Main content
Sorry, this episode is not currently available

Like a butterfly's wing

A sequence of words and music celebrating the creativity of LGBTQ+ writers, performers and composers, including Oscar Wilde, Jackie Kay, Torrey Peters, Ethel Smyth & David Bowie.

Celebrating the creativity of LGBTQ+ writers, performers and composers, this episode hears the evocation of seasons in Radclyffe Hall鈥檚 "Well of Loneliness" and Michael Field鈥檚 poetry; there's the Polari description of life on board ship in Richard Milward鈥檚 novel "Man-Eating Typewriter"; "Sappho鈥檚 Song" written by the Elizabethan author John Lyly and "The Last Prom Queen in Antarctica" - a poem by Ocean Vuong. There's also an excerpt from the agonised letter sent by "Tales of the City" writer Armistead Maupin to his mother and the impassioned analysis of the "Sex and the City" choices facing trans women outlined in Torrey Peter鈥檚 acclaimed recent novel "DeTransition Baby". Plus, Jackie Kay evokes a jazz trumpeter, Paul Burston reflects on his teenage interest in David Bowie, and AE Housman muses on the persecution of homosexuals following the trial and imprisonment of Oscar Wilde in 1895.

We鈥檒l hear ballet music by Tchaikovsky, a love song from Pauline Oliveiros' accordion, Billy Strayhorn taking the A-Train, electronic wizardry by Wendy Carlos and Kenneth Williams singing Noel Coward's impassioned plea to Mrs Worthington.

And our title comes from a phrase in Virginia Woolf's 1928 novel Orlando.

The readers for this episode are Alicya Eyo and Arthur Bostrom.
Composer of the Week running June 24th to 28th focuses on the work of Lou Harrison and there are special mixtapes running across the week as part of Radio 3's programming for Pride Month.

Producer in Salford: Les Pratt

READINGS and MUSIC
Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky 鈥� The lilac fairy [The Sleeping beauty - suite (Op.66a)]
Dean Atta 鈥� The Black Flamingo
Jean-Baptiste Lully 鈥� Prelude: Psyche
Oscar Wilde 鈥� The Portrait of Dorian Gray
Jonathan Dove 鈥� From Heaven to Here [Sappho Sings]
John Lyly 鈥� Sappho鈥檚 Song
Pauline Oliveiros 鈥� A Love Song
Joelle Taylor 鈥� Vitrine
Ethel Smyth 鈥� Concerto for violin & horn (2nd mvt: Elegy 鈥淚n Memoriam鈥�)
Radclyffe Hall 鈥� The Well of Loneliness
Walt Whitman 鈥� Sometimes with the one I love
Craig Urquhart 鈥� Here the frailest leaves of me
Armistead Maupin 鈥� More Tales of the City
Nico Muhly 鈥� The Street [Station IV: Jesus Meets His Mother]
Angela Morley 鈥� A Canadian in Mayfair
Torrey Peters 鈥� Detransition Baby
JS Bach arr. Wendy Carlos 鈥� Brandenburg Concerto No.3 (1st mvt)
Richard Milward 鈥� Man-Eating Typewriter
Noel Coward 鈥� Mrs Worthington
Anon 鈥� Cud (excerpt) Billy Tipton Memorial Saxophone Quartet
Jackie Kay 鈥� Trumpet
Billy Strayhorn 鈥� Take the A Train
Michael Field 鈥� A Summer Wind
Francis Poulenc 鈥� Sextet for piano & winds (2nd mvt: Divertissement)
Paul Burston 鈥� We can be heroes
David Bowie 鈥� Rebel Rebel
Chris Lowe / Neil Tennant 鈥� It鈥檚 a sin
AE Housman 鈥� Oh who is that young sinner?
Meredith Monk 鈥� Passage
Virginia Woolf 鈥� Orlando
Dominique Phinot 鈥� Pater peccavi
Julius Eastman 鈥� Gay guerilla
Carol Ann Duffy 鈥� Prayer
Ocean Vuong 鈥� Last Prom Queen in Antarctica
Janis Joplin 鈥� Mercedes Benz

1 hour, 14 minutes

Last on

Sun 23 Jun 2024 18:00
大象传媒 Radio 3

More episodes

Previous

Long Life

Next

Portraits

See all episodes from Words and Music

Music Played

Timings (where shown) are from the start of the programme in hours and minutes

  • Dean Atta

    The Black Flamingo (excerpts) read by Alicya Eyo

  • 00:01

    Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

    The lilac fairy [The Sleeping beauty - suite (Op.66a)]

    Orchestra: Vienna Philharmonic. Conductor: Herbert von Karajan.
    • DECCA.
    • 15.

  • Oscar Wilde

    The Portrait of Dorian Gray (excerpt) read by Arthur Bostrom

  • 00:05

    Jean鈥怋aptiste Lully

    Prelude: Psyche

    Ensemble: Les Arts Florissants. Conductor: William Christie.
    • ERATO.
    • 1.

  • John Lyly

    Sappho鈥檚 Song read by Alicya Eyo

  • 00:07

    Jonathan Dove

    From Heaven to Here (Sappho Sings)

    Choir: Fairhaven Singers. Orchestra: London Mozart Players. Director: Ralph Woodward.
    • CONVIVIUM.
    • 1.

  • Joelle Taylor

    Vitrine read by Arthur Bostrom

  • 00:12

    Pauline Oliveros

    A Love Song

    • HAT ART.
    • 3.

  • Radclyffe Hall

    The Well of Loneliness (excerpt) read by Alicya Eyo

  • 00:18

    Ethel Smyth

    Concerto for violin & horn (2nd mvt: Elegy 鈥淚n Memoriam鈥�)

    Performer: Sophie Langdon (violin), Richard Watkins (horn), 大象传媒 Philharmonic, Odaline de la Martinez (conductor).
    • CHANDOS.
    • 6.

  • Walt Whitman

    Sometimes with the one I love read by Arthur Bostrom

  • 00:26

    Craig Urquhart

    Here the frailest leaves of me

    Singer: Michael Slattery. Performer: Craig Urquhart. Orchestra: 大象传媒 Philharmonic. Conductor: Odaline de la Martinez.
    • AVIE.
    • 2.

  • Armistead Maupin

    More Tales of the City (excerpt) read by Arthur Bostrom

  • 00:28

    Nico Muhly

    The Street [Station IV: Jesus Meets His Mother]

    Performer: Parker Ramsay (harp).
    • KINGS COLLEGE KGS0066.
    • 10.
  • 00:32

    Angela Morley

    A Canadian in Mayfair

    Orchestra: John Wilson Orchestra. Conductor: John Wilson.
    • VOCALION.
    • 12.

  • Torrey Peters

    Detransition Baby (excerpt) read by Alicya Eyo)

  • 00:37

    JS Bach arr. Wendy Carlos

    Brandenburg Concerto No.3 (1st mvt) (excerpt)

    Performer: Wendy Carlos (Moog synthesiser).
    • CBS MASTERWORKS.
    • 10.

  • Richard Milward

    Man-Eating Typewriter (excerpt) read by Arthur Bostrom

  • 00:41

    No毛l Coward

    Mrs Worthington

    Performer: Kenneth Williams. Ensemble: Brian Fahey and His Orchestra.
    • EMI.
    • 10.
  • 00:43

    Anon

    Cud (excerpt)

    Performer: Billy Tipton Memorial Saxophone Quartet.
    • NEW WORLD RECORDS.
    • 9.

  • Jackie Kay

    Trumpet (excerpt) by Alicya Eyo

  • 00:45

    Billy Strayhorn

    Take the A Train

    Performer: Duke Ellington Orchestra.
    • BLUEBIRD RECORDS.
    • 10.

  • Michael Field

    A Summer Wind read by Alicya Eyo

  • 00:49

    Francis Poulenc

    Sextet for piano & winds (2nd mvt: Divertissement)

    Performer: Eric Le Sage. Ensemble: Les Vents Fran莽ais.
    • WARNER CLASSICS.
    • 12.
  • 00:53

    Leonard Bernstein

    Glitter & Be Gay [Candide]

    Performer: Barbara Cook (soprano), Candide Orchestra, Samuel Krachmalnick (conductor).
    • SONY.
    • 1.

  • Paul Burston

    We can be heroes (excerpt) read by Arthur Bostrom

  • 00:57

    David Bowie

    Rebel Rebel

    Performer: David Bowie (vocals).
    • RCA.
    • 6.
  • 00:58

    Olly Alexander & Elton John

    It's a sin (excerpt)

    • EMI.
    • 7.

  • AE Housman

    Oh who is that young sinner? read by Arthur Bostrom

  • 01:02

    Meredith Monk

    Passage

    Singer: Silvie Jensen. Performer: Allison Sniffen. Performer: Katie Geissinger. Performer: Ellen Fisher. Performer: Ching Gonzalez. Performer: Theo Bleckmann. Performer: Sasha Bogdanowitsch.
    • ECM.
    • 8.

  • Virginia Woolf

    Orlando (excerpt) read by Alicya Eyo

  • 01:06

    Dominique Phinot

    Pater peccavi (excerpt)

    Ensemble: The Brabant Ensemble. Conductor: Stephen Rice.
    • HYPERION.
    • 2.
  • 01:08

    Julius Eastman

    Gay guerilla (excerpt)

    Performer: Julius Eastman.
    • MASTERWORKS.
    • 1.

  • Carol Ann Duffy

    Prayer read by Alicya Eyo

  • Ocean Vuong

    Last Prom Queen in Antarctica read by Arthur Bostrom

  • 01:12

    Janis Joplin

    Mercedes Benz

    Performer: Janis Joplin (vocals).
    • Columbia.
    • 8.

Broadcasts

  • Sun 11 Jun 2023 17:30
    大象传媒 Radio 3
  • Sun 23 Jun 2024 18:00
    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.