After Shakespeare
Texts and music inspired by Shakespeare, with readings by Rory Kinnear and Adjoa Andoh. With Eliot, Plath, Hardy and Joyce, plus music by Sibelius, Purcell and Barber.
Poetry, prose and music inspired by Shakespeare including words by T.S. Eliot, Michael Longley, Anna Akmatova, Sylvia Plath, James Joyce and Carol Ann Duffy and music by Sibelius, Frank Martin, Duke Ellington, Tchaikovsky, Michael Tippett and Loudon Wainwright III. The readers are Rory Kinnear and Adjoa Andoh.
Producer: Fiona McLean.
Last on
Music Played
Timings (where shown) are from the start of the programme in hours and minutes
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00:00Henry Purcell
The Fairy Queen
Performer: The Sixteen conducted by Harry Christophers.- Collins SAAN 1668948.
- Tr1.
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Thomas Hardy
To Shakespeare after 300 Years read by Rory Kinnear
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00:02Felix Mendelssohn
A Midsummer Night聮s Dream
Performer: Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin conducted by Vladimir Ashkenazy.- DECCA 4402962.
- Tr2.
Carol Ann Duffy
Anne Hathaway read by Adjoa Andoh
Carol Ann Duffy
Anne Hathaway read by Adjoa Andoh
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00:07Erich Wolfgang Korngold
Much Ado About Nothing Suite op 11
Performer: Gil Shaham and Andr茅 Previn.- Deutsche Grammophon 4398862.
- Tr9.
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00:13Rufus Wainwright
When, in disgrace with fortune and men聮s eyes from When Love Speaks
Performer: Rufus Wainwright.- EMI CDC5573212.
- Tr9.
Michael Longley
Fleance read by Rory Kinnear
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00:17Pyotr Tchaikovsky
Ophelia聮s First Scene from Hamlet op 67a
Performer: Ljuba Kazarnovskaya and Ljuba Orfenova.- NAXOS 8570438.
- Tr16.
Arthur Rimbaud
Ophelia read by Adjoa Andoh
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00:20Frank Bridge
There is a Willow Grows Aslant a Brook
Performer: 麻豆社 National Orchestra of Wales conducted by Richard Hickox.- CHANDOS CHAN101112.
- Tr4.
T.S. Eliot
from The Waste Land read by Rory Kinnear
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00:31Roger Quilter
How Should I Your True Love Know from Love Blows as the Wind Blows
Performer: Jonathan Lemalu.- EMI 5580502.
- Tr3.
Boris Pasternak translated by Mark Rudman
English Lessons read by Adjoa Andoh
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00:34Matthew Harris
Hark! Hark! The Lark from 聭Shakespearean Songs聮
Performer: Robert Comeaux and the Phoenix Bach Choir conducted by Charles Bruffy.- CHANDOS CHSA5031.
- Tr1.
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00:35Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn
Sonnet for Caesar from Such Sweet Thunder
Performer: Duke Ellington and His Orchestra.- COLUMBIA CK65568.
- Tr2.
Anna Akmatova translated by D.M. Thomas
Cleopatra read by Adjoa Andoh
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00:39Samuel Barber
On the Death of Cleopatra
Performer: Cambridge University Chamber Choir conducted by Timothy Brown.- GAMUT GAMCD535.
- Tr9.
Carol Ann Duffy
Shakespeare read by Rory Kinnear
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00:43William Walton
Touch her Soft Lips and Part from Henry V
Performer: Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra conducted by Richard Hickox.- CHANDOS CHAN24112.
- Tr9.
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00:44Loudon Wainwright III
Prince Hal聮s Dirge from The 麻豆社 Sessions
Performer: Loudon Wainwright III.- STRANGE FRUIT SFRSCD073.
- Tr6.
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00:48Henry Purcell
The Fairy Queen
Performer: The Sixteen with Michael Chance conducted by Harry Christopher.- Collins SAAN 1668948.
- Tr16.
Margaret Atwood
Gertrude Talks Back read by Adjoa Andoh
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00:52Sergey Prokofiev
The Young Juliet from Romeo and Juliet
Performer: Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Vladimir Ashkenazy.- DECCA 4360782.
- Tr10.
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00:55Leonard Bernstein
Maria
Performer: Jimmy Bryant.- SONY SMK48211.
- Tr6.
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00:57Claude Debussy
Le Sommeil de Lear from Musiques pour Le Roi Lear
Performer: Orchestre National de L聮O.R.T.F. conducted by Jean Martinon.- EMI CDM7695872.
- Tr11.
Matthew Arnold
Shakespeare read by Rory Kinnear
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01:00Michael Tippett
Songs for Ariel from Songs to Shakespeare
Performer: Anthony Rolfe Johnson and Graham Johnson.- HYPERION CDA66480.
- Tr22.
Sylvia Plath
Full Fathom Five read by Adjoa Andoh
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01:05Frank Martin
Full Fathom Five from Songs of Ariel
Performer: Jacob W. Herbert and the Phoenix Bach Choir conducted by Charles Bruffy.- CHANDOS CHSA5031.
- Tr9.
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01:08Jean Sibelius
Berceuse and Ariel聮s Song from The Tempest
Performer: Academy of St Martin in the Fields conducted by Neville Marriner.- HANNSLER CLASSIC CD98353.
- Tr8.
James Joyce
from Ulysses read by Rory Kinnear
Producer's Note
This week鈥檚 programme features words and music inspired by Shakespeare as part of Radio 3鈥檚 celebration of the playwright鈥檚 birth.听
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The readers are Rory Kinnear and Anjoa Andoh. Rory has recently finished his very successful run at the National Theatre where he played Iago to Adrian Lester鈥檚 Othello, a role for which he has just won an Olivier Award, four years after his award winning role as Hamlet, also at the National. Anjo鈥檚 most recent Shakespearean role was Portia in the RSC鈥檚 World Shakespeare Festival production.
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We begin with Purcell's Prelude to 鈥楾he Fairy Queen鈥�, his 1691 opera inspired by Shakespeare鈥檚 鈥楢 Midsummer Night鈥檚 Dream鈥� heard with the opening of Thomas Hardy鈥檚 poem written to celebrate the 300th anniversary of Shakespeare鈥檚 birth. In the poem he describes Shakespeare as 鈥楤right baffling soul, least capturable of themes鈥� and Hardy鈥檚 work contains many Shakespearean echoes. In 鈥楾ess of the D鈥橴rbervilles鈥� Tess is seen as 鈥榦ne character alone in the landscape鈥� reminding the reader of King Lear. The character of Michael Henchard in 鈥楾he Mayor of Casterbridge鈥� also resembles Lear in the disaster that befalls him after an impetuous decision.听
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Carol Ann Duffy鈥檚 鈥楢nne Hathaway鈥� from her collection 鈥楾he World鈥檚 Wife鈥� was inspired by Shakespeare鈥檚 will which bequeathed to his wife 鈥榤y second best bed鈥�. And, later in the programme, you鈥檒l also hear Rory Kinnear read Carol Ann Duffy鈥檚 poem, 鈥楽hakespeare鈥�, commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company.
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Two Wainwrights, father and son Loudon and Rufus, appear in the programme. Rufus Wainwright sings his own setting of Shakespeare鈥檚 sonnet 鈥� When in disgrace with fortune in men鈥檚 eyes鈥� and Loudon Wainwright III sings his musical reimagining of Prince Hal鈥檚 dissolute life with Falstaff in the London taverns.
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Michael Longley鈥檚 mysterious poem 鈥楩leance鈥�, inspired by the character from 鈥楳acbeth鈥�, can be read as an exploration of the Troubles in Northern Ireland. Here, Fleance escapes his father鈥檚 fate by hiding under the stage in a production of the play: life and art are intertwined as a paramilitary鈥檚 bullet kills Banquo instead of Shakespeare鈥檚 dagger.
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The final sequence is a selection of musical and poetic reworkings of Shakespeare鈥檚 鈥楾he Tempest鈥�. Tippett鈥檚 鈥楥ome unto these yellow sands鈥� from his 鈥楽ongs for Ariel鈥� and Frank Martin鈥檚 鈥楩ull Fathom Five鈥� are heard alongside Sylvia Plath鈥檚 鈥楩ull Fathom Five鈥� and a passage from James Joyce鈥檚 novel 鈥楿lysses鈥� in which Stephen Dedalus, often seen as Joyce鈥檚 Hamlet, walks along the shore where the rhythm of the waves returns him to memories of a drowned man in the bay. His language, never far from Shakespeare, echoes Ariel鈥檚 Song. Thisinterior monologue is heard alongside the Berceuse and Ariel鈥檚 Song from Sibelius鈥� 鈥楾he Tempest鈥�. As a reviewer at the time wrote, 鈥楽hakespeare and Sibelius, these two geniuses, have finally found one another鈥�.
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Broadcasts
- Sun 27 Apr 2014 17:30麻豆社 Radio 3
- New Year's Day 2015 16:30麻豆社 Radio 3
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