Overture to A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Op. 21 Felix Mendelssohn

Inspired by Shakespeare’s play, Felix Mendelssohn's score for “A Midsummer Night's Dream” is probably the most famous incidental music ever written. The Overture opens with four of the most evocative chords in music which beguilingly invite the listener into the magical forest outside. Scurrying bouncing strings depict the fairies darting through the woods, and the full orchestra proclaims the noble lovers' music. A series of accented, forceful chords in the low strings and brass pound out an earthy rhythm before the orchestra gives us a musical mischievous magic that has transformed one character into an ass. The development section starts again with fairies, after which Mendelssohn recapitulates the theme for the lovers. With the ass’ hee-hawing, a passage of gentle modulation in the winds opens the end theme of the piece. The strings play a serenely beautiful transformation of the lovers' theme before the overture ends as it began, with those four magical chords.

孟德爾頌：《仲夏夜之夢》序曲, 作品 21

來自莎士比亞戲劇的靈感，孟德爾頌譜出了繪影繪聲「仲夏夜之夢」序曲，一首留傳至今非常出名的劇場配樂。序曲以四個清徹夢幻般的和絃帶領聽眾進入魔法森林，弦樂器細密的運弓描繪著精靈在叢林中飛舞；接著貴族對戀人愛的表示，清楚地由整個樂團宣告出來。一系列強而有力的和絃，由低音弦樂及銅管樂，展現出大地的脈動；緊著是一個惡作劇的魔法，把劇中的一個角色變成驢子。飛舞的精靈索引出發展部，孟德爾頌在此段中概述戀人間的情話。在驢子的慨歎聲下，木管樂優雅的變奏引領出完結主題部份，最後安詳而緩慢的情話重現在弦樂，整個序曲在四個夢幻般的和絃下完結。