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Elvis Costello has joined forces with a classical string quartet and created what can only be described as a unique musical composition.
Stop reading right here. If you are not interested in expanding your musical horizons, you need read no further. There are no Armed Forces wide-ranging rock styles here. This is a musical experiment and if you can't stand string quartet music, never mind. If you'd like to be musically challenged, read on.
In the extensive and interesting liner notes, Costello explains that he: and the London-based Brodsky Quartet hooked up in London in 1989 after attending each other's concerts. The quartet is composed of young talents who are trying to make their music fresh for a new generation.
After much talk and some jam sessions, Costello and the quartet decided to write original music and lyrics. The took the names of their pieces from an Italian professor from Verona who used to answer the letters people had written to Shakespeare's imaginary Juliet Capulet, of Romeo and Juliet.
Each member of the ensemble wrote different musical and lyrical pieces and Costello stitched them into a whole. Each song examines aspects of love or the lack thereof.
The result is an intriguing collection of tunes bittersweet and sad. The music captures your attention first; listening to the lyrics adds another dimension of enjoyment.
Forget about being a Costello fan or a classical music fan. This CD is for those who enjoy experiments and journeys in the entertainment form we call music. If you're looking for that, buy it. If you don't care, never mind.
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