A Midsummer Night's Dream: Incidental Music, Op. 61; Finale: Oh glimmering light: Full Orchestra, Chorus with Ensemble, Conductor Score & Parts

This finale sits at the heart of the most frequently performed incidental music in the repertoire, yet it offers orchestras and choruses a chance to realize one of music's most enchanting dramatic narratives. The writing balances technical accessibility with sophisticated harmonic color, allowing musicians at advanced-intermediate levels to sound genuinely accomplished while executing music of real artistic substance. Ending with the iconic four-chord benediction that opens the work creates a satisfying architectural completeness that audiences recognize immediately.

A shimmering descent into the otherworldly, where fairies bid farewell to the mortal world through luminous, floating choral writing. The music glows with Mendelssohn's characteristic elegance while Puck's final words cut through with theatrical clarity, leaving the listener suspended between enchantment and resolution.

Orchestras and choruses at the advanced high school and college levels, as well as community orchestras with experienced musicians. This finale works best when the ensemble has sung or played other movements from the complete incidental music, but it can also stand effectively on its own program.

• Establish the conductor's clear beat during the choral entrance; women's voices and soloists need precise ensemble entry points, and the orchestral accompaniment responds directly to their phrasing.
• Let the fairy chorus recede naturally as written, using diminuendo and slightly slower tempo to create the illusion of distance without losing ensemble cohesion.
• Balance the soprano and alto soloists with the women's chorus so that their opening dialogue remains audible; these lines carry the dramatic weight of the passage.
• Shape the final four chords with full resonance; they function as both conclusion and benediction, requiring sustained intensity and unified dynamic control across the full ensemble.

Program this as the finale to a concert built around Shakespeare adaptations, fairy tales, or Romantic-era orchestral literature. It pairs beautifully with the complete incidental music (whether performed in full or in selections) and creates a natural climax when coupled with the overture and Wedding March. The chorus, soloists, and orchestra requirement makes it ideal for spring concerts that showcase the full ensemble's capabilities.

• Conducting clarity and independence in mixed ensemble textures (orchestra, chorus, and soloists)
• Choral balance and diction in a major orchestral setting
• Orchestral color and transparency in Romantic-era harmonic writing
• Dramatic pacing and recitative-like phrasing in the choral and solo passages
• Ensemble cohesion across different instrumental and vocal sections