Roger Quilter (1877-1953)
Five Shakespeare Songs, op. 23
Three Shakespeare Songs, op. 6
Four shakespeare Songs, op. 40

Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1897-1957)
Songs of the Clown, op. 29

Gerald Finzi (1901-1956)
Let Us Garlands Bring, op. 18

Krzysztof Bobrzecki, baryton
Anna Mikolon, piano

Music was one of the key elements of a dramatic performance in the Shakespearean theatre. Its usage compensated for staging deficiencies resulting from obscure lighting and simplistic stage design. In the works of contemporary playwrights, the relationship between music and the on-stage action was frequently of minor importance, but Shakespeare never perceived music as an external entity. On the contrary, he tended to integrate it with his characters and plot. Alongside the purely instrumental music used to accompany feasts and banquets, herald the entrance of a king, or to illustrate a battle or a duel, his plays also made use of vocal music. The abundant and varied legacy of music associated with Shakespeare is grounded in its necessity in stage productions throughout the centuries. In addition to this, there are equally numerous autonomous compositions that hint at his oeuvre. In practical terms, all these types of legacy have generated an uncountable number of musical pieces, including songs, symphonies, ballets, operas, musicals and film music, as well as jazz and popular music.