On March 9, 2025, composer and conductor Nimrod Borenstein conducted the English Chamber Orchestra to celebrate the orchestra’s 65th anniversary. The programme for this sold-out evening included the London premiere of his own Shakespeare Songs. He also conducted Vaughan Williams’ The Lark Ascending and Elgar’s Serenade for Strings.
Borenstein masterfully led the orchestra, bringing to life a work that resonated deeply with audiences and critics alike, earning a five-star review:
«The music is composed so as to powerfully transmute the movements and structure of the sonnet form into a musical language. … All in all, this was a distinguished debut … which deserves further dissemination. Borenstein achieves his goal of creating a showcase for Shakespeare that adds nuance and inflection to the distinguished original.»
–Plays to See, Tim Hochstrasser