Claus Peter Flor is a good conductor of the German standard repertoire, Mendelssohn in particular, and he presents a charming, musical, and lively account of the extended Midsummer Night’s Dream music. The overture has an evocative air of mystery in its introduction, with plenty of rustic high spirits in the main section (if a touch under tempo for my taste), and Flor doesn’t italicize the “hee-haws”. All of the standard numbers–the scherzo, nocturne, and wedding march–come off very well, while Lucia Popp and Marjana Lipovsek make fine soloists. It’s also good to have a generous coupling in the form of the three overtures, all expertly done. The Hebrides has a real sea-breeze blowing through it, as does Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage (at least eventually). Ruy Blas is attractive enough to make us wonder why we don’t hear it more often. Very good sound and warmly up-to-snuff playing from the Bamberg orchestra make this well worth considering, even in a crowded field.
