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Birdsong

From the skylark of Shelley, the bluebird of Charles Bukowski to the crows described by Evie Wyld, from Sally Beamish to Saint-Saens, we celebrate bird song in words and music.

Blackbirds to nightingales, skylarks to crows - in today's programme we hear a range of poetry & prose alongside music and the sounds of tweeting, cheeping and chirping from a variety of birds.

Our texts and poems include Christina Rossetti admiring the first swallows of spring, Shelley鈥檚 awestruck poetic sermon to a skylark, Rainer Maria Rilke鈥檚 existential thoughts on birdsong and love; Max Porter鈥檚 use of the crow as a symbol of grief, Tara Bergin鈥檚 silent blackbirds and Lisa Kelly鈥檚 thoughts on the deafness and the blackbird as the 鈥楤eethoven of songbirds鈥�.

Our birdsong soundtrack includes Gerald Finzi鈥檚 song setting of Thomas Hardy鈥檚 鈥楶roud Songsters鈥� from his 鈥楨arth and Air and Rain鈥� Op. 15, Medieval madrigal 鈥楽umer is Icumen In鈥�, believed to the oldest song in the English language (鈥渓oud sing cuckoo鈥�), Einojuhani Rautavaara鈥檚 birdsong magnum opus 鈥楥antus Arcticus鈥� Op. 61, Elena Kats-Chernin鈥檚 ballet 鈥榃ild Swans鈥� and Etta James鈥� recording of 鈥楤ye Bye Blackbird鈥�.

Our readers are Julia Winwood and Jonathan Keeble.

Producer: Lola Grieve

This is one of the programmes on 麻豆社 Radio 3 marking the anniversary of cellist Beatrice Harrison duetting with nightingales in one of the first live outside broadcasts made by the 麻豆社.

1 hour, 14 minutes

Last on

Sun 19 May 2024 18:00
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

  • Rainer Maria Rilke, translated by Damion Searls

    Excerpt from 鈥楾he Inner Sky: Poems, Notes, Dreams鈥�, read by Jonathan Keeble

  • 00:01

    Frederick Delius

    On Hearing The First Cuckoo of Spring (No. 1 of "Two Pieces for Small Orchestra")鈥�

    Orchestra: Hall茅. Conductor: Sir Mark Elder.
    • HALLE CDHLL7512.
    • Tr 6.

  • Emily Dickinson

    Letter to Eugenia Hall, 1876, read by Julia Winwood

  • 00:05

    Elena Kats鈥怌hernin

    Wild Swans - Concert Suite for soprano and orchestra: No. 2: Eliza's Aria

    Singer: Jane Sheldon. Orchestra: Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Ola Rudner.
    • ABC 476 7639.
    • Tr 2.

  • Christina Rossetti

    A Bird Song, read by Julia Winwood

  • Thomas Hardy

    Proud Songster, read by Jonathan Keeble

  • 00:09

    Gerald Finzi

    Earth and air and rain Op.15, no.10; Proud songsters鈥�

    Singer: John Carol Case. Performer: Howard Ferguson.
    • Gerald Finzi - Songs.
    • Lyrita.
    • 20.

  • Rumi (translated by by Coleman Barks)

    Birdsong, read by Jonathan Keeble

  • 00:12

    Harald S忙verud

    Smafuglvals [Little bird鈥檚 waltz] Op. 18 鈥�

    Performer: H氓vard Gimse.
    • Fabra FBRCD-10.
  • 00:14

    Antonio Vivaldi

    Concerto in A major for violin & strings, RV335 - "The Cuckoo": I. Allegro鈥�

    Performer: Andrew Manze. Performer: Christopher Hogwood. Ensemble: Academy of Ancient Music.
    • Philips 4556532鈥��.

  • Sara Teasdale

    May Day, read by Jonathan Keeble

  • 00:19

    Anon.

    Sumer is Icumen in鈥�

    Choir: The Choir of Magdalen College, Oxford. Conductor: Mark Williams.
    • Opus Arte OACD9049D.

  • Tara Bergin

    Bridal Song, read by Julia Winwood

  • 00:22

    Trad.

    The Song of the Birds

    Music Arranger: Sally Beamish. Performer: Steven Isserlis.
    • Hyperion CDA67541/2鈥�.
    • Tr 37.
  • 00:25

    Einojuhani Rautavaara

    Cantus arcticus, Op. 61, "Concerto for Birds and Orchestra": II. Melankolia (Melancholy)鈥��

    Orchestra: Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra. Conductor: Leif Segerstam.
    • Odine ODE1300-2Q鈥�.
    • Tr 302.

  • Evie Wyld

    All the Birds, Singing (excerpt), read by Julia Winwood

  • 00:31

    Steve Reich

    Slow Motion Blackbird

    Composer: Chris Hughes. Composer: Chris Hughes. Performer: Chris Hughes. Performer: Chris Hughes.
    • Fontana 518 843-2.

  • Percy Bysshe Shelley

    To a Skylark, read by Julia Winwood

  • 00:38

    Einar Englund

    Symphony No. 2 'Blackbird': I. Allegro moderato鈥�

    Orchestra: Estonian State Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Peeter Lilje.
    • Ondine ODE7512.
    • Tr.
  • 00:40

    Ludwig van Beethoven

    8 Songs Op.52: no.4; Maigesang (Wie herrlich leuchtet mir die Natur)鈥�

    Singer: James Newby. Performer: Joseph Middleton.
    • BIS BIS-2475.
    • Tr 9.

  • Lisa Kelly

    Blackbird and Beethoven, read by Jonathan Keeble

  • 00:44

    Ray Henderson

    Bye Bye Blackbird

    Performer: Etta James.
    • Original Jazz Classics OJCCD-298-2.
    • Tr.

  • Tom McKinney

    Catalogue d'Oiseaux: The composer who took a cue from birdsong for 麻豆社 Radio 3 (excerpt), read by Jonathan Keeble

  • 00:49

    Olivier Messiaen

    Catalogue d鈥檕iseaux: No. 8, L鈥檃louette calandrelle

    Performer: Yvonne Loriod.
    • Decca Records France.

  • David George Haskell

    Sounds Wild and Broken (excerpt) from Sonic Marvels, Evolution鈥檚 Creativity, and the Crisis of Sensory Extinction, read by Jonathan Keeble

  • 00:57

    Paul McCartney

    Blackbird

    Ensemble: The Beatles.
    • The Beatles.
    • EMI Catalogue.
    • 11.

  • Imtiaz Dharker

    Close to the sun (for a child, not yet three), read by Julia Winwood

  • 01:00

    Hoagy Carmichael

    Skylark

    Singer: Ella Fitzgerald. Ensemble: Nelson Riddle and His Orchestra.
    • Verve 823-274-2.
    • Tr 6.

  • Max Porter

    鈥楤oys鈥� from Grief is the Thing with Feathers, read by Jonathan Keeble

  • 01:04

    Ilan Eshkeri

    Nureyev from 'The White Crow'

    Performer: Dudana Mazmanishvili. Performer: Lisa Batiashvili.
    • The White Crow.
    • Deutsche Grammophon.
    • 8.

  • Charles Bukowski

    Bluebird, read by Jonathan Keeble

  • 01:10

    Charles Villiers Stanford

    8 Partsongs Op. 119: No. 3; The Blue Bird鈥�

    Ensemble: Gabrieli Consort. Performer: Paul McCreesh.
    • McCreesh: Silence & Music.
    • Signum Classics.

Broadcast

  • Sun 19 May 2024 18:00
    麻豆社 Radio 3

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