Main content

Milton's world

Alexandra Gilbreath and Oliver Ryan with readings from Milton set alongside music by Handel, Mozart, Ligeti and John Milton Senior.

John Milton died three hundred and fifty years ago, on the 8th November 1674. In this edition of Words and Music we take a journey through the work of this man, considered one of the greatest poets in the English language. He certainly doesn鈥檛 shy away from the big themes. From Paradise Lost, we hear Satan, the fallen angel, reconciling himself to evil, join God on creation of the First Day, as well as Eve weighing up whether to share the forbidden fruit of the Tree of Knowledge with her beloved Adam. Beyond Paradise Lost, we hear Samson lamenting his blindness, the evil Comus attempting to seduce an innocent virgin, and meditations on both time and music that point beyond human life to divine salvation. Milton鈥檚 father was a musician, so we鈥檒l hear a combination of work he would have heard himself, as well as music inspired by Milton鈥檚 verse by Handel and others, and work from the likes of Bach, Mozart and Beethoven that aspires to the lofty themes of the poetry itself.

Readers: Alexandra Gilbreath and Oliver Ryan
Producer: Luke Mulhall

20 days left to listen

1 hour, 14 minutes

Last on

Sun 10 Nov 2024 18:00
大象传媒 Radio 3

More episodes

Previous

Mountains

Next

Bears

See all episodes from Words and Music

Music Played

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

  • John Milton

    Fair Orion, In The Morn

    Performer: The King鈥檚 Singers.
    • The Triumphs of Oriana.
    • Signum Records SIGCD0821.
    • Tr 21.

  • John Milton

    L鈥橝llegro, read by Alexandra Gilbreath

  • 00:05

    John Milton

    Heart's Ease - Now That the Spring - Gathering Peascods

    Performer: Ensemble Galilei.
    • Come, Gentle Night: Music of Shalespeare's World.
    • Telarc CD-80556.
    • Tr 18.

  • John Milton

    Extract from Paradise Lost Bk 1, read by Alexandra Gilbreath

  • 00:11

    Johann Sebastian Bach

    The Art of the Fugue BWV. 1080: Contrapunctus 1

    Performer: Kenneth Heath. Performer: Stephen Shingles. Performer: Carmel Kaine. Performer: Malcolm Lathem. Conductor: Neville Marriner.
    • JS Bach: The Art of Fugue: A Musical Offering.
    • Decca.
    • 1.

  • John Milton

    Extract from Paradise Lost Bk 1, read by Oliver Ryan

  • 00:15

    Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

    Requiem: Confutatis

    Singer: Wilma Lipp. Orchestra: Berliner Philharmoniker. Choir: Wiener Singverein. Conductor: Herbert von Karajan. Conductor: Herbert von Karajan.
    • Requiem, Laudate Dominum, Exsultate, Jubilate.
    • Deutsche Grammophon 439 412-2.
    • Tr 7.

  • John Milton

    Extract from Paradise Lost Bk 1, read by Oliver Ryan

  • 00:17

    Nick Cave

    Red Right Hand (2011 Remaster)

    Performer: Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds.
    • Mute CD MUTE 172.
    • Tr 1.

  • John Milton

    Extract from Paradise Lost, Bk 4, read by Alexandra Gilbreath

  • 00:21

    Gyorgy Ligeti

    Deuxieme Livre Etude 13: L鈥橢scalier du diable

    Performer: Thomas Hell.
    • Ligeti: Etudes pour piano.
    • Wergo WER 67632.
    • Tr 13.

  • John Milton

    Extract from Paradise Lost Bk 7, read by Oliver Ryan

  • 00:28

    Gy枚rgy Ligeti

    Lux Aeterna

    Orchestra: SWR Symphonieorchester. Conductor: Ernest Bour.
    • 2001: A space Odyssey.
    • WaterTower Music 794043181603.
    • Tr 1.
  • 00:31

    George Frideric Handel

    Duet: Il Moderato (Soprano & Tenor) :As Steals the Morn upon the Night

    Singer: Rachel Redmond. Singer: James Way. Orchestra: Les Arts Florissants. Choir: Choeur Les Arts florissants. Conductor: William Christie.
    • L'Allegro, il Penseroso Ed il Moderato HWV55.
    • Harmonia Mundi.
    • 21.

  • John Milton

    Extract from Paradise Lost Bk 4, read by Alexandra Gilbreath

  • 00:34

    Fr茅d茅ric Chopin

    Wiosna [Spring] (From Op.74 No.2)

    Performer: Vladimir Ashkenazy.
    • Chopin: Works for Solo Piano.
    • Decca 4782282.
    • S13 Tr15.

  • John Milton

    Extract from Paradise Lost Bk 9 read by Oliver Ryan

  • 00:37

    Igor Stravinsky

    The Rite of Spring Pt. 1: Augurs of Spring: Dances of the Young Girls

    Performer: 大象传媒 National Orchestra of Wales, Thierry Fischer, 大象传媒 Chorus of Wales.
    • The Rite of Spring; Les Biches.
    • Signum Records SIGCD205.
    • Tr 2.

  • John Milton

    Extract from Paradise Lost Bk 9, read by Alexandra Gilbreath

  • 00:40

    Samuel Barber

    Adagio

    Ensemble: Budapest Strings. Conductor: B茅la B谩nfalvi.
    • 50 Must-Have Adagio Masterpieces.
    • Cobra Entertainment LLC 888002436931.
    • Tr 50.

  • John Milton

    Extract from Paradise Lost Bk 9, read by Oliver Ryan

  • 00:45

    George W. Thomas

    Adam & Eve Had The Blues

    Performer: Suzy & Eric Thompson.
    • Adam & Eve Had The Blues.
    • Arhoolie Records ARH05041.
    • Tr 9.

  • John Milton

    Extract from Comus, read by Alexandra Gilbreath

  • 00:52

    Henry Lawes

    A Maske Presented at Ludlow Castle (Comus): Sweet Echo

    Performer: Elizabeth Kenny. Lyricist: John Milton. Singer: Rosanna Wicks. Ensemble: Theatre of the Ayre.
    • The Masque of Moments.
    • Linn Records.
    • 20.

  • John Milton

    At A Some Solemn Music, read by Alexandra Gilbreath

  • 00:56

    Martin Peerson

    Behold, It Is Christ

    Choir: Selwyn College Chapel Choir. Conductor: Andrew Gant.
    • Behold It is Christ - Anthems and services by Edmund Cooper and His contemporaries.
    • Lammas 676270009625.
    • Tr 15.

  • John Milton

    Sonnet: When I consider how my light is spent, read by Oliver Ryan

  • 01:00

    Blind Willie Johnson

    Dark was the Night, Cold was the Ground

    • American Epic: The Best of Blind Willie Johnson.
    • Columbia/Legacy.
    • 16.

  • John Milton

    Extract from Samson Agonistes, read by Oliver Ryan and Alexandra Gilbreath

  • 01:06

    Matthew Locke

    Consort for seaverall ffriends: Suite No. 3 in D Minor-Major: II. Pavan

    Performer: Maurice Steger. Performer: Naoki Kitaya. Performer: Brian Feehan. Performer: Lorenz Duftschmid.
    • An italian Ground: Baroque Instrumental Music in the Italian Style.
    • Claves Records CD 509407.
    • Tr 9.

  • John Milton

    On Time, read by Alexandra Gilbreath

  • 01:10

    Olivier Messiaen

    Quartet for the End of Time 1: Crystal Liturgy

    Performer: James Campbell. Performer: Gryphon Trio.
    • Messiaen: For the End of Times.
    • ANALEKTA AN29861.
    • Tr 2.

  • John Milton

    Extract from Comus, read by Alaxandra Gilbreath

Broadcast

  • Sun 10 Nov 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.