When the light fades on a summer鈥檚 evening, something magical starts to happen. Shakespeare knew that, and two centuries later, a German teenager summoned up the same enchantment. Mendelssohn鈥檚 ravishing score for A Midsummer Night鈥檚 Dream is surely music鈥檚 most perfect homage to Shakespeare; conducted by Markus Stenz, it鈥檚 a joyous climax to our season-long tribute to the Bard. But it all starts with Luigi Boccherini and an uproarious night out in 18th century Madrid 鈥� plus the sunlit, hugely popular 21st piano concerto by the one composer guaranteed to give Shakespeare a run for his money.

Prelude: 6.45pm in the Recital Room
Tiffany Stern and Daniel Grimley from Oxford University explore the use of music in Shakespeare鈥檚 play, from the original production to the present day.

There will be no coda after this concert.