Intermingled with the authentic music of the period is an assembly of evocative original compositions by the women of Ensemble Galilei. From the plays and the poetry, from the tragedy and the laughter, the women drew lines from Shakespeare's world to their own. The resulting original compositions include No Longer Mourn For Me and Death's Second Half, derived from Shakespeare's sonnets, and The Asp and Fire, Burn, and Cauldron Bubble, from his plays. A highlight of the program is a performance of the recording's haunting title track, which uses underlying text taken from Romeo and Juliet. Founded in 1990, Ensemble Galilei takes its name from the composer Vincenzo Galilei, whose influence, some 400 years ago, helped restore a vital element of passion to the music of his day.
Photographs are available to the press.