Main content
Sorry, this episode is not currently available

Untitled

Texts and music on the theme of the untitled, with readings by Andrew Scott and Amelia Lowdell. With Catullus, Wordsworth and Dickinson, plus Britten and Schumann.

It often seems that we live in a world where nothing exists unless it has a title of some kind. And yet there are experiences that we can't easily name... unique emotions that defy all categories. Our struggle to find a name sometimes expresses itself as poetry, sometimes as music... even if the attempt ends in failure. Of course attaching the word "untitled" to anything doesn't really help as this can serve as just another sort of title. That's the nature of things... or maybe just human nature.
In Words and Music this evening the actors Andrew Scott and Amelia Lowdell venture into the weightless world where experiences and what we call them have been allowed to float free... the realm of the untitled. Catullus, Wordsworth, Samuel Menashe and Emily Dickinson are swirling around with them out there as well as Benjamin Britten, Morton Feldman, Schumann and Conlon Nancarrow. There'll be others too although they may be hard to distinguish to begin with, having escaped their usual moorings. Should we revel in this buoyancy or prepare for a nasty fall? That's up to you.

Producer: Zahid Warley.

1 hour

Last on

New Year's Day 2016 17:00
大象传媒 Radio 3

More episodes

Previous

Crowds

Next

Three

See all episodes from Words and Music

Music Played

Timings (where shown) are from the start of the programme in hours and minutes

  • 00:00

    Conlon Nancarrow

    From Studies for Player Piano 鈥� Study No 5

    Performer: Ensemble Modern

    • RCA Victor Red Seal Track: 1.

  • 鈥淭here came a wind like a bugle鈥� by Emily Dickinson

    Amelia Lowdell

  • 00:03

    Frank Martin

    From Quatre pieces breves, Number 2

    Performer: Julian Bream

    • Deutsche EMI Classics Track: 2.

  • 鈥淭hey flee from me that sometime did me seek鈥� by Sir Thomas Wyatt

    Andrew Scott

  • 00:06

    Duke Ellington and His Orchestra

    Untitled

    Performer: Duke Ellington and his Famous Orchestra

    • Up to Date- Duke Ellington- Studio Series Volume 8 Track: 6.

  • 鈥淭here鈥檚 no escaping the kissers, Flaccus鈥� by Martial translated by James Michie

    Amelia Lowdell

  • 00:11

    Anton Webern

    2 pieces for cello and piano 鈥� number 1

    Performers: Clemens Hagen and Oleg Maisenberg

    • Deutsche Grammophon Track: 1, CD 6.

  • 鈥淭he hollow of morning鈥� by Samuel Menashe

    Andrew Scott

  • 00:13

    Anton Webern

    2 pieces for cello and piano 鈥� number 2

    Performers: Clemens Hagen and Oleg Maisenberg

    • Deutsche Grammophon Track: 2, CD 6.

  • 鈥淎 flock of little boats鈥� by Samuel Menashe

    Amelia Lowdell

  • 00:16

    Steve Reich

    Music for 18 musicians

    • Nonesuch Track: 14 from CD 1A Nonesuch Retrospective.

  • 鈥淎ll I want to do鈥� by Hafiz translated by Matthew Rohrer

    Andrew Scott

  • 00:23

    Benjamin Britten

    Untitled

    Performer: Northern Sinfonia

    • NMC Track: 18.

  • "Close, close all night" by Elizabeth Bishop

    Amelia Lowdell

  • 00:26

    Robert Schumann

    From Album fur die Jugend Op. 68 - Molto Lento

    Performer: Daniel Levy

    • Nimbus Track 26 Duration 03:58.

  • Catullus, translated by James Michie

    • Please tell me - that is if you don't mind me asking" by

      Andrew Scott

  • 00:31

    Morton Feldman

    Piano Piece (1964)

    Performer: Steffen Schleiermacher

    • Hat Hut Hatart Track: 17 Duration 08:23.

  • "Khrushchev is coming on the right day" by Frank O'Hara from Lunch Poems

    Amelia Lowdell

  • 00:41

    Brian Eno

    1/1

    • Virgin Track 2.

  • 鈥淎 slumber did my spirits seal鈥� by William Wordsworth

    Andrew Scott

  • 00:50

    Heinz Holliger

    From Lieder Ohne Worte 1, Number 2

    Performer: Thomas Zehetmair and Thomas Larcher

    • ECM Track: 17.

  • 鈥淭he room of my friend鈥� by Samuel Menashe

    Amelia Lowdell

  • 00:56

    Felix Mendelssohn

    From Lieder ohne Worte 鈥� op. 85, No 1 in F major

    Performer: Daniel Barenboim

    • Deutsche Grammophon Track: 13.

Amelia Lowdell

Amelia Lowdell
Amelia Lowdell

Broadcasts

  • Sun 9 Jun 2013 18:30
    大象传媒 Radio 3
  • New Year's Day 2016 17:00
    大象传媒 Radio 3

The hidden history of plant-based diets

The hidden history of plant-based diets

Forget social media influencers - the meat-free movement started with the Victorians.

Books website

Get closer to books with in-depth articles, quizzes and our picks from radio & TV.