Remembrance
Texts and music remembering those who died in war over the last century, with readers Simon Russell Beale and Hattie Morahan. With Heaney and Brooke, plus Ravel and Barber.
Remembering those who died in war over the last century including poetry by Seamus Heaney, Vera Brittain, Owen Sheers, Rupert Brooke, Michael Longley, Primo Levi and Margaret Postgate Cole and music by Ravel, George Butterworth and Samuel Barber. The readers are Simon Russell Beale and Hattie Morahan.
Producer: Fiona McLean.
Last on
More episodes
Music Played
Timings (where shown) are from the start of the programme in hours and minutes
-
![]()
00:00Douglas Guest
For the Fallen
Performer: The Choir of Jesus College, Cambridge conducted by Mark Williams.- SIGNUM CLASSICS.
- Tr14.
-
Rupert Brooke
The Soldier read by Simon Russell Beale
![]()
00:02Ralph Vaughan Williams
Symphony no 3
Performer: Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra conducted by Kees Bakels.- NAXOS.
- Tr2.
Margaret Postgate Cole
The Falling Leaves read by Hattie Morahan
![]()
00:07Violet Jacob
贬补濒濒辞飞别聮别苍
Performer: Sheena Wellington and Karine Polwart.- GREENTRAX.
- Tr11.
Alexander Gillespie
Letter read by Simon Russell Beale
![]()
00:11Maurice Ravel
Le Tombeau de Couperin Menuet
Performer: Orchestre de Paris conducted by Herbert von Karajan.- EMI.
- Tr9.
Siegfried Sassoon
Aftermath read by Simon Russell Beale
![]()
00:17Krzysztof Penderecki
Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima
Orchestra: Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Krzysztof Penderecki. Conductor: Krzysztof Penderecki.- EMI.
- Tr2.
Owen Sheers
Mametz Wood read by Simon Russell Beale
![]()
00:22Eric Bogle
No Man聮s Land
Performer: June Tabor.- TOPIC.
- Tr11.
Michael Longley
In Memory of Charles Donnelly read by Hattie Morahan
![]()
00:29Samuel Barber
A Stopwatch and an Ordnance Map
Performer: Cambridge University Chamber Choir conducted by Timothy Brown.- GAMUT CLASSICS.
- Tr6.
Primo Levi translated by
Shema read by Simon Russell Beale
![]()
00:36Ernest Bloch
Nigun
Performer: Mischa Maisky and Daria Hovora.- DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON.
- Tr14.
Anna Akhmatova
From Requiem read by Hattie Morahan
David Grossman translated by Jessica Cohen
from Falling out of Time read by Simon Russell Beale
![]()
00:43Gideon Klein
Duo for Violin and Violoncello
Performer: Daniel Hope and Philip Dukes.- NIMBUS.
- Tr16.
Seamus Heaney
In a Field read by Simon Russell Beale
![]()
00:47George Butterworth
Is my team Ploughing?
Performer: Benjamin Luxon.- BELART.
- Tr6.
Paula Meehan
After the News read by Hattie Morahan
![]()
00:52Gerald Finzi
Farewell to Arms Aria
Performer: Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Vernon Handley.- LYRITA.
- Tr19.
Ted Hughes
Platform One read by Hattie Morahan
Andrew Motion
The Death of Harry Patch read by Simon Russell Beale
![]()
01:00Benjamin Britten
War Requiem
Performer: London Symphony Orchestra.- DECCA.
- Tr4.
Vera Brittain
The End read by Hattie Morahan
![]()
01:06Samuel Barber
Agnus Dei
Performer: The Sixteen conducted by Harry Christophers.- DECCA.
- Tr2.
Producer Note
This week鈥檚 Words and Music is Remembrance 鈥� the music and poetry of the years leading up to war, the outbreak, displacement and the aftermath of conflict. Although the focus is on the losses suffered in World War One you鈥檒l also hear music and poetry from other wars of the twentieth century.
Remembrance begins with Douglas Guest鈥檚 setting of Laurence Binyon鈥檚 poem, 鈥楩or the Fallen鈥�, written within a month of the start of World War One, with its familiar words heard every year at the ceremony at the Cenotaph:
鈥楾hey shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them鈥�.This is heard alongside 鈥楾he Soldier鈥�, Rupert Brooke鈥檚 sonnet written in the voice of a soldier who has died in conflict. At home many female poets wrote of loss. Margaret Postgate Cole鈥檚 鈥楾he Falling Leaves鈥� reflects on the despair she feels on what she sees as the pointless loss of the 鈥榞allant multitudes鈥�. The Angus poet Violet Jacob lost her only son Harry during the Battle of the Somme in the summer of 1916. Here, the song setting of 鈥楬allowe鈥檈n鈥� tells of a ploughman whose comrade has been lost in the war.
Michael Longley鈥檚 poem, 鈥業n Memory of Charles Donnelly鈥�, remembers the Irish poet who died fighting for the Republicans in the Spanish Civil War. The olive trees under which he lies are echoed in Samuel Barber鈥檚 musical setting of Stephen Spender鈥檚 poem, 鈥楢 Stopwatch and an Ordnance Map鈥�.
In August 2006 the Israeli writer David Grossman鈥檚 son Uri was killed during his national service when his tank was hit by a rocket in southern Lebanon. An extract from Grossman鈥檚 extraordinary elegiac book about loss and love, 鈥楩alling out of time鈥� is heard with Gideon Klein鈥檚 Duo for Violin and Cello.
Written only two months before his death, Seamus Heaney鈥檚 鈥業n a Field鈥� was written in response to Edward Thomas鈥� poem, 鈥楢s the Team鈥檚 Head Brass鈥�, composed shortly before Thomas requested a posting to the front where he died in Arras in 1917. Heaney鈥檚 poem imagines a farmer in a field, his day鈥檚 work done, joined by one who appears in his army uniform to lead him to those who have died in war. You鈥檒l hear it with George Butterworth鈥檚 beautiful setting of A.E. Housman鈥檚 鈥業s my team ploughing?鈥� sung by Benjamin Luxon. George Butterworth died in the Battle of the Somme on August 5th 1916.
鈥楾he End鈥� by Vera Brittain, the writer who lost her brother and her fianc茅 in the First World War, expresses her hope that they will meet again. The programme ends with 鈥楲et us sleep now鈥� from Benjamin Britten鈥檚 鈥榃ar Requiem鈥� and Samuel Barber鈥檚 setting of the 鈥楢gnus Dei鈥�.
Broadcasts
- Sun 9 Nov 2014 17:30大象传媒 Radio 3
- Sun 13 Nov 2016 17:30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.
Gallery
Related Content
