Mendelssohn isn’t stuffy

Sometimes classical music gets the reputation of being “stuffy.”

But that’s really not fair – once you get to know the music and the story behind it, it’s as amazing and exhilarating as anything in the world.

Let’s take Felix Mendelssohn and his musical setting for Shakespeare’s comedy A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

First of all, what is it? William Shakespeare wrote a play around 1596 called A Midsummer Night’s Dream, a comedy involving eloping lovers, fairies, a magical flower love potion, a wedding, and a guy whose head gets turned into a donkey.

In 1827, a German teenager named Felix Mendelssohn was so inspired by it that he wrote an incredible piece of music he titled the Overture to A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Usually an overture is the first piece of music in a full-length opera. By this time Felix had already written five operas — no big deal for a 17-year-old, of course.

But it wasn’t until 1843, 16 years later, that Mendelssohn finally got around to writing the rest of the music for A Midsummer Night’s Dream — because the King of Prussia asked him to. That’s a request you don’t turn down.

The music he wrote was a huge hit, and we can thank Mendelssohn for this iconic piece of music, the Wedding March:

And you’ll be carried away with the soaring, jubilant overture:

Don’t miss your chance to see it in person with New West Symphony and actors from Kingsmen Shakespeare Company who are performing lines from the play!

Plus, you’ll see Brundibár, a short children’s opera with its own unique story from the Holocaust, yet encouraging faith in human kind.

February 29 in Thousand Oaks and March 1 in Camarillo! Tickets start at $30.