Tailor-Made
Poetry, prose and music, examining our attitudes to what we wear. Including John Tavener, Puccini and Miles Davis, as well as works from lyric poet Robert Herrick.
What do our clothes say about us and what do we say about them? Are they, as Coco Chanel once said, a reflection of the heart or something merely contingent on the weather? This week's Words and Music, with poems and prose read by Maxine Peake and Ralf Little, is a mischievous examination of our attitudes to what we wear. Its an adventure in the bespoke - from Achilles' armour to Colline's overcoat with, as you might expect, the odd plunge into the mysteries of underwear and the seductions of the veil. There'll be compositioins by John Tavener as well as Puccini, Miles Davis and The Coasters, and the lyric poet Robert Herrick will find himself hanging snugly next to the Beat generation's Lawrence Ferlinghetti.
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Music Played
Timings (where shown) are from the start of the programme in hours and minutes
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Cole Porter
Anything Goes – Overture
Performer: London Sinfonietta cond. John McGlinn
- Cole Porter: Overtures and Ballet Music.
- EMI CDC7543002.
- 16.
-
Edward Lear
The New Vestments read by Maxine Peake and Ralf Little (From Book: Out of Fashion)
Cole Porter
Anything Goes
Performer: Ella Fitzgerald
- Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Song Book.
- VERVE 5372572.
Pablo Neruda
Ode to a Pair of Socks read by Ralf Little (From Book: The Poetry of Pablo Neruda, Translator: Mark Strand)
Giacomo Puccini
La Boheme – Si, Mi chiamano Mimi
Performer: Mirella Freni as Mimi with Orchestra e Coro del Teatro dell’Opera di Roma cond. Thomas Schippers
- La Boheme.
- EMI CMS7696572.
Sarah Maguire
The Invisible Mender read by Maxine Peake (From Book: The Invisible Mender)
John Dowland
Fine Knacks for Ladies
Performers: John Potter, Stephen Stubbs, John Surman, Maya Homburger and Barry Guy.
- In Darkness Let Me Dwell.
- ECM 4652342.
- 9.
Henry Shukman
Thread read by Ralf Little (From Book: The Lost City)
Erich Wolfgang Korngold
The Brave Little Tailor
Performer: ´óÏó´«Ã½ Philharmonic cond. Matthias Bamert
- Marchenbilder.
- CHANDOS CHAN10434X.
- 7.
Lawrence Ferlinghetti
Underwear read by Ralf Little (From Book: Starting from San Francisco)
Juan GarcÃa Esquivel
Miniskirt
Performer: Kronos Quartet
- Nuevo.
- NONESUCH 7559796492.
- 3.
Moniza Alvi
The Sari read by Maxine Peake (From Book: Carrying My Wife)
Charlie Parker's Reboppers
Black Satin
Performer: Miles Davis
- On the Corner.
- Columbia 474371 2.
- 5.
Tess Gallagher
Black Silk read by Maxine Peake (From Book: New and Selected Poems)
James Rhodes
Estampes – La soiree dans Grenade
Performer: Walter Gieseking
- Debussy Piano Works.
- VIDEOARTISTS INTERNATIONAL VAIA11172.
Christopher Logue
Pax read by Ralf Little (From Book: War Music)
George Frideric Handel
Ombra mai fu
Performer: Andreas Scholl, Akademie fur Alte Musik, Berlin
- Ombra Mai fu.
- HARMONIA MUNDI HMC901685.
- 7.
Raymond Chandler
from opening chapter of Farewell My Lovely read by Ralf Little
Harris
Shopping for Clothes
Performers: The Coasters
- Yakety Yak: The Coasters Collection.
- WARNERPLATINUM 8122-73225-2.
- 16.
Nikolai Gogol
The Overcoat read by Maxine Peake (From Book: Diary of a Madman and other stories, Translator: Ronald Wilks)
Giacomo Puccini
Vecchia zimarra from La Boheme
Performer: Ferrucio Mazzoli with Orchestra e Coro del Teatro dell’Opera di Roma cond. Thomas Schippers
- La Boheme.
- EMI CMS7696572.
Carol Rumens
The Scarf Exchange read by Maxine Peake (From Book: Thinking of Skins)
Shusha
The Silken Handkerchief
- Persian Love Songs.
- LYRICHORD LYRCD 7235.
- 6.
Robert Herrick
Delight in Disorder read by Ralf Little (From Book: Out of Fashion)
Bob Dylan
Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat
Performer: Bob Dylan
- Blonde on Blonde.
- COLUMBIA CGK841.
- 7.
Jean Sprackland
Dreaming of Rubber Gloves read by Maxine Peake (From Book: Out of Fashion)
M Wilkin and D .Dill
The Long Black Veil
Performer: Johnny Cash
- Johnny Cash – The Legend.
- COLUMBIA 5174612.
Nadeem Aslam
The Wasted Vigil read by Ralf Little (From Book: The Wasted Vigil)
John Tavener
The Protecting Veil
Performer: Steven Isserlis and the London Symphony Orchestra cond. Gennadi Rozhdestvensky
- The Protecting Veil.
Broadcasts
- Sun 8 Feb 2009 22:15´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio 3
- Sun 12 Dec 2010 22:25´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio 3