Benjamin Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream is an opera based on the play of the same name by Shakespeare. While preserving most features of the original play, it was, out of necessity, condensed to fit the format of an opera by the composer and Peter Pears(for whom was written the role of Flute). It received its premiere on 11 June 1960 at the Aldeburgh Festival. Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten of Aldeburgh, OM (November 22, 1913 – December 4, 1976) was a British composer, conductor and pianist. ... The foyer of Charles Garniers Opéra, Paris, opened 1875 Opera refers to a dramatic art form, originating in Europe, in which the emotional content is conveyed to the audience as much through music, both vocal and instrumental, as it is through the lyrics. ... A Midsummer Nights Dream is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare written sometime in the mid-1590s. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... A composer is a person who writes music. ... Peter Neville Luard Pears (June 22, 1910 – April 3, 1986) was an English tenor and life-long partner of the composer Benjamin Britten. ... June 11 is the 162nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (163rd in leap years), with 203 days remaining. ... 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1960 calendar). ... The Aldeburgh Festival is an English festival, largely revolving around classical music. ...

Britten skillfully delineated the three tiers of characters, the rustics being given folk-like "simple" music, the lovers a more noble sound-world and the fairies being represented in a very ethereal way. Almost all of the action now takes place in the woods around Athens, and the fairies inhabit a much more prominent place in the drama. The comic performance by the rustics of Pyramus and Thisbe at the final wedding takes on an added dimension as a parody of nineteenth century Italian opera. Athens (Greek: Αθήνα Athína IPA ) is the capital of Greece and one of the most famous cities in the world. ... For the asteroid, see 88 Thisbe. ...

Among the opera's notable innovations are these: a countertenor lead(Oberon), a chorus of boy trebles, and the role of Puck being spoken throughout.

The plot of the opera follows that of the play, with several alterations. The whole of Shakespeare's Act 1 is cut, compensated for by the opera's only added line: "Compelling thee to marry with Demetrius." Therefore much greater precedence is given to the wood, and to the fairies. This is also indicated by the opening Portamenti strings, and by the ethereal countertenor voice that is Oberon, the male lead.

The opera opens with a wonderful chorus, "Over hill, over dale" from Tytania's attendants, represented(as said above)by boy trebles. Other highlights include Oberon's beautifully florid aria,"I know a bank"(inspired by Purcell's "Sweeter than roses", which Britten had previously arranged for Pears to sing), Tytania's equally florid "Come now, a roundel", the chorus's energetic "You spotted snakes", the hilarious comedy of "Pyramus and Thisbe", and the final trio for Oberon, Tytania and the chorus.

The part of Oberon was created by Alfred Deller.Britten wrote specifically for his voice, which, although ravishingly lyrical, was weak in the high notes. Listen carefully and you will note that Oberon almost never has to sing both high and forte.

The original play is an anomaly among Shakespeare's works, in that is very little concerned with character, and very largely concerned with psychology.Britten follows this to a large extent, but subtly alters the psychological focus of the work. The introduction of a chorus of boy-fairies means that the opera becomes greatly concerned with the theme of purity. It is these juvenile fairies who eventually quell the libidinous activities of the quartet of lovers,as they sing a beautiful melody on the three "motto chords"of the second act:"Jack shall have Jill/Naught shall go ill/The man shall have his mare again/And all shall be well." Sung by boys, this goes beyond irony, and represents an idealized vision of a paradise of innocence and purity that Britten seems to have been captivated by throughout his life.

Britten parodied operatic convention in less obvious ways than "Pyramus and Thisbe". Like many other operas, "A Midsummer Night's Dream" opens with a chorus, but it is a chorus of unbroken boys' voices, singing in unison. After this comes the entrance of the prima donna and the male lead, who is as far away as possible from Wagner's heldentenors, and as close as it is possible to get to Handel's castrati of the 18th century. Britten's treatment of Puck also suggests parody. In opera, the hero's assistant is traditionally sung by baritones, yet here we have an adolescent youth who speaks, rather than sings.

The opera originally received an extremely mixed critical assesement: one reviewer labelled it "dreadful", while many others praised it to the skies. Now it is widely accepted as one of Britten's masterworks. It is often performed, including in the November of 2005 at London's Royal Opera House. There are many different recordings available.