Witches and Sorcerers
Texts and music about witches and sorcerers, with readings by Juliet Stevenson and Henry Goodman. Including Marlowe and Goethe, plus Mussorgsky, Nina Simone, Dukas and Ades.
As Halloween approaches Words and Music takes a suitably dark turn, with a programme built around the theme of witches and sorcerers; those sinister beings who have captured the imagination and chilled the blood of poets, dramatists and composers for centuries. This edition also brings together a critically-acclaimed theatrical duo: Juliet Stevenson and Henry Goodman.
From Shakespeare's cauldron-stirring hags to Christopher Marlowe's tortured Dr Faustus, this is an exploration of some of literature's most iconic witches and wizards. Music ranges from Mussorgsky's Night on the Bare Mountain to Nina Simone's classic Put a Spell on You; from Dukas's much loved The Sorcerer's Apprentice to Thomas Ades's The Tempest.
On the night associated with creatures of darkness, Words and Music takes you to the land of Oz, home of the Wicked Witch of the West; sweeps you into Goethe's account of the sorcerer's misguided apprentice; and transports you to Prospero's isle, as the wizard-ruler struggles to abandon his magical powers.
Last on
Music Played
Timings (where shown) are from the start of the programme in hours and minutes
-
00:00
Mussorgsky arr. Rimsky Korsakov
A Night on the Bare Mountain
Performer: Bavarian State Orchestra, conducted by Wolfgang Sawallisch
- EMI Classics CDD7638932.
- 18.
-
Robert Herrick
The Hag, Juliet Stevenson
00:02N/A
The Wizard of Oz – excerpt of spoken words from the film, from a commercial soundtrack CD.
Performer: Margaret Hamilton
- MGM CDP7933032.
- 17.
00:02Thomas Adès
Five Fathoms deep from The Tempest
Performer: Cyndia Sieden (soprano), The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House conducted by Vasko Vassilev
- EMI Classics 6952342.
William Shakespeare
The Tempest, Act V, scene I. Henry Goodman.
William Shakespeare
Macbeth, Act IV, Scene I. Juliet Stevenson
00:05Betty Garrett/Gerald Dolin
I'd Rather be Burned as a Witch
Performer: Eartha Kitt
- MCA MCLC19120.
- 15.
Christopher Marlowe
Doctor Faustus, Act I, scene I. Henry Goodman
00:09Hector Berlioz
Symphony Fantastique
Performer: Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Simon Rattle
- EMI 2162240.
- 5.
00:14Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Dance Of The Sugar Plum FairyÂ
Performer: Kirov Orchestra conducted by Valery Gergiev
- Philips 462114-2.
- 22.
C.S Lewis
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Excerpt from Chapter 3, Juliet Stevenson
00:16Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Dance Of The Sugar Plum FairyÂ
Performer: Kirov Orchestra conducted by Valery Gergiev
- Philips 462114-2.
- 22.
00:18Antonio Vivaldi
The Four Seasons, Winter, Allegro con molto.
Performer: Nigel Kennedy (violin and director), English Chamber Orchestra
- EMI CDC7495572.
- 10.
Elizabeth Coleridge
The Witch. Juliet Stevenson
00:22Benjamin Britten
The Turn of the Screw, Act II, scene IV The Bedroom.
Performer: Ian Bostridge (tenor), Mahler Chamber Orchestra conducted by Daniel Harding.
- Virgin Classics 4563792.
Dante Gabriel Rossetti
The Sea Spell, Henry Goodman
00:23John Dowland
Galliard
Performer: Paul O’Dette
- Harmonia Mundi HMU907160.
- 10.
00:24James Rhodes
³§¾±°ùè²Ô±ð²õ
Performer: Montreal Symphony Orchestra conducted by Charles Dutoit
- Decca 425502-2.
- 8.
Willliam Shakespeare
Macbeth, Act I, scene V, Juliet Stevenson
00:28John Williams
The Devil's Dance (from The Witches of Eastwick)
Performer: Gil Shaham (violin), Jonathan Feldman (piano)
- DG 46348-2.
- 1.
Goethe
The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, Henry Goodman.
00:33Paul Dukas
The Sorcerer's Apprentice
Performer: Berlin Philharmonic conducted by James Levine
- DG 419617-2.
- 5.
William Shakespeare
Macbeth, Act IV, scene I, Juliet Stevenson
00:41Giuseppe Verdi
Che faceste? Dite Su! from Macbeth
Performer: Ambrosian Opera Chorus, New Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Riccardo Muti
- EMI classics 5671282.
00:45Frank Morgan (Wizard of Oz), Judy Garland (Dorothy)
The Wizard of Oz – excerpt of spoken words from the film, from a commercial soundtrack CD
- MGM CDP7933032.
- 16.
00:45Harburg/Arlen
We're off to see the Wizard, the Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Performer: Judy Garland, MGM Studio Orchestra and chorus, conducted by Herbert Stothart and George Stoll.
- MGM CDP7933032.
- 9.
T.H White
The Once and Future King, Chapter 3, Henry Goodman
00:47S. J. Hawkins
I Put a Spell on You
Performer: Nina Simone
- Universal 9808087.
- 15.
Stephen Moylan Bird
The Witch, Juliet Stevenson
00:50Ralph Vaughan Williams
The Lark Ascending
Performer: Nicola Benedetti (violin), London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Andrew Litton
- DG 4763399.
- 2.
Alfred Lord Tennyson
The Kraken, Henry Goodman
00:56Benjamin Britten
Storm from Four Sea Interludes, Op. 33a (Peter Grimes)
Performer: Royal Liverpool Philharminic conducted by Takuo Yuasa
- EMI 5654562.
- 13.
01:00(Trad.)
Wade in the Water
Performer: The Charioteers
- Fremeaux FA008.
Anon.
The Cat Witch, Juliet Stevenson
01:03Gioachino Rossini
Duetto buffo di due gatti
Performer: Gérard Lesne (Countertenor), Rockwell Blake (tenor), Antomio Pappano (piano)
- EMI Classics 5556142.
- 27.
Walter de la Mare
The Witch, Henry Goodman
01:08AntonÃn Dvořák
The Noonday Witch Op.108
Orchestra: Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. Conductor: Nikolaus Harnoncourt.Performer: Czech Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Vaclav Neumann
- Supraphon 2SUP0028.
- 2.
William Shakespeare
Macbeth, Act IV, scene I, Juliet Stephenson
Broadcasts
- Sun 31 Oct 2010 22:15´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio 3
- Sat 29 Oct 2016 18:30´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio 3