh, McNair, Kirchschlager; Abbado
Music Review: Fine Mendelssohn's "A Midsummer Night's Dream"
Rating: 5 Stars
Claudio Abbado, Berlin Philharmonic, Kenneth Branagh, Sylvia McNair and Angelika Kirchschlager are the main reasons why you should acquire this fine CD of excerpts from Mendelssohn's score for "A Midsummer Night's Dream". Branagh's eloquent acting is evident here again, as though he was a young Sir Laurence Olivier, providing a compelling reading of selected speeches from Shakespeare's play. Soprano Sylvia McNair and mezzo-soprano Angelika Kirschschlager are equally compelling to in their solos. Noted Mendelssohn interpreter Claudio Abbado leads the Berlin Philharmonic in a vibrant performance. Their performance of Mendelssohn's 4th "Italian" symphony is just as fine, though not nearly as revelatory as Abbado's earlier account on Deutsche Grammophon with the London Symphony Orchestra. There is a splendid CD to own if you wish to have a recording of some of Mendelssohn's most compelling orchestral music. However, I would not recommend it to those seeking the best recorded version of the 4th symphony. Yet Sony's sound engineers have produced among their finest recordings of Abbado and the Berlin Philharmonic; only their classic recording of Beethoven's 9th Symphony is better.
Description of Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night's Dream / Branagh, McNair, Kirchschlager; Abbado
Claudio Abbado has a reputation as a fine Mendelssohn conductor, one that he earned in his recording of the complete symphony for DG. As so often happens, he as re-recorded the "Italian" Symphony only a few years later for another label, and this performance is fine, though not better than his earlier one. What may be more appealing for many listeners, however, is the coupling of the music Mendelssohn composed for Shakespeare's play A Midsummer Night's Dream. You've heard this before, even if you don't know it: one of the items is the famous "wedding march." In sum, this disc brings together the composer's most characteristic orchestral scores, so it's perfect for beginners or folks only wanting Mendelssohn's best. --David HurwitzGeneral CDs
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