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The Kiss

Texts and music about kisses, with readings by Pippa Nixon and Jonathan Cullen. With Shakespeare, Fleur Adcock, Herrick and Sylvia Plath, plus Stravinsky and Irving Berlin.

Pippa Nixon and Jonathan Cullen read poems and prose about kisses, from Shakespeare's famous scene in Romeo and Juliet to Fleur Adcock's poem on 'Kissing', and from Herrick's romantic kisses to Sylvia Plath's warning, 'Never try to trick me with a kiss'. There are many types of kisses: the innocent first kisses of a baby, kisses of affection, the first romantic kiss, ritual kisses and the kisses of betrayal.

Music includes Stravinsky's 'The Fairy's Kiss' and Irving Berlin's 'Kiss me Honey'.

1 hour, 15 minutes

Last on

Christmas Eve 2015 16:30
大象传媒 Radio 3

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Music Played

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

  • 00:00

    B茅la Bart贸k

    Teasing Song (Scherzando) (44 Duos, Sz98)

    Performer: Andr谩s Kiss & Ferenc Balogh (violins).
    • HYPERION CDA66453.
    • Tr26.

  • Bobbi Katz

    Cat Kisses, read by Pippa Nixon and Jonathan Cullen

  • Unknown

    I saw Esau kissing Kate, Pippa Nixon and Jonathan Cullen

  • 00:00

    Joseph Haydn

    Der erste Kuss (Jacobi)

    Performer: Elly Ameling (soprano), Jorg Demus (piano).
    • PHILIPS 4202172.
    • Tr20.

  • Karl Shapiro

    The Kiss (Eden Retold), read by Jonathan Cullen

  • 00:04

    Martinu

    Poco Andante (Three Madrigals for violin and viola)

    Performer: Philip Setzer (violin), Lawrence Dutton (viola).
    • DG 477 8093.
    • Tr6.

  • William Shakespeare

    Romeo and Juliet (Act 1, Scene 5. Extract) read by Jonathan Cullen and Pippa Nixon.

  • 00:10

    Nino Rota

    Love Theme (from Zeffirelli聮's Romeo and Juliet)

    Performer: Orchestra conducted by Nino Rota.
    • CLOUD NINE CNS5000.
    • Tr17.

  • Margaret Mitchell

    Gone with the Wind (extract), read by Jonathan Cullen.

  • 00:13

    Anton铆n Dvo艡谩k

    Quartettsatz in A minor, B.40a

    Performer: Zemlinsky Quartet.
    • PRAGA PRD 350 028.
    • CD4 Tr5.
  • 00:19

    John Cage

    Sonata #10

    Performer: Joshua Pierce (prepared piano).
    • WERGO WER 60156-50.
    • tr13.

  • Helen Hoyt

    The Office Building, read by Pippa Nixon

  • 00:21

    John Dowland

    Loth to Depart

    Performer: Lee Santana (renaissance lute).
    • DHM 88697704362.
    • Tr17.

  • Thomas Campion

    Kisses, read by Jonathan Cullen

  • 00:27

    Irving Berlin and Ted Snyder

    Kiss me my honey, Kiss me

    Performer: Beth Tate (singer) with orchestra.
    • COLUMBIA LN2: 1917 LN3: m(78).

  • Robert Herrick

    Upon a Virgin Kissing a Rose, read by Jonathan Cullen

  • 00:30

    Fr茅d茅ric Chopin

    Nocturne for piano (B.108) (Op.posth) in C minor [1837]

    Performer: Maria Joao-Pires (piano).
    • DG 447 096-2.
    • Tr11.

  • Arthur Weir

    A Child'聮s Kiss, read by Jonathan Cullen

  • Christina Georgina Rossetti

    My Baby has a Mottled Fist, read by Pippa Nixon

  • 00:34

    Ives, orch. Adams

    Cradle Song

    Performer: Dawn Upshaw, Orchestra of St Lukes, John Adams.
    • ELEKTRA NONESUCH 7559 792492.
    • Tr4.

  • J. M. Barrie

    Peter Pan (extract 聳 Wendy and Peter), read by Pippa Nixon

  • 00:36

    Francis Poulenc

    Romance (Sonata for clarinet and bassoon)

    Performer: Gervase de Peyer (clarinet), William Waterhouse (bassoon).
    • EMI 918514-2.
    • CD8 Tr6.

  • Jo Shapcott

    Muse, read by Jonathan Cullen

  • 00:39

    Ellington-Gordon-Mills

    Prelude to a Kiss

    Performer: Charlie Byrd (guitar), Keter Betts (bass), Bertell Knox (drums).
    • RIVERSIDE OJCCD9982.
    • Tr4.

  • T.S. Kerrigan

    Elvis Kissed Me, read by Pippa Nixon

  • 00:44

    Toru Takemitsu

    Waltz (Face of Another)

    Performer: London Sinfonietta, John Adams (conductor).
    • NONESUCH 7559 79404-2.
    • Tr4.

  • Robert Herrick

    Kisses Loathesome, read by Jonathan Cullen

  • 00:47

    Bach, arr. Safri Duo

    Sarabande (English Suite no.4 in F major, BWV809)

    Performer: Safri Duo.
    • CHANDOS CHAN 9339.
    • Tr4.
  • 00:49

    Igor Stravinsky

    By the Mill (Le Baiser de la F茅e (the Fairy聮s Kiss), Scene 3)

    Performer: Scottish National Orchestra, Neeme Jarvi (conductor).
    • CHANDOS CHAN 8360.
    • Tr3.

  • Sylvia Plath

    Never try to trick me with a kiss, read by Pippa Nixon

  • Robert Herrick

    Upon Lucia, read by Jonathan Cullen

  • 00:56

    Franz Liszt

    Kisse elenken (Five Hungarian Folksongs, S245)

    Performer: Leslie Howard (piano).
    • HYPERION CDA 66448.
    • Tr4.

  • Thomas Moore

    The Kiss, read by Jonathan Cullen

  • 00:57

    Brahms, transcr. Berio

    Andante un poco adagio (Sonata for Clarinet and Orchestra in F minor, Op.120 No.1)

    Performer: Fausto Ghiazza (clarinet), Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Riccardo Chailly (conductor).
    • DECCA 476 2830.
    • Tr9.
  • 01:02

    Macmillan

    Kiss on Wood (extract)

    Performer: Madeleine Mitchell (violin), Andrew Ball (piano).
    • Tr4.

  • Tennessee Williams

    Not Without Knowledge, read by Pippa Nixon

  • King James Bible

    Gospel of St Luke 22:47-53, read by Pippa Nixon

  • 01:07

    Saint-Colombe

    Le Precipit茅

    Performer: Hille Perl (viola da gamba), Lee Santana (theorbo).
    • BMG 05472 77373 2.
    • Tr9.

  • Rufinus (Ancient Greece)

    Europa Kisses Sweetly, read by Jonathan Cullen

  • Fleur Adcock

    Kissing, read by Pippa Nixon

  • 01:11

    Charles Trenet

    Que Reste-t-il De Nos Amours (Baisers Vol茅s)

    Performer: Charles Trenet (chanteur), Orchestra directed by Leo Chauliac at the piano.
    • COLUMBIA 7465672.
    • Tr8.

Producer Note

Kissing is a universal part of life that is richly expressed in every culture.听 This edition of Words and Music portrays many types of kisses, from the innocent first kiss of a baby for its parents to the awkward first romantic kiss; there are friendly kisses, playground kisses, affectionate kisses, slimy kisses, ritual kisses and the kisses of betrayal.

听

One thread that runs through the programme is the duet, which I use as a musical symbol of two people embraced in a kiss.听 The programme begins light-heartedly with a 鈥楾easing Song鈥�, one of Bartok鈥檚 44 Duos for two violins, which sets up Bobbi Katz鈥檚 wonderful image of feline kisses as an alarm clock first thing in the morning.听 鈥業 saw Esau kissing Kate鈥� is an anonymous playground rhyme read and sung by Pippa Nixon and Jonathan Cullen.听 It leads directly into Haydn鈥檚 setting of Johann Georg Jacobi鈥檚 poem Der erste Kuss beckoning 鈥榣iebe Chloe鈥� for the first kiss that will bind them together.听 听The second duet of the programme, from Martinu鈥檚 Madrigals for Violin and Viola, opens with a soft shimmering effect that fits perfectly under the rustling leaves at the end of Karl Shapiro鈥檚 poem The Kiss (Eden Retold III) 鈥� the moment when 鈥榯hey jumped up from the fourth caress and hid鈥�.

听

Literature is full of kisses and the first that sprung to my mind was Shakespeare鈥檚 scene when Romeo kisses Juliet 鈥榖y the book鈥�, which is accompanied in this programme by the love theme from Zeffirelli鈥檚 soundtrack to the film Romeo and Juliet.听 Another equally famous literary kiss is Rhett Butler鈥檚 heady scene with Scarlett O鈥橦ara in Gone with the Wind. 听Dvorak鈥檚 florid Quartettsatz complements the 鈥榮wimming giddiness鈥� experienced by Scarlet as she realizes that she is kissing Rhett Butler back.听

听

From high romance to the prospect of a kiss being the only cheer in the cold world of Helen Hoyt鈥檚 poem, 鈥楾he Office Building鈥�, which is accompanied by the measured, percussive sounds of John Cage鈥檚 Sonata # 10 for prepared piano.听 The only cheer being the prospect of a kiss is a theme that runs through the Dowland lute piece, Loth to Go, and Thomas Campion鈥檚 poem 鈥楰isses鈥�.听 The mood of the programme lightens with Beth Tate鈥檚 vintage recording of Berlin-Snyder鈥檚 Kiss me my Honey, Kiss me, which is followed by the first of three short poems by Robert Herrick that I use in this programme, almost like short kisses in themselves.听

听

颁丑辞辫颈苍鈥檚 Nocturne in C minor, Op.Posth, leads into the heavenly warm kiss of a child in Arthur Weir鈥檚 poem, and then the third duet, a Romance by Poulenc for clarinet and bassoon, rocks gently out of the innocent kiss 鈥� the gift of an acorn button 鈥� of Peter Pan for Wendy and into the first poem in a sequence of more erotic kisses 鈥� Jo Shapcott鈥檚 poem, 鈥楳use鈥�.听 The laid-back, slightly melancholic sound of Charlie Byrd鈥檚 version of 鈥楶relude to a Kiss鈥� is a perfect preamble to Kerrigan鈥檚 poem, 鈥楨lvis kissed me鈥�.听 And Herrick鈥檚 revolting description of the slimy kiss is followed by Safri Duo鈥檚 arrangement of a sarabande from Bach鈥檚 English Suite No.4.听

听

Sylvia Plath warns readers not to trick her with a kiss, a misfortune which does fall upon the young man in Stravinsky鈥檚 Le Baiser de la F茅e after dancing with his fianc茅e by the mill.听 听听The fianc茅e leaves the mill to put on her bridal gown and then the Fairy appears instead dressed in bridal guise.听 She confuses the young man with her supernatural power and tricks him into leading her to the Land of the Eternal Dwelling.听

听

Perhaps the most notoriously deceitful kiss is that given to Jesus by Judas Iscariot in his moment of betrayal.听 This reading from the Gospel of St Luke is accompanied by James Macmillan鈥檚 austerely beautiful Kiss on Wood, which refers to the Good Friday custom of kissing the wood of the Crucifix after it is unveiled at the Good Friday Mass.听 James Macmillan says that the piece can 鈥榚qually represent a gesture of love鈥�.听

听

The programme ends with the last of the five duets - La Precipit茅 for viola da gamba and theorbo by Saint-Colombe, Fleur Adcock鈥檚 poem 鈥楰issing鈥� and Charles Trenet鈥檚 cheerful chanson Que Reste-t-il de nos Amours from the film Baisers Vol茅s.

听

听

Elizabeth Arno (producer)

Broadcasts

  • Sun 20 Jul 2014 17:45
    大象传媒 Radio 3
  • Christmas Eve 2015 16:30
    大象传媒 Radio 3

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