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Beginnings and Endings

Origin myths to the apocalypse written by a Syrian refugee aged 15, Mary Shelley, Dickens and others, read by Julie Hesmondhalgh and Joan Iyiola. Music by Haydn, Rebel and Aretha.

One of the most fundamental questions we can ask is 鈥榳here do I come from?鈥� And poets, philosophers, religions and scientists down the ages and across cultures have fashioned theories and stories to try and answer that question. We can hear their work in Norse mythology, Cherokee creation beliefs and Darwin鈥檚 theory of evolution. But what came before the beginning? One theory was chaos and Rebel offers us glimpses of that in musical form. There are also creative beginnings - a 14-year-old Aretha Franklin recorded in her father鈥檚 church and Prince rehearsing a new song (Purple Rain) alone at night in his studio. Mary Shelley鈥檚 Frankenstein stands as an warning of the risks of scientific experimentation while the orphan Pip, from Dickens鈥� Great Expectations, is forced to create his own origin story from the tiniest of clues. Birth is the theme of Gerald Finzi鈥檚 cantata, Dies Natalis, which sets to music the poetry of Thomas Traherne - about being unborn, emerging into the world and what it is to be human.

Endings come in the shape of Haydn鈥檚 false endings, Caryl Churchill鈥檚 apocalyptic visions and the final words from Samuel Beckett鈥檚 The Unnamable 鈥淚 can鈥檛 go on, I鈥檒l go on.鈥� There are lost loves and lost countries - Amineh Abou Kerech 鈥� a 15-year-old Syrian migrant 鈥� writes a poetic lament for her homeland accompanied by 19-year-old Palestinian composer Nay Barghothi.

The readers are Julie Hesmondhalgh and Joan Iyiola

Readings:
Cherokee Myth retold by Terry L. Norton: The Three Worlds
Lao Tzu, translated by Lin Yutang: The Tao Te Ching
Snorri Sturluson, translated by Henry Adams Bellows: The Poetic Edda, Vol 1
John Milton: Paradise Lost
Charles Darwin: On the Origin of Species
Margaret Cavendish: Of Many Worlds in This World
Mary Shelley: Frankenstein
Charles Dickens: Great Expectations
Doctor Who (Chris Chibnall): Episode 1
Charles Dickens: Great Expectations
James Joyce: Ecce Puer
Walt Whitman: A child said, What is the grass?
Brendan Behan: A Jackeen Laments the Blaskets
James Berry: Beginning in a City, 1948
Amineh Abou Kerech: Lament for Syria
Sappho: He is More Than a Hero
George Gordon, Lord Byron: When We Two Parted
Jackie Kay: Extinction
Caryl Churchill: Escaped Alone
Samuel Beckett: The Unnamable

Producer: Debbie Kilbride

1 hour, 14 minutes

Last on

New Year's Day 2020 18:15
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

  • 00:01

    Jean鈥怓茅ry Rebel

    Les El茅ments 1. Le Cahos

    Performer: The Academy of Ancient Music, Christopher Hogwood (Conductor).
    • Oiseau Lyre 4216562.
    • Tr1.

  • Cherokee Myth retold by Terry L. Norton

    The Three Worlds, read by Julie Hesmondhlagh

  • Lao Tzu, translated by Lin Yutang

    The Tao Te Ching (extract), read by Joan Iyiola

  • 00:05

    Joseph Haydn

    The Creation (Part one, Representation of Chaos)

    Performer: City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Simon Rattle (Conductor).
    • EMI 7541592.
    • CD1 Tr1.

  • Snorri Sturluson, translated by Henry Adams Bellows

    The Poetic Edda, Vol 1 (extract), read by Julie Hesmondhalgh

  • 00:08

    Michael Jackson

    Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'

    Performer: Michael Jackson.
    • Epic 517743 3314639-1.
    • CD2 Tr1.

  • John Milton

    Paradise Lost (extract), read by Joan Iyiola

  • 00:11

    Prince

    Purple Rain

    Performer: Prince.
    • Warner Bros. Records R1 567737.
    • Tr2.
  • 00:13

    Ralph Vaughan Williams

    The Lark Ascending

    Performer: The English Chamber Orchestra, Jos茅-Luis Garcia (violin), Sir Yehudi Menuhin (Conductor).
    • Arabesque Recordings Z6568.
    • Tr3.

  • Charles Darwin

    On the Origin of Species (extract), read by Julie Hesmondhalgh

  • Margaret Cavendish

    Of Many Worlds in This World, read by Joan Iyiola

  • 00:17

    Darius Milhaud

    La Creation du Monde, Op. 81a

    Performer: Orchestra National de Lille-R茅gion North/Pas de Calais, Jean-Claude Casadesus (Conductor).
    • Naxos 8557287.
    • Tr1.

  • Mary Shelley

    Frankenstein (extract), read by Julie Hesmondhalgh

  • 00:19

    Antony P. Hegarty

    Frankenstein

    Performer: ANOHNI and the Johnsons.
    • Rough Trade RTRADS 229.
    • Tr2.

  • Dr Who from 大象传媒 One, episode 1 聳 writer: Chris Chibnall

    Jodie Whittaker as Dr Who (from 大象传媒 One, episode 1)

  • Charles Dickens

    Great Expectations (extract), read by Joan Iyiola

  • 00:26

    Kieran Hebden

    Cradle

    Performer: Four Tet.
    • Domino RUG155P.
    • Tr2.

  • James Joyce

    Ecce Puer, read by Julie Hesmondhalgh

  • 00:27

    Gerald Finzi

    Dies Natalis Op 8 V. The Salutation (Aria)

    Performer: John Mark Ainsley (tenor), Croydon Singers, Croydon Orchestra, Matthew Best (Conductor).
    • Hyperion CDA 66876.
    • Tr5.

  • Walt Whitman

    A child said, What is the grass?, read by Joan Iyiola

  • 00:35

    John C. Moore

    Never Grow Old

    Performer: Aretha Franklin.
    • HMV 544610-2.
    • CD2 Tr17.

  • Brendan Behan

    A Jackeen Laments the Blaskets, read by Julie Hesmondhalgh

  • 00:38

    Shirley J. Thompson

    War Zone

    Performer: Shirley J. Thompson and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
    • Royal Philharmonic Collection, B0002X4UDS.
    • Tr3.

  • James Berry

    'Beginning in a City, 1948', read by Joan Iyiola

  • 00:44

    Roberts/Preston/Rios

    London Is The Place For Me

    Performer: Lord Kitchener.
    • Honest Jon's Records HJRCD 2.
    • Tr1.
  • 00:46

    Nay Barghothi

    Qana and Taqaseem

    Performer: Nay Barghothi.

  • Amineh Abou Kerech

    Lament for Syria, read by Julie Hesmondhalgh

  • 00:49

    Joseph Haydn

    Symphony No.90 in C, Finale

    Performer: City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Simon Rattle (Conductor).
    • EMI CDC 7542972.
    • Tr14.

  • John Millington Synge

    A Question read by Joan Iyiola

  • 00:55

    Joseph Haydn

    Symphony No.45 in F Sharp Minor 聯Farewell聰 聳 Finale: Presto - Adagio

    Performer: Capella Istropolitana, Barry Wordsworth (Conductor).
    • Naxos 8. 550382.
    • Tr4.

  • Sappho

    He is More Than a Hero, read by Julie Hesmondhalgh

  • 00:59

    Claude Ely

    Ain't No Grave

    Performer: Johnny Cash.
    • American Recordings 0602527331492.
    • Tr1.

  • George Gordon, Lord Byron

    When We Two Parted, read by Joan Iyiola

  • 01:03

    Sylvia Dee, Arthur Kent

    The End Of The World

    Performer: Skeeter Davis.
    • BMG 74321 446852.
    • Tr10.

  • Jackie Kay

    Extinction, read by Julie Hesmondhalgh

  • 01:07

    Anatoly Konstantinovich Lyadov

    From the Apocalypse, Op. 66

    Performer: 大象传媒 Philharmonic, Vassily Sinaisky (Conductor).
    • Chandos CHAN 9911.
    • Tr2.

  • Caryl Churchill

    Escaped Alone (extract), read by Julie Hesmondhalgh

  • Samuel Beckett

    The Unnamable (extract), read by Joan Iyiola

Broadcasts

  • Sun 18 Nov 2018 17:30
    大象传媒 Radio 3
  • New Year's Day 2020 18:15
    大象传媒 Radio 3

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