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Long Life

The Bible cites 鈥榯hreescore years and ten鈥� as a natural lifespan and we鈥檒l explore old age in poetry and prose with music from Arvo P盲rt, Elliott Carter, Holst and Richard Strauss.

Writings by Jan Morris, the world traveller who died in 2020 aged 94, begin and end this programme which explores the idea of longevity in humans and extraordinary lifespans in the natural world, such as whales, ocean quahogs and the redwood trees depicted in Richard Powers鈥� prize-winning novel 'The Overstory'. Timothy West and Eileen O鈥橞rien also read extracts from Virginia Woolf, Tove Jansson and George Bernard Shaw鈥檚 play 'Back to Methuselah' 鈥� whom the Bible claims lived to 969, long beyond the 鈥渘atural lifespan鈥� of 鈥渢hreescore years and ten鈥�.

Music ranges from Arvo P盲rt鈥檚 'Sarah Was Ninety Years Old' based on Abraham鈥檚 wife in the Book of Genesis, to an 'Elegy' by Elliott Carter who lived to be 103, and music performed by Danish jazz violinist Svend Asmussen who lived to 100, British harpist Sidonie Goossens who lived until she was 105, and the pianist Menahem Pressler who died at the age of 99 earlier this month.

Producers: Jenny Pitt and Lorna Newman

READINGS:
Jan Morris: In My Mind's Eye (A Thought Diary)
John Agard: Twilight Manoeuvring
Ruth Fainlight: Ageing
Joseph Edwards Carpenter: The King of the Southern Sea
Jonas Jonasson: The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared
Tove Jansson: The Summer Book
Lewis Carroll: You Are Old, Father William
Iris Apfel: Accidental Icon (Musings of a Geriatric Starlet)
Matt Haig: How to Stop Time
Virginia Woolf: Orlando: A Biography
WB Yeats: Sailing to Byzantium
Steven N Austad: Methuselah's Zoo
Roger McGough: The Oldest Tree on Earth: The Curse of Methuselah (poem six)
George Bernard Shaw: Back to Methuselah
Diana Athill: Alive, Alive Oh! (And Other Things That Matter)
Richard Powers: The Overstory
Elaine Feinstein: Long Life
James Hilton: Lost Horizon

1 hour, 14 minutes

Last on

Sun 21 May 2023 17:30
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

  • Speech: Jan Morris: In My Mind's Eye: A Thought Diary, read by Eileen O'Brien

  • 00:01

    Gustav Holst

    Saturn, The Bringer of Old Age (from The Planets - suite Op.32)

    Performer: New Philharmonia Orchestra. Conductor: Adrian Boult.
    • EMI.
    • 5669342.

  • Speech: John Agard: Twilight Manoeuvring, read by Timothy West

  • 00:06

    Giuseppe Verdi

    "When you are old and full of tears" (from Macbeth - opera in 4 acts)

    Performer: Thomas Allen. Performer: Philharmonia Orchestra. Conductor: David Parry.
    • CHANDOS.
    • 1147215.

  • Speech: Ruth Fainlight: Ageing, read by Eileen O'Brien

  • 00:11

    Gioachino Rossini

    Enough of Memories, Let's Dance [Sins of Old Age, vol.6 no.4]

    Performer: Frederic Chiu.
    • HARMONIA MUNDI.
    • HMA1957102.

  • Speech: Joseph Edwards Carpenter: The King of the Southern Sea, read by Eileen O'Brien

  • 00:16

    Alan Hovhaness

    And God created great whales Op.229

    Performer: Seattle Symphony. Conductor: Gerard Schwarz.
    • Delos.
    • DE3421.

  • Speech: Jonas Jonasson: The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared, read by Timothy West

  • 00:19

    Peter Warlock

    "The Old Codger" (from 4 Codpieces, arr. clarinet, trombone & piano)

    Performer: John Bradbury. Performer: Richard Brown. Performer: Aly Zuntz.

  • Speech: Tove Jansson: The Summer Book, read by Eileen O'Brien

  • 00:21

    Bill Withers

    Grandma's Hands

    Music Arranger: Booker T. Jones. Performer: Bill Withers.
    • COLUMBIA.
    • G010004361493E.

  • Speech: Lewis Carroll: You Are Old, Father William, read by Timothy West

  • 00:25

    Anton铆n Dvo艡谩k

    Twilight Way (from Poetic tone pictures Op.85 for piano)

    Performer: Leif Ove Andsnes.
    • SONY CLASSICAL.
    • 19439912092.

  • Speech: Iris Apfel: Accidental Icon (musings of a geriatric starlet), read by Eileen O'Brien

  • 00:28

    Aldous Harding

    Designer

    Performer: Aldous Harding. Performer: Gwion Llewelyn. Performer: H. Hawkline. Performer: John Parish. Performer: Stephen Black.
    • 4AD.
    • 4AD0102DA.

  • Speech: Matt Haig: How to Stop Time, read by Timothy West

  • 00:32

    Michael Nyman

    To Music (from 'No time in eternity' for countertenor and viol consort)

    Performer: Iestyn Davies. Performer: Fretwork.
    • SIGNUM CLASSICS.
    • SIGCD 586.

  • Speech: Virginia Woolf: Orlando: A Biography, read by Eileen O'Brien

  • 00:36

    David Motion

    Pavanne (from 'Orlando' film soundtrack)

    Composer: Sally Potter. Performer: Studio Orchestra.
    • VARESE SARABANDE.
    • VSD-5413.

  • Speech: William Butler Yeats: Sailing to Byzantium, read by Timothy West

  • 00:41

    Frank Bridge

    When you are old for voice and piano

    Lyricist: William Butler Yeats. Performer: Peter Pears. Performer: Benjamin Britten.
    • DECCA.
    • 4785672.
  • 00:44

    Arvo P盲rt

    Sarah was ninety years old for 3 voices, percussion and organ

    Performer: Sarah Leonard. Performer: Rogers Covey鈥怌rump. Performer: John Potter. Performer: Christopher Bowers-Broadbent. Performer: Pierre Favre.
    • ECM NEW SERIES.
    • 00042284753920.

  • Speech: Steven N Austad: Methuselah's Zoo (excerpt about 'Ming' the quahog), read by Timothy West

  • 00:47

    Arvo P盲rt

    Sarah was ninety years old for 3 voices, percussion and organ

    Performer: Sarah Leonard. Performer: Rogers Covey鈥怌rump. Performer: John Potter. Performer: Christopher Bowers-Broadbent. Performer: Pierre Favre.
    • ECM NEW SERIES.
    • 00042284753920.

  • Speech: Roger McGough: The Oldest Tree on Earth: The Curse of Methuselah (poem six), read by Eileen O'Brien

  • 00:50

    Elliott Carter

    Elegy for viola and piano

    Performer: Richard O'Neill. Performer: Anna Polonsky.
    • ONYX.
    • ONYX4129.

  • Speech: George Bernard Shaw: Back to Methuselah, read by Timothy West, Eileen O'Brien and Barnaby Gordon

  • 00:56

    John Lewis

    If I Were Eve

    Performer: Svend Asmussen. Performer: John Lewis. Performer: Jimmy Woode. Performer: Sture Kallin.
    • RHINO ATLANTIC.
    • 081227792961.

  • Speech: Diana Athill: Alive, Alive Oh! And Other Things That Matter, read by Eileen O'Brien

  • 01:00

    Claude Debussy

    Reverie for piano

    Performer: Menahem Pressler.
    • DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON.
    • 4798756.

  • Speech: Richard Powers: The Overstory, read by Timothy West

  • 01:04

    Bernard van Dieren

    Estemporale No.2 for harp

    Performer: Sidonie Goossens.
    • BRITISH MUSIC LABEL.
    • BML001.

  • Speech: Elaine Feinstein: Long Life, read by Eileen O'Brien

  • 01:07

    Richard Strauss

    鈥業m Abendrot鈥� (At sunset) from Four Last Songs

    Performer: Jessye Norman. Performer: Gewandhausorchester Leipzig. Conductor: Kurt Masur.
    • PHILIPS.
    • 411052-2.

  • Speech: James Hilton: Lost Horizon, read by Timothy West

  • Speech: Jan Morris: In My Mind's Eye: A Thought Diary, read by Eileen O'Brien

Broadcast

  • Sun 21 May 2023 17:30
    大象传媒 Radio 3

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