Plumbing the musical depths of Shakespeare's works

William Shakespeare seems to be an inexhaustible source of inspiration for performing artists in Taiwan. After the many theatrical adaptations of the 16th century poet's works in the past two years, Chinsui Chorus (金穗合唱團) has teamed up with the Tainan-based Husian Teacher Choir (府城教師合唱團) for a Modern Madrigals and Shakespeare concert, of mostly upbeat and accessible pieces, to show the musical side of the Bard.

The late Liang Shi-chiu (梁實秋), Taiwan's most renowned authority on English literature, praised Shakespeare's works in his essays for their beauty, which he said transcended language and entered the realm of music. Encouraged by Liang's comments, Chinsui Chorus sets out to present Shakespeare's poignant and emotional love stories in a modern light, by interpreting the post-1960s madrigal adaptations of his works.

The concert will open with O' Mistress Mine, Where Are You Roaming? and Take O' Take Those Lips Away by Emma Lou Diemer, one of the most widely-performed composers in the US, who is known for her innovative and sometimes whimsical approach to choral music. Another highlight of the evening will be US composer Michael Larkin's A Shakespeare Trilogy, which includes It Was a Lover and His Lass, which is a quick and humorous interpretation of the text from As You Like It.

Chinsui Chorus has also mixed in a little jazz with George Shearing's Songs and Sonnets and John Rutter's Birthday Madrigals, his tribute to Shearing. Both works will be performed in Taiwan for the first time.

Chinsui Chorus has performed around Taiwan since 1978. In recent years, the 40-member group has performed regularly at the National Concert Hall and toured extensively abroad at various music festivals. Last year, it played jazz classics at the large-scale Taichung International Jazz Festival, while presenting a new repertoire of African and South American ethnic music on its The Vital Force of the Earth tour.