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The Power of Music
Clarke Peters and Maggie Service read poetry and prose set against a musical menu with special recordings by Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú musicians and performing groups, from Mozart to Lianne La Havas.
Clarke Peters and Maggie Service read poetry and prose exploring the unique place music has in our lives, from the 'thousand twangling instruments' which magically fill the air in Shakespeare's The Tempest, to the 'mute glorious Storyvilles' that Philip Larkin imagines when he hears Sidney Bechet play. We'll feel the jealousy and awe that Mozart inspired in Salieri in Peter Schaffer's Amadeus, and the erotic urgency of Langston Hughes' Harlem Night Club. In this special edition of Words and Music the Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú affiliated performing groups play a starring role, with the Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú singers preparing to celebrate 100 years in early October. This episode which first aired after lockdown features special remote recordings from members of the Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Symphony Orchestra, Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Philharmonic and Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Singers, and Rachel Weld, a viola player from the Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Philharmonic recorded a series of postcards reflecting on life as an orchestral musician, and what the enforced distance from her fellow players was like.
All the music in this special edition is recorded by Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú performing groups and affiliated orchestras and ranges from the Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Philharmonic playing Beethoven's Fifth Symphony and the Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú National Orchestra of Wales playing Shostakovitch, to the Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Symphony Orchestra playing with Lianne La Havas. There's also Britten played in a special remote recording by Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Symphony Orchestra harpist Louise Martin, Haydn from a Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Philharmonic Orchestra quartet and Cole Porter's Night and Day sung by members of The Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Singers.
READINGS
Saturday - Ian McEwan
I Am In Need of Music - Elizabeth Bishop
The Tempest - Shakespeare
If Bach had been a beekeeper - Charles Tomlinson
For Sidney Bechet - Philip Larkin
My Last Dance - Julia Ward Howe
The Harlem Dancer - Claude McKay
Amadeus - Peter Schaffer
An Equal Music – Vikram Seth
Harlem Night Club - Langston Hughes
Grace Notes - Bernard MacLaverty
Siege and Symphony - Brian Moynhan
Tess of the d’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
Music when Soft Voices Die - Percy Bysshe Shelley
Everyone Sang - Siegfried Sassoon
Howard's End - EM Forster
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Music Played
Timings (where shown) are from the start of the programme in hours and minutes
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00:00
Ludwig van Beethoven
Symphony No. 5, first Mvt.
Orchestra: Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Gianandrea Noseda.- Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Recording.
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Ian McEwan
Extract from Saturday, read by Clarke Peters
00:02Henry Purcell
If Music be the Food of Love, Z.379
Singer: Eleanor Minney. Performer: Oliver John Ruthven.- Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Recording.
00:04Charles Villiers Stanford
The Bluebird
Singer: Rebecca Lea. Orchestra: Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Singers. Conductor: Sofi Jeannin.- Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Recording.
Elizabeth Bishop
I Am In Need of Music, read by Maggie Service
William Shakespeare
Extract from The Tempest, read by Clarke Peters
00:08Lianne La Havas
Wonderful
Singer: Lianne La Havas. Orchestra: Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Jules Buckley.- Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Recording.
00:13Claude Debussy
Extract from La Mer
Orchestra: Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Philharmonic. Conductor: Yan Pascal Tortelier.- Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Recording.
Rachel Weld
Postcards on Context No. 1, read by Rachel Weld
Charles Tomlinson
If Bach had been a beekeeper, read by Maggie Service
00:17Johann Sebastian Bach
Extract from Lobet Den Herrn BWV 230
Choir: Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Singers. Performer: Stephen Farr. Conductor: Paul Brough.- Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Recording.
00:19Lew Pollack
That's a Plenty
Performer: Misha Mullov-Abbado. Performer: James Davison.- Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Radio 3 New Generation Artists Recording.
Langston Hughes
Harlem Night Club, read by Clarke Peters
00:22Franz Liszt
Extract from 2 Episodes from Lenau's Faust S.110 for orchestra; Mephisto waltz no.1
Orchestra: Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Scottish Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Ilan Volkov.- Hyperion, CDA67856.
Peter Schaffer
Extract from Amadeus, read by Clarke Peters
00:25Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Adagio from Serenade for 13 Wind Instruments K.361
Performer: Members of the Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Sakari Oramo.- Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Recording.
00:30Ernest John Moeran
Extract from In the Mountain Country
Orchestra: Ulster Orchestra. Conductor: Vernon Handley.- Chandos, CHAN 10235X.
- Tr. 9.
Bernard MacLaverty
Extract from Grace Notes, read by Maggie Service
00:33Kaija Saariaho
Extract from Nuits adieux
Choir: Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Singers. Conductor: Sofi Jeannin.- Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Recording.
00:34Edward Elgar
Nimrod from The Enigma Variations
Orchestra: Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Philharmonic. Conductor: Juanjo Mena.- Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Recording.
Rachel Weld
Postcards on Context No. 2, read by Rachel Weld
00:38Bramwell Tovey
Pictures in the Smoke
Performer: Bramwell Tovey. Orchestra: Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Concert Orchestra.- Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Recording.
Claude McKay
The Harlem Dancer, read by Clarke Peters
00:39Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Tango Alla Turca
Music Arranger: Dan Whibley. Performer: Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Philharmonic.- Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Recording.
Zadie Smith
Extract from Swing Time, read by Maggie Service
00:43Cole Porter
Night and Day
Performer: Emma Tring. Performer: Margaret Cameron. Performer: Paul Plummer.- Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Recording.
00:48Dmitry Shostakovich
Extract from Symphony No. 7 ‘Leningrad’, first Mvt.
Performer: Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú National Orchestra of Wales.- Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Recording.
Brian Moynahan
Extract from Siege and Symphony, read by Clarke Peters
00:50AntonÃn Dvořák
Extract from Cello Concerto, 2nd Mvt.
Performer: Pablo Ferrández. Orchestra: Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Philharmonic. Conductor: Juanjo Mena.- Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Recording.
Thomas Hardy
Extract from Tess of the DÂ’Urbervilles, read by Maggie Service
00:53Benjamin Britten
Extract from Hymn from Suite for Harp, Op. 83
Performer: Louise Martin.- Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Recording.
Shelley
Music when Soft Voices Die, read by Clarke Peters
00:56Frank Bridge
Music when soft voices die
Choir: Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Singers. Conductor: Sakari Oramo.- Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Recording.
Vikram Seth
Extract from An Equal Music, read by Maggie Service
01:00Joseph Haydn
String Quartet in D op 20 No.4, 3rd Mvt.
Performer: Lucy Baker. Performer: Martin Clark. Performer: Fiona Dunkley. Performer: Elinor Gow.- Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Recording.
01:02Wayne Shorter
Nefertiti
Music Arranger: Guy Barker. Orchestra: Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Concert Orchestra. Conductor: Bramwell Tovey.- Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Recording.
Philip Larkin
For Sydney Bechet, read by Clarke Peters
Siegfried Sassoon
Everyone Sang, read by Clarke Peters
01:07Gerald Finzi
My spirit sang all day
Choir: Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Singers. Conductor: James Burton.- Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Recording.
E.M Forster
Extract from HowardÂ’s End, read by Maggie Service
01:09Ludwig van Beethoven
Extract from Symphony No. 5
Orchestra: Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Philharmonic. Conductor: Gianandrea Noseda.- Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú recording.
Broadcasts
- Sun 19 Jul 2020 17:00Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Radio 3
- Sun 22 Sep 2024 18:00Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Radio 3