A Midsummer Night's Dream (opera)

Britten composed the opera in 1959–60 for the Aldeburgh Festival, writing the title role of Oberon for the countertenor Alfred Deller, whose ethereal voice inspired the role's stratospheric tessitura. The premiere, conducted by the composer, featured a cast including Peter Pears as Lysander and Jennifer Vyvyan as Tytania. The work was commissioned by the festival and quickly entered the international repertory, with productions at Covent Garden and the Metropolitan Opera within a decade.¹

Britten's score juxtaposes sharply contrasted sound worlds: the fairy realm is evoked through high, glassy textures (harps, celesta, and divided strings), while the mechanicals are portrayed with deliberately clumsy, folk-like music. The lovers' music is more lyrical and emotionally volatile. The opera is through-composed, but Britten uses recurring motifs, such as the fairy scherzo and the 'wall' music, to unify the drama. The famous 'Pyramus and Thisbe' play-within-a-play is set as a parody of early opera, complete with recitative and da capo arias.

Oberon, written for a countertenor, is one of the most demanding roles in the repertoire, requiring agility and a sustained high range. Tytania, a coloratura soprano, sings florid lines that mirror Oberon's. The four lovers are lyric voices, while the mechanicals are character tenors and basses. Puck, spoken and sung, is a spoken-role with rhythmic speech, and the role of the changeling boy is silent. The opera's vocal writing reflects Britten's keen understanding of each character's psychological state, from the lovers' confusion to the mechanicals' earnestness.

Britten and Pears cut about half of Shakespeare's text, focusing on the dream-like and erotic elements, and they transposed the order of some scenes. The opera's original ending, with the fairies' blessing, was altered in later revisions. The role of Oberon was originally written for a male alto, but is now often sung by countertenors or mezzo-sopranos. Britten reused the 'I know a bank' music in his later church parable 'The Burning Fiery Furnace'. The opera's premiere recording, conducted by Britten, features Deller and Vyvyan and is considered a historic document.²

Countertenor

A male singer with a high, falsetto-like voice, often used for roles like Oberon.

Coloratura

Elaborate, virtuosic vocal ornamentation, typical of Tytania's music.

Through-composed

A musical structure with continuous music rather than separate numbers.

Da capo aria

An ABA form aria, parodied in the mechanicals' play.