SHAKESPEARE 400 - The music that has Influenced or inspired Composers

[BBMmk2]

There are no, from what I have seen, threads, on the theme of Shakespeare 400, or even music that have inspired composers to write some of the most famous works in the repertoire? Or even works that are not. It be interesting to see what forumiters have to say!

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

There are no, from what I have seen, threads, on the theme of Shakespeare 400, or even music that have inspired composers to write some of the most famous works in the repertoire? Or even works that are not. It be interesting to see what forumiters have to say!

I'm sure you meant to say "apart from Ferney's marvellous Thread on tomorrow night's Hear & Now Thread - 'Sounds of Shakespeare'", DIDN'T YOU, Bbm?

[BBMmk2]

I'm sure you meant to say "apart from Ferney's marvellous Thread on tomorrow night's Hear & Now Thread - 'Sounds of Shakespeare'", DIDN'T YOU, Bbm?

Ofcourse Ferney!

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

[EdgeleyRob]

There are no, from what I have seen, threads, on the theme of Shakespeare 400, or even music that have inspired composers to write some of the most famous works in the repertoire? Or even works that are not. It be interesting to see what forumiters have to say!

Apart from Ferney's marvellous Thread on tomorrow night's Hear & Now Thread - 'Sounds of Shakespeare' BBM

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I really did not like what R3 is offering this evening. Much more to my liking are the Three Songs from William Shakespeare: "Musick to Heare", "Full Fadom Five" and "When Daisies Pied". Exquisite.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAiTpJzDV-c

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrUAYGBaRQI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4BXir37ox0

[gurnemanz]

Reading Elizabeth Wilson's book has inspired me to listen to a lot of lesser-known Shostakovich recently. In 1942 having been evacuated from St Petersburg to the easterly Kuibyshev he set Shakespeare's Sonnet 66 ... "Art made tongue-tied by Authroity" in Pasternak's translation. (I have this CD).
Also I've just acquired DVDs of the two memorable Shakespeare films he wrote music for: Hamlet and Lear. I got a good value Threefer here

[DracoM]

Oh dear, I'm afraid I that was all a bit limp.
I'm a Shakespeare fanatic, and this left me feeling very let down.

Wish they'd had a proper Shak play. More fitting, plus music in context.............?

......crumbs, never thought I'd be saying this about a Shakespeare programme on R3.

[BBMmk2]

With perhaps Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, and others, there are some fabulous recordings that were inspired by Shakespeare. I do rather like Previn's and Gergiev's account of Prokovief's Romeo and Juliet. Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet, now there some rasther goopd recordings out there of this! Any favourites, here. And other lesser known ones, please?

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Berlioz: Beatrice & Benedict - one of my favourite works by one of my favourite composers.
Nicolai: The Merry Wives of Windsor - great fun; the Overture is well-known, but the entire opera is smashing.

and, of course:

Verdi: Otello and Falstaff

I've never really "clicked" with Britten's AMSND, but some of the pieces Mendelssohn wrote for the play are amongst his very best.

[aeolium]

I saw an excellent open-air production of AMSND at the Salisbury Festival many years back, and it was notable for including the full incidental music played by the City of London Sinfonia under Richard Hickox. That music really does work best in its context (though the overture is a fine stand-alone piece). I think the Britten opera is one of my favourites of his stage works, and I wonder whether Weber's Oberon can also be said to be indirectly influenced by the WS play; the Wieland poem that was the basis for its libretto drew on Shakespeare among other influences.

Otello is my favourite Verdi opera by a long way. The recording of Furtwängler's Salzburg Festival performance with Ramon Vinay is a great one, and the Karajan DVD with Jon Vickers is also memorable.

But in general I would say I don't think Shakespeare has been as well served in musical settings as Goethe, who has inspired many great songs, La Damnation de Faust which I prefer to any of Berlioz's Shakespeare works, Schumann's underrated Scenes, Mahler 8, Doktor Faust etc. But that's getting a bit OT, and perhaps not appropriate for this day.

[ahinton]

What was even less appropriate for this day was John Humphrys on this morning's Today programme referring to it as the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's birth - and not even being picked up on it!

Anyway, as you were...

[BBMmk2]

Well there's noting else quite like this. I mean both birth and death dates, on the same day, and Shakespeare, as well!

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Well there's noting else quite like this. I mean both birth and death dates, on the same day

Yes - Anne really shouldn't have got him that cardigan.

[ardcarp]

What was even less appropriate for this day was John Humphrys on this morning's Today programme referring to it as the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's birth - and not even being picked up on it!

I heard that too,. How extraordinary. I regret to say I was a sixth former when we celebrated (what we called) the quatercentenary of Shakespeare's birth. The whole school went mad over it at the time...in contrast to yesterday which one of my g-kids said had not even been mentioned at their school. Such is the emphasis on bloody exams, targets and league-tables.

Enjoyed the Skidmore/Ex Cathedra In Concert yesterday evening, BTW.