The natural musicality of Shakespeare's writing and the intense emotion in his plays continues to influence and inspire music. You’ll hear dances from the spirits in The Tempest; soldier’s songs from Henry V; yearning declarations of love from Measure for Measure; mad songs from King Lear; and music such as Purcell’s The Fairy Queen, written to go alongside productions of Shakespeare plays.

Focussing on the mid- to late-17th Century settings of Shakespeare, Dramma per Musica bring music from a golden age of English composition in which composers broke with older forms to realise a more dramatic and rhetorical style of delivering text. Featuring Henry Purcell, Henry Lawes and Matthew Locke, this programme showcases gems of restoration theatre music.

Going one step further, they attempt to restore the performance of a monologue from Hamlet using Joshua Steele’s unique speech notation, bringing the sound not only of the musicians but also the actor's declamation from the 18th century to 2021.

Supported by The Musicians' Company

Tickets and more info: http://www.barnesmusicfestival.com/event-information#friday-28-may