Opening Night: Mendelssohn's A Midsummer Night's Dream

Gil Shaham, violin; Bebe Neuwirth, narrator; Orchestra of St. Luke's; Roberto Abbado, conductor.

Program: Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64; Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night's Dream (selections)

Mendelssohn’s masterful incidental music to A Midsummer Night’s Dream was begun as a teenager (the Overture) and completed toward  the end of Mendelssohn’s life. He evokes the fantastical, supernatural whimsy found in Shakespeare’s characters. Readings of excerpts of Shakespeare’s play will contextualize this symphonic masterpiece, from the iconic Wedding March to the unforgettable scherzo. Conductor Roberto Abbado leads the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, and violin virtuoso Gil Shaham makes a special appearance in Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto.

Location: Venetian Theater, at Caramoor

Tickets: $15, $21, $36, $51, $66, $85

Opening Night Gala tickets including pre-concert cocktails, dinner, plus prime seats at the concert and After Dark Party; tickets begin at $600; for more info or to make a reservation, please email events@caramoor.org or call Special Events office: (914) 232-1492.