Stan Metzger, Seen and Heard International

February 26, 2014

The magician here was Jordi Savall, both Oberon and Prospero to the musicians and actors. From the opening orchestral salvo to the hand-clapping encore, everything meshed in a perfect harmony seldom experienced at other such events.

The program featured masques and incidental music from Shakespeare’s two most phantasmic plays, The Tempest and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Before each musical segment, a short introduction was given and an excerpt was performed, which helped one put the music that followed into a more meaningful context. Starting with selections from Robert Johnson’s music written to accompany Shakespeare’s own productions, the program mesmerized.

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