Music (vocal & instrumental) heard during Shakespeare's lifetime and tied directly to his plays - performed on historical instruments.

25 MP3 Songs
CLASSICAL: Renaissance, CLASSICAL: Early Music

Details:
Measure for Measure: The Music of Shakespeareâs Plays
Americas Musicworks CD 1594

Ensemble Chaconne (Peter H. Bloom, Renaissance flutes; Carol Lewis, viole da gamba; and Olav Chris Henriksen, Renaissance lute) with mezzo-soprano Pamela Dellal

âThe perfect Elizabethan eveningâ The Portland Press Herald
âexcellently played with vitality and characterâ¦style and verve.â MusicWeb International
"...fascinating! For anyone interested in an historically informed perspective on the music of Shakespeare's plays, this disc is a must have!" David Duff, Alabama Public Radio
âImpressiveâ Early Music (U.K.)
âa rich musical experienceâ The Concord Monitor
âpleasingly evocative...as close a glimpse of the musical pleasures accorded Shakespeareâs audiences as we are apt to experience.â Bostonia Magazine
âsplendidly handled⦠â¦the recording balances are excellent⦠delightfulâ¦â Lute News (The English Lute Society)


In this stellar recording, Ensemble Chaconne offers a rare and compelling view of the music Shakespeareâs audiences would have heard, including music by the great composers of his day (Thomas Morley, Robert Johnson, John Dowland, and others), as well as popular tunes of the period. The CD features vivid performances by the acclaimed period-instrument trio, while showcasing Ms. Dellalâs versatility and dramatic flair in a variety of songs from the plays, from love songs and comic antics to madness and tragedy.

Among the many selections are âWillow, Willowâ sung by Desdemona before her murder in Othello; âIt Was a Lover and His Lasseâ (As You Like It); âO Mistress Mineâ (Twelfth Night); âHark, Hark! The Larkâ (Cymbeline); âTake O Take Those Lips Awayâ (Measure for Measure); âFull Fathom Fiveâ (The Tempest), "Go from My Windowâ from Opheliaâs mad scene in Hamlet; and âGreensleeves,â the famous ballad tune quoted in The Merry Wives of Windsor, an allusion to women of ill repute, recognized by their green sleeves.

Celebrating its 23rd season in 2008-2009, ENSEMBLE CHACONNE is dedicated to vivid, historically-informed performance of Renaissance and Baroque music on period instruments. The ensembleâs Measure for Measure was selected as featured concert at the 2002 National Meeting of the American Musicological Society Society and was presented by the Royal Shakespeare Companyâs 2006 residency project at Davidson College. Ensemble Chaconne has concertized widely, appearing at venues such as Atlanta's famed Spivey Hall; Boston's legendary Jordan Hall; the Bach Festival Society of Winter Park, Florida; University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Kenyon College, Bowdoin College, Bostonâs Museum of Fine Arts, and many more.

GUEST ARTIST PAMELA DELLAL has toured the United States, Europe, Australia and Japan and has recorded for Arabesque Records, Artona, BMG, Dorian, Meridian, and KOCH International. Her singing has been called âoutstandingâ (The New York Times) and âlushly fluidâ (The Washington Post), and she has been praised for her âgleaming vocal colors and firm, steady tone, a sure sense of dramatic portrayal and faultless musicianshipâ (The Boston Globe).

ENSEMBLE CHACONNE is managed exclusively by AMERICAS MUSICWORKS
Rebecca DeLamotte, Managing Director
Call Toll Free: 888-887-7169 In Massachusetts: 617-776-8778
Email: delamotte-amw@comcast.net

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