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The Victorian World

A celebration of the reign of Queen Victoria with prose, poetry and music from writers and composers of the era, including words from Victoria and music from Prince Albert.

Marking the 125th anniversary of the death of Queen Victoria, a celebration of her reign with readings by Roger Allam and Janie Dee.

Victoria ruled over a Britain that was building an empire abroad and a world-dominating industrial base at home. The products of these were displayed in the spectacular Crystal Palace at the Great Exhibition in 1851 organised largely by her Consort, Prince Albert. In her journal The Queen records her pride on visiting it and we hear Felix Mendelssohn鈥檚 鈥楽tring Symphony No 10鈥� which was played there.

Mendelssohn was a great friend of the royal couple and Albert himself was something of an amateur composer. We hear a couple of short pieces he composed including one played on the newly invented saxhorn.

The Crystal Palace was moved to South London after the Exhibition and became the venue for the renowned Saturday Concerts. Julius Benedict whose 鈥楶iano Concerto No 2鈥� starts the programme was a regular conductor there.

The intrepid travel writer Mary Kingsley gives us her thoughts from Nigeria on the kind of men needed to build the empire and the actress Fanny Kemble describes her horror at slavery on a Georgian cotton plantation, the source of one of the raw materials which fed the industrial revolution.

Along with great riches in Victorian society there was dire poverty and in 鈥極liver Twist鈥�, Charles Dickens鈥檚 famous description of a meal in the workhouse contrasts with Mrs Isabella Beeton鈥檚 instructions on how to serve dinner in a well-to-do home in her 鈥楤ook of Household Management鈥�.

World politics in the nineteenth century did not come without armed conflict and Alfred, Lord Tennyson鈥檚 poem 鈥楾he Charge of the Light Brigade鈥� celebrates the patriotic sacrifice made by young soldiers in the Crimea while Gilbert and Sullivan鈥檚 鈥業 Am The Very Model Of A Modern Major General鈥� from 鈥楾he Pirates of Penzance鈥� satirises army leadership.

Their operettas attracted audiences from across the social classes in the 1870s and 鈥�80s and popular song of the time was often drawn directly from opera for instance Michael Balfe鈥檚 setting of Tennyson鈥檚 鈥楥ome into the Garden Maud鈥�.

The Victorians were greatly taken with matters of the heart, both the familial, which Augusta Webster鈥檚 poem 鈥楳other and Daughter鈥� touchingly depicts, and the romantic as expressed in Emily Bront毛鈥檚 鈥榃uthering Heights鈥� or the extract from Victoria鈥檚 diary describing her wedding night with her beloved Albert.

Producer: Harry Parker

20 days left to listen

1 hour, 14 minutes

Last on

Sun 25 Jan 2026 18:00
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

    Sir Julius Benedict

    Piano Concerto No.2 in E flat, Op.89: Allegro Moderato

    Performer: Howard Shelley. Orchestra: Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra.
    • Benedict and Macfarren Piano Concertos.
    • Hyperion CDA67720.
    • Tr4.

  • Lewis Carroll

    Alice鈥檚 Adventures in Wonderland, read by Roger Allam

  • 00:06

    Ethel Smyth

    Suite For Strings Op.1A: Allegro Con Brio

    Orchestra: Lausanne Chamber Orchestra. Conductor: Joshua Weilerstein.
    • American and English Orchestral Music.
    • Claves Records CD 3091/92.
    • Tr4.

  • Elizabeth Barrett Browning

    How Do I Love Thee? read by Janie Dee

  • Robert Browning

    Home Thoughts from Abroad, read by Roger Allam

  • 00:12

    Felix Mendelssohn

    Lieder ohne Worte V Op.62, VI: Allegretto Grazioso ( Spring Song)

    Performer: Lang Lang.
    • Piano Book 2.
    • Deutsche Grammophon 487 8512.
    • Tr 2.

  • Queen Victoria

    Extract from Journals: Wedding Day 1840, read by Janie Dee

  • 00:15

    Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

    Melody for the Violin

    Performer: Iona Brown. Performer: Jennifer Partridge.
    • The World of the Violin.
    • Decca 433 220-2.
    • Tr5.

  • Wilkie Collins

    The Moonstone, read by Roger Allam

  • 00:19

    Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

    Invocation All鈥橝rmonia

    Performer: Queen Victoria鈥檚 Consort.
    • Single self-released online: http://www.queenvictoriasconsort.co.uk/.
    • Tr1.

  • Elizabeth Harcourt Mitchell

    Song, read by Janie Dee

  • 00:21

    Michael William Balfe

    Come into the Garden Maude

    Lyricist: Lord Alfred Tennyson. Singer: Robert Tear. Performer: Andr茅 Previn.
    • The Dicky Bird and the Owl: Victorian Songs and Ballads.
    • Warner Classics 190295019334.
    • Tr9.

  • Michael Field, Katherine Harris Bradley & Emma Cooper

    A Girl, read by Janie Dee

  • 00:26

    Sir George Macfarren

    Chevy Chace

    Orchestra: Orchestra of Opera North. Conductor: David Lloyd鈥怞ones.
    • Victorian Concert Overtures.
    • Hyperion 5814643.
    • Tr1.

  • Alfred, Lord Tennyson

    The Charge of the Light Brigade, read by Roger Allam

  • 00:32

    Arthur Sullivan

    The Pirates of Penzance, I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major General

    Lyricist: William Gilbert. Ensemble: The D鈥橭yly Carte Opera Company.
    • The Very Best of Gilbert and Sullivan.
    • Unchained Melodie 8867888574748.
    • Tr79.

  • Mary Kingsley

    Travels in West Africa, read by Janie Dee

  • 00:36

    Frederic Hymen Cowen

    Indian Rhapsody

    Performer: Slovak State Philharmonic Orchestra. Conductor: Adrian Leaper.
    • Cowen Symphony No 3 / Indian Rhapsody.
    • Marco Polo Cat No 8.223273.
    • Tr2.

  • Rudyard Kipling

    If, read by Roger Allam

  • Fanny Kemble

    Journal of a Residence on a Georgian Plantation in 1838-1839, read by Janie Dee

  • 00:41

    Felix Mendelssohn

    String Symphony No 10 in B Minor

    Ensemble: Concerto K枚ln.
    • Mendelssohn鈥檚 String Symphonies 8,9,10.
    • Warner Classics 825646985722.
    • Tr9.

  • Robert Hunt

    Synopsis of the Contents of the Great Exhibition 1851, read by Roger Allam

  • Queen Victoria

    Extract from Journals: Great Exhibition 1 May 1851, read by Janie Dee

  • Oscar Wilde

    The Ballad of Reading Gaol, read by Roger Allam

  • 00:50

    Alice Mary Smith

    Sonata for A Clarinet and Piano: Andante

    Performer: Luigi Magistrelli. Performer: Claudia Bracco. Ensemble: Il Cenacolo della Chimera.
    • Clarinet Repertoire of Women Composers.
    • VDE-Gallo GALLO CD-1355.
    • T 2.

  • Christina Rossetti

    Amor Mundi, read by Janie Dee

  • 00:54

    Joseph Holbrooke

    The Raven Op 25 Poem for Orchestra

    Orchestra: Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Adrian Leaper.
    • Holbrooke Orchestral Works.
    • Marco Polo Cat No 8.223446.
    • Tr4.

  • Charle Dickens

    Oliver Twist, read by Roger Allam

  • 00:57

    Ethel Smyth

    String Quartet in C Minor: III. Scherzo

    Performer: Henrik Peterson. Ensemble: The Maier Quartet.
    • Rendezvous: Leipzig.
    • DB Productions dbCD197.
    • Tr8.

  • Isabella Beeton

    The Book of Household Management, read by Janie Dee

  • 00:59

    Edward Elgar

    Variations on an Original Theme "Enigma" Op 36, Var.11: G.R.S. (George Robertson Sinclair)

    Orchestra: Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: George Hurst.
    • Elgar, Enigma Variations.
    • Naxos Cat No 8.554585.
    • Tr12.
  • 01:03

    Edward German

    Valse Fantastique

    Performer: Alan Cuckston.
    • Edward German Piano Works.
    • Marco Polo.
    • 1.

  • Charles Darwin

    On the Origin of Species, read by Roger Allam

  • Constance Naden

    Natural Selection, read by Janie Dee

  • Gerard Manley Hopkins

    The Windhover, read By Roger Allam

  • 01:06

    Edward Elgar

    Enigma Variations Op.36, Var.1: L'istesso tempo "C. A. E."

    Orchestra: 麻豆社 Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Leonard Bernstein.
    • The Leonard Bernstein Collection Vol 1 Part 4.
    • Deutsche Grammophon.
    • 2.

  • Emily Bront毛

    Wuthering Heights, read by Janie Dee

  • Augusta Webster

    Mother and Daughter, read by Janie Dee

  • 01:09

    Hubert Parry

    Blest Pair of Sirens

    Choir: Choir of Westminster Abbey. Performer: Daniel Cook. Conductor: James O鈥橠onnell.
    • Parry - I Was Glad and other choral works.
    • Hyperion CDA68089.
    • Tr2.

Broadcast

  • Sun 25 Jan 2026 18:00
    麻豆社 Radio 3

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