Lyon National Opera

Benjamin Britten, A Midsummer Night’s Dream


This operatic version of A midsummer night’s dream by Benjamin Britten (1913-1976) and his companion Peter Pears retains little of the rarefied feel of Shakespeare’s mythic Athens. Instead, with the strings launching into hypnotic glissandi in the very first bars, the work plunges headfirst into dream-like fantasy, sexual fluidity and the bittersweet taste of vulnerable innocence which was the hallmark of the British composer who was also one of the 20th century’s finest dramaturgists. With its intense physical humour, this production by the Canadian director, Robert Carsen, premiered at Aix-en-Provence in 1991 and is now considered a classic. It is conducted by the talented Konstantinos Karydis {Kh.G].


The performances are dedicated to the memory of Miltiadis Karydis on the tenth anniversary of his death.