Mendelssohn: The Hebrides Overture / Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage / A Midsummer Night's Dream

Following their critically acclaimed first album, dedicated to Felix Mendelssohn’s Symphonies Nos. 3 and 5 (Trophées Radio Classique, Amadeus d’oro and numerous other awards), conductor Maxim Emelyanychev and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra have devoted themselves to a second recording, comprising three works inspired by the composer’s literary passion. The program opens with the timeless Hebrides Overture – the result of an enthusiasm for Sir Walter Scott that led to a journey to Scotland. The program continues with the Goethe-inspired overture “Calm Sea and Happy Journey” and concludes with the Shakespeare stage music for “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” a work full of magic and mystery, whose “Wedding March” is perhaps the most famous melody in the world. Perhaps fittingly, this album adds another dimension to the ever-closer partnership between Maxim and the SCO. Hilary Cronin, Rowan Pierce and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra Chorus sing the vocal parts in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”