Ambroise Thomas wrote this comic opera, which has little to do with A Midsummer NightÂ’s Dream; it includes Falstaff, Elizabeth I and Shakespeare all in a strange literary interaction. Thomas fused many of the operatic styles of his day in a skillfully written score. The piece was revived at Compiegne in 1994 to mark the opening of the Channel Tunnel. Noted director and producer Pierre Jourdan has been staging opera since 1968. In 1988, he founded the Theatre Francais de la Musique and the association Pour le Theatre Imperial in the Theatre Imperial de Compiegne. Every year, he directs and produces different lyric works with the mission to rediscover the French musical and lyrical repertoire from the post-baroque to today and to restore an authentic French style to the singers and the orchestras which accompany them. These productions have been triumphantly welcomed by the public and critics alike.