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Shakespeare and Power

Juliet Stevenson and Tim Pigott-Smith are the readers in a sequence of texts and music inspired by an important Shakespearean theme: the power of royalty.

"Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown".
Actors Juliet Stevenson and Tim Pigott-Smith perform readings accompanied by centuries of music inspired by one of Shakespeare's favourite themes: the power of royalty and monarchy as a metaphor for the relationship between men and women.

Producer: Fiona McLean

First broadcast live from the RSC's The Other Place in Stratford-upon-Avon in April 2016.

1 hour

Last on

Sat 16 Jul 2016 18:30
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

    Patrick Doyle

    Fanfare

    Performer: Robert Ziegler conductor.
    • Sony Classical SK62857.
    • Tr2.

  • William Shakespeare

    Richard II, read by Juliet Stevenson

  • 00:01

    William Walton

    Hamlet: A Shakespeare Scenario (arranged by Christopher Palmer) 1. Prelude

    Performer: Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner (conductor).
    • CHANDOS CHAN 10436 X.
    • Tr1.

  • William Shakespeare

    Henry V, read by Tim Pigott-Smith

  • 00:06

    Dmitry Shostakovich

    Hamlet 聳 Musical Fragments op. 32 - Fortinbra's march

    Performer: The Leningrad Chamber Orchestra, Eduard Serov (conductor).
    • OLYMPIA OCD131.
    • Tr12.

  • William Shakespeare

    Julius Caesar, read by Tim Pigott-Smith

  • William Shakespeare

    Hamlet, read by Juliet Stevenson

  • 00:10

    Johan Sibelius

    Suite no.1, Op.109 No.2 - Berceuse

    Performer: Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Neeme J盲rvi (conductor).
    • BIS CD448.
    • Tr9.

  • William Shakespeare

    Sonnet no 94, read by Juliet Stevenson

  • 00:13

    Giuseppe Verdi

    Macbeth 聳 Allegro vivacissimo

    Performer: Coro e Orchestra del Teatro Alla Scala, Claudio Abbado (conductor).
    • Deutsche Grammophon 4194872.
    • Tr3.
  • 00:15

    Giuseppe Verdi

    Macbeth 聳 Allegro - Andante

    Performer: Coro e Orchestra del Teatro Alla Scala, Claudio Abbado (conductor).
    • Deutsche Grammophon 4194872.
    • Tr4.

  • William Shakespeare

    Macbeth, read by Tim Pigott-Smith

  • 00:22

    Mario Castelnuovo鈥怲edesco

    The Tragedy of Coriolanus, Op.135 (1947)

    Performer: West Australian Symphony Orchestra, Andrew Penny (conductor).
    • NAXOS 8572500.
    • Tr5.

  • William Shakespeare

    Coriolanus, read by Juliet Stevenson

  • 00:32

    Ned Rorem

    After Reading Shakespeare - Katharine

    Performer: Sharon Robinson (Cello).
    • NAXOS 8559316.
    • Tr10.

  • William Shakespeare

    The Taming of the Shrew, read by Tim Pigott-Smith

  • 00:35

    Josef Foerster

    From Shakespeare Suite Op. 76 聳 Katharina, Petruchio and Eros

    Performer: Prague Symphony Orchestra, V谩clav Smet谩cek (conductor).
    • SUPRAPHON CO 72887.
    • Tr5.

  • William Shakespeare

    Sonnet 150, read by Juliet Stevenson

  • 00:43

    Ned Rorem

    After Reading Shakespeare - Remembrance of Things Past

    Performer: Sharon Robinson (Cello).
    • NAXOS 8559316.
    • Tr16.
  • 00:45

    Claude Debussy

    Musiques pour Le Roi Lear - Fanfare

    Performer: Orchestre National de l聮ORTF, Jean Martinon (conductor).
    • EMI 5755262.
    • CD1 Tr10.
  • 00:47

    Claude Debussy

    Musiques pour Le Roi Lear 聳 Le Sommeil de Lear

    Performer: Orchestre National de l聮ORTF, Jean Martinon (conductor).
    • EMI 5755262.
    • CD1 Tr11.

  • William Shakespeare

    Henry IV Part 2, read by Tim Pigott-Smith

  • William Shakespeare

    Henry IV Part 2, read by Juliet Stevenson

  • 00:52

    Arthur Bliss

    A Colour Symphony - Purple

    Performer: Ulster Orchestra, Vernon Handley (conductor).
    • CHANDOS CHAN10221X.
    • Tr1.

Producer's Note - Shakespeare: The Power of Royalty & Monarchy

As part of this weekend's Sounds of Shakespeare marking 400 years since the playwright's death Words and Music comes live from Stratford-upon-Avon. We explore the theme of power which ranges from Shakespeare's exploration of the divine right of kings in plays including Richard II to the ways in which he uses monarchy as a metaphor to explore the differences between the sexes, most dramatically in the relationship between Petruchio and Katherine in The Taming of the Shrew and in the Sonnets which focus often on the supremacy of the beloved. Live from Radio 3's pop up studio in The Other Place theatre Juliet Stevenson and Tim Pigott-Smith read from work including Richard II, Coriolanus, Henry IV Part 2, Julius Caesar and Macbeth with music by composers inspired by Shakespeare including William Walton, Shostakovich, Ned Rorem and Claude Debussy.

Producer: Fiona McLean

Broadcasts

  • Sat 23 Apr 2016 11:00
    大象传媒 Radio 3
  • Sat 16 Jul 2016 18:30
    大象传媒 Radio 3

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