Magnussen/Palmqvist – Shakespeares Sonnets Set To Encompassing Music

There has been fantastic music on this planet for many years.  The style and instruments have changed drastically over the years but good will will always be good music.   One thing that stays constant is the words.  Lyrics will always be an important part of telling a story through song.  So what if we used words that were made famous over 450 years ago and set them to music with a modern spin.  This is the premise behind the duo of Magnussen/ Palmqvist.

The pair from Copenhagen, Denmark have brought back to life the sonnets of William Shakespeare.  Thomas Magnussen handles the eloquent rhythmic speaking while Bjørn Palmqvist composes and produces the music.  This becomes an intriguing project as it is not aimed at being ready for another theater production of a Shakespeare play but instead set to stand on its own as an album of music.

Magnussen and Palmqvist have released the album simply titled Shakespeare Sonnets to share their idea with the world.  The 11 track record touches on some of Shakespeare’s most popular sonnets through almost 50 minutes of music.  The genre is tough to describe and could be considered spoken word but the background music element adds much more than just a reading.  The music is minimalistic and sparse as to not detract from the famous words but creates an element to welcome the listener into another world.  The stories have always been works of art but now become even more as they are introduced to a new generation through a medium that they can relate better to.  The closing track ‘A Lovers Complaint’ sums up the record perfectly with a full story told with the added vocal talents of Linda Elvira.  I hate to admit it, but I actually feel more cultured and intellectual after completing the album.  If you are open to the same experience have a listen at: https://soundcloud.com/shakespeare_sonnets/sets/shakespeare-sonnets