Intermezzo from A Midsummer Night's Dream

Intermezzo from A Midsummer Night's Dream by Felix Bartholdy Mendelssohn (1809-1847). Arranged by Brian Slawson. Mallet Ensemble. For 2 glockenspiel, 1 vibraphone, 1 small marimba (4-octave), 1 medium marimba, (shared 4.3-octave), 1 large marimba (shared 5-octave) (8 players). Percussion Ensembles. Advanced. Score and CD-ROM (containing printable parts). 16 pages. Duration 2'20". Published by Tapspace Publications (TA.TSPCE-59).

In 1843, while serving as music director at the Academy of Arts in Berlin, Mendelssohn completed the incidental music for Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream at the behest of King Frederick of Prussia. Incidental music most commonly appears between acts of a stage play or even between movements of a large-scale musical work. Even so, such pieces have often become perennial hits, such as Mendelssohn's classic, Wedding March (also from A Midsummer Night's Dream). The Intermezzo (Allegro appassionato) follows Act II and expresses one's crazed search for a bewitched lover. According to Mendelssohn's notes in the score, "Hernia seeks Lysander and loses herself in the wood." Although Intermezzo will never compete with Wedding March on the Hit Parade, it possesses a mystical, magical quality that presents unique challenges when performed in the percussion arena. Brian Slawson's percussion arrangement is both subtle and challenging, and brings a unique way for modern mallet ensembles to recreate Mendelssohn's magic. This piece comes with a full, bound score and includes a CD-Rom containing an audio recording and all individual parts available for printing.