Conceived by Trammel Starks, creator of the classical crossover group Taliesin Orchestra, Sonnet is a unique and exciting way to celebrate Shakespeare's timeless poetry. The CD combines sensuous music with readings of Shakespeare's sonnets by actors who have performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company. The goal of Sonnet, according to producer Starks, is to "express the passion and timeless wisdom of William Shakespeare within a contemporary musical landscape". Although Koch Records, the label that released the album, lists the musical idiom as new age/classical crossover, the CD has something to offer even those who might find the "new age" classification disconcerting. The first track on the CD, in particular, is an excellent pairing of Sonnet 18 with a thirteenth-century English ballade comparable to the songs of Loreena McKennitt and other Celtic artists. In addition to Sonnet 18, Sonnets 23, 30, 43, 75, 44, 55, 107, 106, 116, 24, and 60 are featured on the recording, and you can listen to samples of each on CD Now.

For more information on Shakespeare's poetry, be sure to visit the following sites:

Shakespeare's Sonnets
Here you will find the text of each Shakespearean Sonnet, in addition to an analysis of the sonnet and a translation of the sonnet into modern English.

Shakespeare's Sonnets
The quarto Sonnets with an analysis of Shakespeare's major themes. The yellow text is hard to read, but there is lots of information here.

The Shakespearean Sonnet
Excellent general analysis of the sonnet form and an overview of the themes in Shakespeare's poems.

Sonnets Study Guide
From SparkNotes comes some good general information on the sonnet form and some interesting study questions.

The Sonnets: the problem of their interpretation
A scholarly analysis of Shakespeare's sonnets and his plays from the online Cambridge History of English and American Literature.