I am hopping mad! The movie was good-surely great shakes.

Of course, the underlying music "borrowed" lock, stock and barrel for the
film of Shakespeare's "Midsummer Night's Dream" is Mendelssohn's, Barenboim
(eh!) and Ozawa (well it sounded great as background music-I wouldn't want
to be disillusioned by listening to it at a concert).  SONY released the
sound track to tie in with the movie.

Now, the "composer"-that's what title some grandiose nincompoop steals-for
his "deft" use of Felix by patching and "composing" Mendelssohn-like
bridges to "fit" the action on screen.  For this feat of breath-taking
creative genius, this Englishman whose talent is apparently an unlimited
supply of Scotch Tape gets the opening credits for the music score.  His
name occupies one whole screen in the opening titles, when the audience
attention is glued up at HIS NAME.

For me, the high point of the movie is the scene when the Duke and Duke-ess
march into their little theater for the play within the play to the most
triumphant and joyful music ever written-Mendelssohn's Wedding March from
same.  This echt film "composer" has good taste, but so do millions of
us--o.k., a few pathetic hundred of thousands of us.  My name should have
gone up on the screen.  Hell, I would have chosen the Wedding March, too.
That's a no brainer.

The score is also a pastiche from Verdi, Rossini, Bellini and Mozart
operas.  In fact, this musical concoction and the location of filming
in rural Tuscany are the best things about the film, others than its
straightforward handling of Shakespeare.  The American cast of superstars
just read the words.  They don't try to sound like they've played
Shakespeare regularly at Stratford.

The credits at the end go on for an eternity.  Lightening, hair stylists,
the union, the Italian film commission or whatever, you name it.  By now,
the audience has stampeded out.  The theater is empty.  The last credit
reads "Mendelssohn, "Overture and Incidental Music to the Midsummer Night's
Dream." For this, you need high-powered binoculars if you aren't right up
against the wraparound screen.

I am no believer that "Immortal Beloved" or this movie will transform these
middle-aged fox-trotters into classical music lovers.  But, at least, they
might listen for a while to the Mendelssohn on that overpriced lazy-susan
SONY disk.  The music might waft out their open windows and some
five-year-old dragging his red wagon past this house of no particular
character might just catch the bug.

May these arrogant, petty ^%$#@ loose their shirts on this investment and
that "composer" have an LSD-induced bad dream that fries his brain!

P.S.  If you can take the sound (circa 1805), try to get your hands on the
Rodzinski conducting the Cleveland Orchestra or the Mengelberg.

I am no uncritical lover of Toscanini, but here he is tops.

They are plenty of wonderful versions:  Szell, Stokowski, Maag, Ormandy
(what a treat in pure sound!).  Those of you who need original instruments
you're on your own.  But don't blame me if it just vanishes one night and
you wake up to find it was all a dream.

How dare they!
The self-appointed Mendelssohn Defender
Andrew E. Carlan