A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM Britten – Royal Swedish Opera

Two pairs of young lovers, more or less frustrated, flee into the woods to escape conventions and demands and to find their true selves. But the forest is a place not only of freedom, fancy and dreams but also nightmares, chaos and folly. This is the domain of Oberon and his queen Titania, who are in the middle of a marital crisis so serious that nature itself is in a state of imbalance. With his lifelong companion Peter Pears, Benjamin Britten transformed Shakespeare’s play into an operatic libretto and wrote its beautiful, enchanting music. Sorcery, entanglements and distorted perceptions of reality mean that everything is turned upside down for those seeking love in the woods. In Royal Swedish Opera’s new production of Shakespeare’s comic fantasy, a forest is more a psychological location than a physical one. Under the baton of Simon Crawford Phillips and stage direction of Tobias Theorell, the merry tale is transformed into an exploration of the subconscious. This is the post-produced version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which was streamed LIVE on OperaVision on 12 May 2023. The full performance is available until 12 November 2023: CAST Oberon Rodrigo Sosa Dal Pozzo Titania Elin Rombo Puck Robert Fux Bottom Peter Kajlinger Quince Johan Rydh Snug Thorvald Bergström Starveling Jan Sörberg Snout Mikael Stenbaek Flute Michael Axelsson Theseus Kristian Flor Hippolyta Katarina Leoson Hermia Johanna Rudström Helena Vivianne Holmberg Lysander Jihan Shin Demetrius David Risberg Cobweb Anna Danielsson Mustardseed Therese Badman Stenius Peaseblossom Hanna Wåhlin Moth Katarina Böhm Chorus Royal Swedish Opera Chorus Orchestra Royal Swedish Orchestra Music Benjamin Britten Text Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears after William Shakespeare Conductor Simon Crawford Phillips Director Tobias Theorell Sets Lars-Åke Thessman Costumes Magdalena Åberg Lighting Torben Lendorph Choreography Joakim Stephenson Dramaturg Katarina Aronsson OperaVision is a freeview opera streaming platform, supported by the European Union’s Creative Europe programme. Watch live streams as the performances themselves unfold in the opera house. Enjoy a variety of shows - including opera, operetta, musical theatre, dance, ballet and concerts. Opera connaisseur or curious newcomer, there is something for everyone on OperaVision. WEBSITE: FACEBOOK: TWITTER: INSTAGRAM: TIKTOK: @operavision