Shakespeare: In Music & Words. Famous musicians, orchestras and actors. Decca 2CDs.
Decca celebrates his 400th anniversary year with a double album compilation that should please all fans of Shakespeare. The first CD has 18 famous classical pieces where the composers took inspiration from Shakespeare's plays and poems. It includes diverse choices such as Tchaikovsky's Love Theme, Prokofiev's Dance of the Knights'', Craig Armstrong's Balcony Scene, and Nino Rota's A Time for Us, all inspired by Romeo and Juliet. Mendelssohn's famous Wedding March along with his No.1 Scherzo (both composed for A Midsummer Night's Dream) are also here.
Vaughan-Williams provides three Shakespeare songs, sung by the Choir of King's College, Cambridge in this musical delight. Bass baritone Bryn Terfel sings Finzi's Come Away, Come Away, Death and also features in a scene from Verdi's opera Falstaff. Soprano Renee Fleming sings Gounod's Ah, je veux vivre from Gounod's Romeo et Juliette, as well as Ave Maria, piena de grazia from Verdi's opera version of Othello.
Other items include Purcell's O let me weep, for ever weep, Finzi's Fear no more the heat of the sun, Walton's Touch her soft lips, and part and Berlioz's Vous Soupirez, Madame.
CD 2 (All the world's a stage) is an archival selection made from the Argo label's recordings of Shakespeare's most famous speeches from plays and sonnets. The 18 fine readings are from actors Richard Pasco, Vanessa Redgrave, Peggy Ashcroft, John Gielgud, Christopher Plummer, etc. Highlights include excerpts from Shakespeare's sonnets, as well as the best-known plays.
Verdict: An impressive 400th salute to Shakespeare.
