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British Rivers

Broadcast from the banks of the Thames, a special edition of the programme with poetry, prose and music on British rivers. The readers are Stella Gonet and Robert Glenister.

From the banks of the Thames, a live edition with poetry, prose and music on British rivers. With music by Delius, Sally Beamish and George Butterworth and words by Ted Hughes, Stevie Smith, Gerard Manley Hopkins and Alice Oswald. The readers are Stella Gonet and Robert Glenister.

Producer: Fiona McLean

Radio 3 is broadcasting live from a pop-up studio at London's Southbank Centre all day every day for the last two weeks of March. If you're in the area, visit the Radio 3 studio and performance space in the Royal Festival Hall Riverside Caf茅 to listen to Radio 3, ask questions and enjoy the special events.

1 hour, 15 minutes

Last on

Christmas Eve 2014 16:30
麻豆社 Radio 3

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Music Played

Timings (where shown) are from the start of the programme in hours and minutes

  • 00:00

    George Frideric Handel

    Water Music Ouverture

    Performer: Academy of St Martin in the Fields.
    • EMI CDC7498102.
    • Tr1.

  • William Wordsworth

    Composed Upon Westminster Bridge read by Robert Glenister

  • Alice Oswald

    Another Westminster Bridge read by Stella Gonet

  • 00:05

    Ray Davies

    Waterloo Sunset

    Performer: The Kinks and the Crouch End Festival Chorus.
    • Decca 2703909.
    • Tr1.

  • John Betjeman

    Youth and Age on the Beaulieu River, Hants read by Robert Glenister

  • 00:10

    Gerald Finzi

    Clear and Gentle Stream

    Performer: Choir of St John鈥檚 College, Cambridge.
    • Naxos 8557320.
    • Tr2.
  • 00:14

    Martin Bell

    Life on the River

    Performer: The Albion Band.
    • Road Goes on Forever RGFDCD006.
    • Tr6.

  • Carol Ann Duffy

    River read by Stella Gonet

  • 00:18

    Frederick Delius

    Summer Night on the River

    Performer: 麻豆社 Symphony Orchestra conducted by Andrew Davis.
    • Teldec 4509908452.
    • Tr6.

  • Ted Hughes

    The West Dart read by Robert Glenister

  • 00:24

    Sally Beamish

    Cello Concerto 聭River聮

    Performer: Swedish Chamber Orchestra, Robert Cohen Cello.
    • Bis CD971.
    • Tr1.

  • Kathleen Jamie

    Springs read by Stella Gonet

  • 00:34

    Stuart Cassells

    The Salmon and the Clyde

    Performer: Stuart Cassells.
    • Footstompin聮 CDFSR1733.
    • Tr5.
  • 00:37

    Judith Weir

    Scotch Minstrelsy Bessie Bell and Mary Gray

    Performer: Susan Bickley, Andrew Kennedy, Ailish Tynan and Iain Burnside.
    • Signum SigCD087.
    • Tr7.

  • John Burnside

    Frost Fair read by Stella Gonet

  • 00:42

    Sir George Benjamin

    At First Light

    Performer: London Sinfonietta conducted by George Benjamin.
    • Nimbus NI5643.
    • Tr3.

  • Gerard Manley Hopkins

    Inversaid

  • 00:45

    John Ireland

    Amberley Wild Brooks

    Performer: John Lenehan.
    • Naxos 8570461.
    • Tr15.

  • George Eliot

    The Mill on the Floss

  • 00:50

    William Blezard

    The River

    Performer: Royal Ballet Sinfonia conducted by Gavin Sutherland.
    • ASV CDWHL2126.
    • Tr4.

  • Stevie Smith

    The River God

  • 00:55

    Orlando Gibbons

    The Silver Swan

    Performer: The Cambridge Singers conducted by John Rutter.
    • Collegium ColCD105.
    • Tr21.

  • T.S. Eliot

    The Waste Land

  • 01:00

    Sir George Dyson

    Sweet Thames Run Softly

    Performer: Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Royal College of Music Chamber Choir.
    • Somm Recordings SommCD014.
    • Tr2.
  • 01:04

    John Surman

    Road to St Ives - Lostwithiel

    Performer: John Surman.
    • ECM1418.
    • Tr6.

  • Charles Causley

    Eden Rock

  • 01:07

    George Butterworth

    The Banks of Green Willow

    Orchestra: London Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Richard Hickox.
    • Chandos Chan9902.
    • Tr1.

Producer Note

鈥楾he source of a river, a tear duct of the earth鈥�

听This Words and Music was broadcast live from the banks of the River Thames as part of Radio 3鈥檚 residency at London鈥檚 Southbank Centre in March. The theme was British rivers and the readers in our 鈥榩op-up鈥� studio were Stella Gonet and Robert Glenister. The programme begins with the overture from Handel鈥檚 鈥榃ater Music鈥� followed by Wordworth鈥檚 鈥楥omposed Upon Westminster Bridge, September 1802鈥� and Alice Oswald鈥檚 contemporary 鈥楢nother Westminster Bridge鈥�. Moving along the river come The Kinks and a choral version of 鈥榃aterloo Sunset鈥�. The programme then moves away from the Thames to Hampshire with John Betjeman鈥檚 鈥榊outh and Age on the Beaulieu River鈥� and the River Dart in Ted Hughes鈥� 鈥楾he West Dart鈥�, heard alongside Sally Beamish鈥檚 beautiful Cello Concerto which takes its titles from Ted Hughes鈥� river poem collection. Stuart Cassell鈥檚 bagpipes take us north of the border with 鈥楾he Salmon and the Clyde鈥� and Judith Weir鈥檚 Scotch Minstrelsy with 鈥楤essie Bell and Mary Gray鈥�. John Burnside鈥檚 鈥楩rost Fair鈥�, heard with George Benjamin鈥檚 鈥楢t First Light鈥� evokes a time when the river froze. After one last visit to London with T.S. Eliot鈥檚 鈥楾he Waste Land鈥� and George Dyson鈥檚 鈥楽weet Thames, Run Softly鈥� we hear Charles Causley鈥檚 moving poem about his late parents beckoning to him from the other side of the river. Crossing, they say, is not as hard as you might think. The programme ends with George Butterworth鈥檚 鈥楾he Banks of Green Willow鈥�, written just three years before his death on the Somme.

听

Broadcasts

  • Sun 23 Mar 2014 17:30
    麻豆社 Radio 3
  • Christmas Eve 2014 16:30
    麻豆社 Radio 3

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