Oberon

Opera by CARL MARIA VON WEBER, 1826, first produced in London, the composer conducting. The plot shares characters with Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Oberon is King of the Elves, and Titania his Queen. There are numerous exotic characters springing up here and there. Oberon's appointed task in life is to find a pair of lovers undeterred by any misadventure. He succeeds with the help of his magic horn. There is a grand reunion at the end, at the court of Charlemagne.

The LIBRETTO is magnificent in its absurdity. The glorious overture survives on the concert podium, but the opera is rarely performed in its entirety.