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Dylan Thomas Out Loud

As part of Radio 3's celebration of Dylan Thomas's centenary, a special edition featuring his poetry and prose read by Catrin Stewart and Trystan Gravelle.

A special edition of Words and Music as part of Radio 3's Dylan Thomas centenary celebrations.

Often set against the background of his beloved South Wales, Thomas explored the big themes: childhood, religion, love and death. The programme includes many well-loved poems and stories, including: 'After the Funeral', 'Do Not Go Gentle', 'The ForceThat Through the Green Fuse Drives the Flower', 'Under Milk Wood', 'A Visit to Grandpa's' and 'A Story'. Thomas himself features, in a powerful archive recording of 'Lament'.

An evocative folk song arrangement from the Cory Band, a hymn from the Tywi Male Choir, and a stirring rendition of Land of My Fathers from Bryn Terfel further emphasise Thomas's roots. But although his Welsh identity is so fundamental, Thomas's work has universal resonance. Thus Thomas also rubs shoulders with the likes of Schubert, Debussy, Rachmaninov, Stravinsky, Ligeti, Steve Reich and Johnny Cash.

The newly commissioned readings are given by two of Britain's most exciting young actors, Catrin Stewart and Trystan Gravelle - both, like Thomas himself, from South Wales. Together they bring to life the texts in idiomatic and vibrant performances, showing Thomas to be a poet in the true bardic tradition, the full impact of whose work is best appreciated read out loud.

David Papp (producer).

1 hour, 15 minutes

Last on

Sun 4 May 2014 17:30
麻豆社 Radio 3

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Music Played

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

  • 00:00

    Steve Reich

    Music for Mallet Instruments, Voices and Organ [excerpt]

    Performer: Steve Reich and Musicians.
    • Nonesuch 7559 79220 2.
    • Tr 5.

  • Dylan Thomas

    Preface to The Poems of Dylan Thomas (聯Notes on the Art of Poetry聰) [excerpt], read by Trystan Gravelle

  • Dylan Thomas

    In my craft or sullen art, read by Trystan Gravelle

  • Dylan Thomas

    Under Milk Wood [beginning], read by Catrin Stewart

  • 00:02

    Arnold Schoenberg

    Verkl盲rte Nacht听听听[opening]听

    Performer: Janine Jansen & Boris Brovtsyn (violins), Amihai Grosz (viola), Torleif Thedeen & Jens Peter Maintz (cellos).
    • Decca 478 3551.
    • tr 1.
  • 00:04

    George Crumb

    Black Angels

    Ensemble: Kronos Quartet.
    • Nonesuch 7559 79242.
    • Tr 1.
  • 00:07

    Franz Schubert

    String Quintet听in C major (D.956): 2nd movement, Adagio听听

    Performer: Janine Jansen & Boris Brovtsyn (violins), Amihai Grosz (viola), Torleif Thedeen & Jens Peter Maintz (cellos).
    • Decca 478 3551.
    • tr. 7.

  • Dylan Thomas

    I dreamed my genesis in sweat of sleep, read by Trystan Gravelle

  • Dylan Thomas

    A Prospect of the Sea [beginning], read by Trystan Gravelle

  • 00:16

    Claude Debussy

    Petite suite: En bateau

    Performer: Marielle and Katia Labeque (piano).
    • Philips 454 471 2.
    • Tr 4.

  • Dylan Thomas

    Fern Hill, read by Catrin Stewart

  • 00:21

    Ralph Vaughan Williams

    The Lark Ascending

    Performer: Hilary Hahn (violin), London Symphony Orchestra, Colin Davis (conductor).
    • Deutsche Grammophon 430 2602.
    • Tr 4.

  • Dylan Thomas

    The Peaches [extract], read by Catrin Stewart

  • 00:28

    May Hannah Brahe

    Thanks be to God

    Performer: Vale of Tywi Male Choir, Raymond Richards (piano), Beti Lewis Fisher (conductor).
    • Sain SCD 7054.
    • Tr 7.

  • Dylan Thomas

    Lament, read by Dylan Thomas (archive recording)

  • 00:34

    Gy枚rgy Ligeti

    Six Bagatelles: Nos. 1, 4, 6, 3

    Ensemble: The Galliard Ensemble.
    • Deux-Elles.
    • DXL 1026.
    • 8 - 13.

  • Dylan Thomas

    A Visit to Grandpa聮's [ending], read by Catrin Stewart

  • Dylan Thomas

    After the funeral (in memory of Ann Jones), read by Trystan Gravelle

  • 00:45

    Igor Stravinsky

    Symphony of Psalms: Expectans exspectavi Dominim

    Performer: Monteverdi Choir, London Symphony Orchestra, John Eliot Gardiner (conductor).
    • Deutsche Grammophon 463 7892.
    • Tr 6.

  • Dylan Thomas

    Do not go gentle into that good night, read by Catrin Stewart

  • 00:51

    Trad.

    Ain鈥檛 no Grave

    Performer: Johnny Cash.
    • American Recordings 0602527331492.
    • Tr 1.

  • Dylan Thomas

    This side of the truth (for Llewellyn), read by Trystan Gravelle

  • 00:55

    Rachmaninov

    Prelude in D major, Op. 23 No. 4

    Performer: Simon Trpceski (piano).
    • EMI 5 57943 2.
    • Tr 11.

  • Dylan Thomas

    The force that through the green fuse drives the flower, read by Trystan Gravelle

  • Dylan Thomas

    A Story [ending], read by Catrin Stewart

  • 01:03

    Sparke

    A Celtic Suite: Suo G芒n

    Performer: Christie-Tyler Cory Band, Brian Howard (director).
    • Polyphonic QRPL 044D.
    • Tr 9.

  • Dylan Thomas

    Reminiscences of Childhood [excerpt], read by Trystan Gravelle and Catrin Stewart

  • 01:11

    Evan and James James (arr. Chris Hazel)

    Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau

    Performer: Bryn Terfel (bass baritone), Black Mountain Chorus, Risca Male Voice Choir, Orchestra of Welsh National Opera, Gareth Jones (conductor).
    • Deutsche Grammophon 463 593 2.
    • Tr 21.

Producer's Note

鈥業 could never have dreamt that there were such goings on between the covers of books鈥� such staggering peace, such enormous laughter, such and so many blinding bright lights鈥ords, words, words, and each of which was alive forever in its own delight and glory and oddity and light.鈥� 听Indeed! Dylan Thomas on the power of words is the starting point of this special all-Thomas edition of Words and Music. The 鈥榞oings on鈥�, both poetry and prose, span Thomas鈥檚 career and are brought to life by Trystan Gravelle and Catrin Stewart.

听

Different sorts of darkness envelop 鈥業n my craft or sullen art鈥�, the famous opening of 鈥楿nder Milk Wood鈥�, and 鈥業 dreamed my genesis in sweat of sleep鈥�. But an idealised sun then shines brightly on Thomas鈥檚 childhood, in particular the fondly remembered summer holidays at his aunt Ann Jones鈥檚 farm Fernhill.

听

With its blue sky, swaying golden corn, wet smell of rabbits and cattle after rain, the beginning of the short story 鈥楢 Prospect of the Sea鈥� sets the scene of those eternal boyhood summers, continued in the evocative 鈥楩ern Hill鈥� where Thomas is 鈥榞reen and carefree鈥�.

听

In 鈥楾he Peaches鈥�, young Dylan is still at Fernhill, now listening to his cousin Gwylim practising preaching from the pulpit in his 鈥榗hapel鈥�, a dusty wagon in a barn. 鈥楾hou canst see us in the gravy blackness鈥� Thou canst see everything we do, in the night and day鈥� Thou canst see all the time. O God, mun, you鈥檙e like a bloody cat.鈥� The voice of Thomas himself is next. In a richly comic reading, recorded in 1950s New York, 鈥楲ament鈥� is another satirical swipe at Welsh Nonconformity.

听

鈥楢 Visit to Grandpa鈥檚鈥� is at once funny and touching. Dylan enlists the neighbours in a frantic search for his Grandpa who, while wearing his 鈥榝ancy waistcoat鈥�, is prey to noisy, weird dreams and a morbid obsession with the best place to be buried. An actual burial and the emotions it stirs are vividly portrayed in one of Thomas鈥檚 great poems 鈥楢fter the funeral (in memory of Ann Jones)鈥�, followed by the famous and impassioned 鈥楧o not go gentle into that good night鈥�, inspired by his dying father.

听

听鈥楾his side of the truth鈥�, dedicated to Thomas鈥檚 son Llewellyn, is life-affirming while

Nature, creative and destructive, is the theme of 鈥楾he force that through the green fuse drives the flower鈥�.

听

Finally, we鈥檙e back in the south Wales of Thomas鈥檚 boyhood. 鈥楢 Story鈥� describes a drunken all-male (of course) pub crawl which never reaches its intended destination, Porthcawl. And a radio talk 鈥楻eminiscences of Childhood鈥� is set in Swansea but ends with a flourish of magic realism. In front of his school friends, the bragging Dylan flaps his arms to soar above the city and the 鈥榝ine live people, the spirit of Wales itself.鈥�

听

What of the music? I鈥檝e simply tried to reflect the mood of the texts: nocturnal Schoenberg and George听 Crumb; dream-like, still and then dramatic Schubert; Vaughan Williams鈥檚 idyllic summer landscape; death-defying Johnny Cash. And, for a more specific sense of place, a male voice choir, an arrangement of 鈥楽uo G芒n鈥�, and last of all, 鈥楬en Wlad Fy Nhadau鈥�.

听

David Papp (producer)

Broadcast

  • Sun 4 May 2014 17:30
    麻豆社 Radio 3

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