Shakespeare400: A Playlist

If music be the food of love... the Bard of Stratford-upon-Avon has inspired composers for centuries. Enjoy our top ten playlist featuring works from Felix Mendelssohn to Thomas Adès. 

Les Arts Florissants’ new production combines choreography from Mourad Merzouki with the vocal ensemble Les Jardins des Voix, turning Purcell’s fantastical work into a sung ballet.

Although his reputation rests principally on Der Freischütz, (Berlioz was a fan), Carl Maria von Weber was an outstanding composer, writing some of the greatest works in the clarinet repertoire.

Robert Schumann’s music is intensely personal. Unlike the architectural grandeur of Beethoven or the theatrical brilliance of Franz Liszt, Schumann specialised in emotional intimacy and nuance.

Ten works revealing the paradox of Chopin: a composer outwardly delicate, inwardly steely; rooted in Polish dance rhythms, yet formed in Parisian sophistication. 

A hugely successful composer of bel canto opera, Gaetano Donizetti had a lasting impact, with many of his operas entering regular rotation in houses around the world for almost 200 years.