Mendelssohn – A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Overture Stravinsky – Pulcinella Suite, and Haydn – “Harmoniemesse”
Stravinsky’s Pulcinella Suite, originally presented as a ballet, will be performed with projections of Pablo Picasso’s set design sketches for the piece.
The Carmel Bach Festival’s 2025 theme, Dialogues, is beautifully expressed through this program, which explores connections across time, culture, and artistic expression. Felix Mendelssohn’s Midsummer Night’s Dream Overture opens the concert, offering a musical interpretation of Shakespeare’s beloved comedy. Mendelssohn’s orchestration captures the interplay between fairies, lovers, and rustic characters, creating a whimsical and dynamic conversation between literature and music.
Igor Stravinsky’s Pulcinella Suite continues the evening’s exploration of dialog, blending the past and present with a modern reimagining of Baroque music. Based on themes attributed to Pergolesi and other composers, Stravinsky infuses the suite with his distinctive wit and rhythmic vitality, creating an interplay between tradition and innovation.
The program concludes with Haydn’s majestic “Harmoniemesse,” his final Mass. This deeply spiritual work, with its rich wind orchestration, represents an intimate dialog between human devotion and divine transcendence. Together, these pieces embody the Festival’s theme, sparking profound conversations that transcend time, culture, and the boundaries of artistic imagination.
Program
MENDELSSOHN Midsummer Night’s Dream, A, op. 21: Overture
STRAVINSKY Pulcinella: Suite (1949 revision)
I. Sinfonia
II. Serenata
III. Scherzino
IV. Tarantella
V. Toccata
IV. Gavotta
VII. Duetto
VIII. Minuetto – Finale
INTERMISSION
HAYDN Mass in B-flat major, H. XXII:14, “Harmoniemesse”
I. Kyrie
II. Gloria
III. Credo
IV. Sanctus
V. Benedictus
VI. Agnus Dei
. . .
Join the Carmel Bach Festival for its 88th season—Dialogues—running July 12-26, 2025. Musicians will explore musical conversations across time via works such as Bach’s Mass in B Minor and The Art of the Fugue, Mozart’s Requiem and “Jupiter” symphony, Haydn’s “Harmoniemesse,” and featured works by Stravinsky and Jessie Montgomery. With 40 events to choose from, there is something for everyone! Browse the full season lineup, purchase tickets, and find information on free community events at www.bachfestival.org.
