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Kafka and Co

Texts and music exploring the themes in Kafka, such as the absurd, isolation, chaos, parents and children, transformation and authority. Readers: Rory Kinnear and Juliet Stevenson.

Poetry, prose and music exploring the themes in Kafka - the absurd, isolation, chaos, parents and children, transformation and authority. The readers are Rory Kinnear and Juliet Stevenson. With poems and prose by Franz Kafka, T.S. Eliot, Samuel Beckett, Carol Ann Duffy and U.A. Fanthorpe and music by Martinu, Dvorak, Gideon Klein, Krenek, Talking Heads, Prokofiev, Kurtag and Rufus Wainwright.

1 hour, 15 minutes

Last on

Wed 30 Dec 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

    Ernst Krenek

    6 Motets to Words by Franz Kafka

    Performer: Caroline Stein, soprano and Philip Mayers, piano.
    • Harmonia Mundi HMC902049.
    • 2.

  • Samuel Beckett

    from Quatre Poemes read by Juliet Stevenson

  • 00:02

    Max Richter

    The Blue Notebooks 聳 Written on the Sky

    Performer: Max Richter.
    • FAT CAT CD1304.
    • 11.

  • Franz Kafka

    from The Metamorphosis read by Rory Kinnear

  • 00:05

    Gideon Klein

    Forbidden Music - Trio

    Performer: Daniel Hope, Philip Dukes and Paul Watkins.
    • NIMBUS NI5702.
    • 1.
  • 00:08

    Talking Heads

    Psycho Killer

    • SIRE 8122764882.
    • 2.

  • Carol Ann Duffy

    Medusa read by Juliet Stevenson

  • 00:14

    Bohuslav Martin暖

    Concerto for String Quartet and Orchestra

    Performer: The Endellion String Quartet conducted by Richard Hickox.
    • VIRGIN CLASSICS VC7910992.
    • 4.

  • Billy Collins

    Metamorphosis read by Rory Kinnear

  • 00:19

    Philip Glass

    Metamorphosis

    Performer: Philip Glass.
    • SONY SBK64133.
    • 12.

  • Franz Kafka

    from The Trial read by Rory Kinnear

  • 00:24

    Anton铆n Dvo艡谩k

    Slavonic Dances - Dumka

    Performer: Tschechische Philharmoniev conducted by Vaclav Neumann.
    • TELDEC 842203.
    • 2.

  • U.A. Fanthorpe

    You Will Be Hearing From Us Shortly read by Juliet Stevenson

  • 00:31

    Gy枚rgy Kurt谩g

    Kafka Fragments

    Performer: Anu Komsi, soprano and Sakari Oramo, violin.
    • ONDINE ODE8682.
    • 23.
  • 00:33

    Hans Kr谩sa

    Tanec String Trio

    Performer: Daniel Hope, Philip Dukes and Paul Watkins.
    • NIMBUS NI5702.
    • 14.

  • Samuel Beckett

    from Waiting for Godot read by Juliet Stevenson

  • 00:39

    Erwin Schulhoff

    Quatuor a cordes calliope

    Performer: Talichovo kvarteto.
    • CALLIOPE CAL9333.
    • 9.

  • Joseph Heller

    from Catch 22 read by Rory Kinnear

  • Lewis Carroll

    from Alice in Wonderland read by Juliet Stevenson

  • 00:47

    Bohuslav Martin暖

    The Quarrelsome Queens

    Performer: Kuhn Mixed Chorus.
    • SUPRAPHON 1103802.
    • 4.

  • T.S. Eliot

    from The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock read by Rory Kinnear

  • 00:50

    Gideon Klein

    Duo for Violin and Violoncello

    Performer: Daniel Hope, Philip Dukes and Paul Watkins.
    • NIMBUS NI5702.
    • 15.

  • Franz Kafka

    from Letter to my Father read by Rory Kinnear

  • 00:57

    Rufus Wainwright

    Dinner at Eight

    Performer: Rufus Wainwright.
    • DREAMWORKS 4505041.
    • 14.

  • Harold Pinter

    Poem read by Rory Kinnear

  • 01:03

    Nigel Kennedy

    Kafka - Solitude

    Performer: Nigel Kennedy.
    • EMI CDEMD1095.
    • 10.

  • Franz Kafka

    At Night read by Juliet Stevenson

  • 01:10

    Alfred Schnittke

    Concerto for Violoncello and Orchestra

    Performer: Mstislav Rostropovich.
    • SONY CLASSICAL SK48241.
    • 1.

  • Samuel Beckett

    from The Unnameable read by Rory Kinnear

Producer's Note

This week鈥檚 Words and Music is part of a series of 大象传媒 programmes exploring the life and work of one of the 20th century鈥檚 most fascinating writers, Franz Kafka. In 鈥楰afka and Co.鈥� you鈥檒l be hearing work by Kafka himself, poets and novelists who were influenced by him and the work of writers drawn to the themes we think of as 鈥楰afkaesque鈥� - the absurdity and illogicality of life, isolation and loneliness, bureaucracy, alienation and family conflict - with music by Czech composers and composers inspired by the writer.

鈥楰afka and Co.鈥� begins with Krenek鈥檚 鈥楽ix Motets after Kafka鈥�. Krenek, a composer of Czech origin, knew the writer鈥檚 work well and, in this work, attempted to capture his world using fragments from his writings. Rory Kinnear reads from 鈥楾he Metamorphosis鈥�, Kafka鈥檚 novella published one hundred years ago. It tells the story of Gregor Samsa, a travelling salesman, who wakes one morning in the family home to find he has been transformed into a large insect. Alongside this Talking Head鈥檚 鈥楶sycho Killer鈥� echoes Kafka鈥檚 themes of confusion and alienation.

Carol Ann Duffy鈥檚 poem 鈥楳edusa鈥�, read by Juliet Stevenson, also features a character facing social isolation and loneliness, someone, like Gregor, who is shunned by society. Billy Collins鈥� 鈥楳etamorphosis鈥� reimagines Gregor鈥檚 situation but dreams of waking up transformed into the New York Public Library, a blissful experience where 鈥業 would feel the pages of books turning inside me like butterflies鈥�.

An extract from 鈥楾he Trial鈥�, is heard with Dvorak鈥檚 鈥楧umka鈥� from his 鈥楽lavonic Dances鈥�, which, like Kafka鈥檚 work, draws on the Czech folk tradition. In the novel ideas of justice, the absurd, guilt and the illogicality and lunacy of bureaucracy are explored. U.A. Fanthorpe鈥檚 wonderful 鈥榊ou Will be Hearing from us Shortly鈥� also explores these ideas of power and control in her poem about a nightmarish job interview. This is followed by Gyorgy Kurtag鈥檚 鈥楰afka Fragments,鈥� his song cycle in which he drew on forty phrases and sentences from the letters and diaries.

Samuel Beckett shared Kafka鈥檚 sense of the absurdity of life. Both were fascinated by the concept of 鈥榳aiting鈥�. A passage from 鈥榃aiting for Godot鈥� is heard with the Czech composer Erwin Schulhoff鈥檚 鈥楺uatuor a cordes Calliopes鈥�. As a German Jew in Prague Schulhoff shared the feeling of being an outsider.

In Kafka鈥檚 鈥楲etter to my Father鈥� he held his estranged father accountable for the emotional abuse he felt had marked his childhood. This is followed by Rufus Wainwright鈥檚 exploration of his fractious relationship with his father in 鈥楧inner at Eight鈥�.

The programme ends with the closing passage of Samuel Beckett鈥檚 鈥楾he Unnameable鈥�, a Kafkaesque struggle for the unattainable, with Schnittke鈥檚 鈥楥oncerto for Violoncello and Orchestra鈥�.

Producer: Fiona McLean

Broadcasts

  • Sun 10 May 2015 17:30
    大象传媒 Radio 3
  • Wed 30 Dec 2015 16:30
    大象传媒 Radio 3

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