To celebrate 400 years of William Shakespeare, Decca presents a stunning 2 disc set of music inspired by the Bard as well as highlights of his greatest written work. This double CD package also includes a delightful 12-Page Booklet that features a note by Professor Gordon McMullan, Kings College, plus a timeline of key events.

Remastered from the original Argo recordings, Shakespeare In Music & Words is 36 tracks that range from 'Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet, Op.64 - Act 1 - Dance Of the Knights' by Lorin Maazel & The Cleveland Orchestra, and 'Gounod: Roméo et Juliette, CG 9 / Act 1 - "Ah, je veux vivre"' by the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Renée Fleming and Sir Charles Mackerras, on trough to such incredible gems as 'Benedict Confesses His Love (From "Much Ado About Nothing")' by Christopher Plummer and Geraldine McEwan, 'Epilogue (From "As You Like It")' by Vanessa Redgrave, and both 'Purcell: The Fairy Queen, Z.629 / Part 3: The Sweet Passion - "O Let Me Weep, For Ever Weep"' by Benjamin Britten and English Chamber Orchestra and Jennifer Vyvyan, and 'Lear And His Fool On The Heath (From "King Lear")' by Donald Sinden and Paul Whitworth.

Disc: 1
1. Dance Of the Knights - The Cleveland Orchestra, Lorin Maazel
2. Fear no more the heat of the sun - Amy Dickson, Aurora Orchestra, Nicholas Collon
3. "Ah, je veux vivre" - Renée Fleming, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Charles Mackerras
4. Theme From Romeo & Juliet - A Time For Us - André Rieu
5. No.1 Scherzo - L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Ernest Ansermet
6. "O Let Me Weep, For Ever Weep" - Jennifer Vyvyan, English Chamber Orchestra, Benjamin Britten
7. "Falstaff!" - "Olà!" - "Sir John Falstaff!" - Enrico Facini, Bryn Terfel, Anthony Mee, Anatolij Kotscherga, Berliner Philharmoniker, Claudio Abbado
8. Balcony Scene - Czech National Symphony Orchestra, Prague, Paul Bateman
9. "Ave Maria, piena di grazia" - Renée Fleming, London Symphony Orchestra, Georg Solti
10. Come Away, Come Away, Death - Bryn Terfel, Malcolm Martineau
11. Coro di Profughi Scozzesi: "Patria oppressa" - Chicago Symphony Chorus, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Georg Solti
12. Touch her soft lips, and part; - Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Andrew Litton
13. Wedding March - Peter Hurford
14. "Vous soupirez, madame?" - "Nuit paisible et sereine!" - April Cantelo, Helen Watts, London Symphony Orchestra, Colin Davis
15. Full Fathom Five - The Choir of King's College, Cambridge, David Willcocks
16. The Cloud-capp'd Towers - The Choir of King's College, Cambridge, David Willcocks
17. Over Hill, Over Dale - The Choir of King's College, Cambridge, David Willcocks
18. Love Theme - Wiener Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan

Disc: 2
1. The Prologue - Troilus & Cressida (William Shakespeare) - Paul Hardwick
2. Orsino discusses his love for Olivia - Twelfth Night (William Shakespeare) - Derek Godfrey, Dorothy Tutin
3. Katherine's advice to women - The Taming of the Shrew (William Shakespeare) - Peggy Ashcroft
4. Benedict confesses his love - Much ado about nothing (William Shakespeare) - Christopher Plummer, Geraldine McEwan
5. To be or not to be - Hamlet (William Shakespeare) - Ian Bannen 6. All the world's a stage - As You Like It (William Shakespeare) - Max Adrian
7. Juliet impatiently awaits Romeo - Romeo and Juliet (William Shakespeare) - Dorothy Tutin
8. Othello tells how he won Desdemona's love - Othello (William Shakespeare) - John Gielgud
9. Epilogue - As You Like It (William Shakespeare) - Vanessa Redgrave
10. King Richard gives way to despair - Richard III (William Shakespeare) - Richard Pasco
11. Antony addresses the crowd after Caesar's assassination - Julius Caesar (William Shakespeare) - Richard Johnson
12. Macbeth hears of his wife's death - Macbeth (William Shakespeare) - Tony Church, Paul Whitworth, Barbara Leigh-Hunt, Pippa Guard, Richard Pasco
13. Shall I compare thee to a summer's day- Sonnet 18 (William Shakespeare) - Richard Pasco
14. That time of year thou may'st in me behold - Sonnet 73 (William Shakespeare) - Tony Church
15. Let Me Not To The Marriage of True Minds - Sonnet 116 (William Shakespeare) - Richard Johnson
16. Lear and his fool on the heath - King Lear (William Shakespeare) - Donald Sinden, Paul Whitworth
17. Antony dies in the arms of Cleopatra - Anthony & Cleopatra (William Shakespeare) - Barbara Leigh-Hunt, Tony Church, Pippa Guard
18. Prospero renounces his magic powers - The Tempest (William Shakespeare) - Donald Sinden, Barbara Leigh-Hunt

And so, just to make you fully aware of what is on offer here, the first CD consists of famous classical pieces where the composers have taken inspiration from Shakespeare’s best-loved plays and poems.

The second CD 2 features a selection of Shakespeare’s most famous speeches from his plays and sonnets. The recordings feature readings from acclaimed actors such as Richard Pasco, Vanessa Redgrave CBE, Dame Peggy Ashcroft, Sir John Gielgud, Christopher Plummer and more. The short extracts, speeches and poems contained here are the perfect introduction to the work of William Shakespeare, but also a fantastic anthology of best-loved pieces for those who know the work well.