A Midsummer Night's Dream at Komische Oper Berlin

Uproar in the land of the fairies: Queen Titania refuses to hand over King Oberon’s favourite plaything. He is determined to take revenge, but unfortunately he entrusts the task to his mischievous court jester Puck, who administers the magic potion to the wrong person, and as a result the two pairs of lovers strolling through the forest become embroiled in passion for the wrong partner. Absolute chaos results, and now Puck is instructed to put things right. Although Titania is not going to escape unscathed…

Benjamin Britten (who would have been 100 years old in November 2013) chose one of the most amusing yet profound of Shakespeare's works as the basis for what must be his most famous opera. The colourful instrumentation, the poetic musical language, and an original cast (Oberon as counter tenor, Puck as a speaking role) lead us straight into a fantastic, magical world. On top of which, with the famous labourers’ scene Britten created an enchanting operatic parody.