Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Classical Music - 4 May 2014

A Midsummer Night's Dream is the subject of Catherine Bott's second programme to mark Shakespeare's 450th birthday.

This week, Catherine Bott continues her four-part exploration into why Shakespeare has been such an inspiration to classical music over the centuries. 

This week, Catherine will be asking what makes A Midsummer Night's Dream such an enticing story for composers. 

She'll be exploring the well-known settings by Mendelssohn and Purcell as well as the rarely-heard incidental music written by Carl Orff, when Nazi Germany banned the playing of Mendelssohn's version. 

There's also a ballet by Elvis Costello, no less, and rock legend Steve Hackett's musical take on the magical comedy.