Lute playing, birds chirping and sounds of the sea can all be heard at Compton Verney’s new exhibition, Shakespeare in Art: Tempests, Tyrants and Tragedy, which commemorates the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death.

Described by Compton Verney as a “uniquely staged experience”, it is one of a number of recent exhibitions to experiment with an immersive soundscape. British Museum visitors had a mixed reaction to the pan pipe music pumped into the Celts: Art and Identity exhibition last year.

The Shakespeare exhibition is divided up into eight “acts” which are all accompanied by ambient sounds. Background audio includes the sound of ship planks creaking for The Tempest, recordings of Ophelia’s singing for Hamlet and woodland soundscapes for A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Opinion has been divided over whether the exhibition soundtrack enhances or hinders the visitor experience. Alison Bevan, director of the Royal West of England Academy, tweeted that the exhibition was “superb”, but a review in The Spectator said the show was “all but ruined” by the background noise.

Should museums leave the pan pipes in the eighties or do atmospheric sounds bring an exhibition to life? Vote in our poll and have your say.