An illustrated scene from Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, the play Mendelssohn celebrates in his expansive, beautiful Overture in E major, Op. 21. Hulton Archive/Getty Images hide caption
Felix Mendelssohn Felix Mendelssohn artist page: interviews, features and/or performances archived at NPR Music
Felix Mendelssohn
Riccardo Muti leads the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in a concert of powerhouse orchestral works at Carnegie Hall. AJ Wilhelm for NPR Music hide caption
Carnegie Hall Live: The Chicago Symphony Plays A Colorful Concert
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Titania awakes clinging rapturously to Bottom, still wearing the donkey's head, in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Mendelssohn wrote music for a production of the play in 1843. Henry Fuseli/Getty Images hide caption
An engraving of composer Felix Mendelssohn, c. 1840. Hulton Archive/Getty Images hide caption
A wedding ceremony: as close as many of us get to the theatrical stage. iStock hide caption
Which composers would you invite to your Thanksgiving table? iStockphoto.com hide caption
The Nashville Symphony celebrates the return to its acoustically rich concert hall after last spring's devastating flood. Harry Butler hide caption
"What's the first piece of classical music you fell in love with?" The question launched a blog, and an avalanche of powerful stories. Getty Images hide caption
British soprano Kate Royal grew up in a pop-music household, but found her way to classical music and opera. courtesy of the artist hide caption
Hear Kate Royal In Concert With The L.A. Philharmonic
The Octet, which Mendelssohn wrote when he was only 16, continues to inspire with its originality and genius. Wikimedia Commons hide caption
Hear What Makes The Octet So Great
Felix Mendelssohn. Wikimedia Commons hide caption
NPR at Aspen: The Jupiter Quartet
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