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Wild Isles

Readings of WB Yeats, Robert Burns, Jini Reddy & Zaffar Kunial celebrating the landscapes & wildlife of these Wild Isles with music by Janacek, Elgar, Steeleye Span & The Unthanks

Otters, wild swans, roe deer, starlings and hares in the mountains, valleys, rivers and fens of these, our Wild Isles. Today's programme takes us on safari all over the British Isles, celebrating its unique landscapes, flora and fauna.

The poet Elizabeth Sears Bates asks what we would see from an owl鈥檚 perspective; Robert Burns converses with a wee sleekit, cowerin鈥�, timorous beastie as he accidentally disturbs it from it鈥檚 comfy nest, and we鈥檒l hear an archive recording of Noel Coward鈥檚 masterful reading of Clemence Dane鈥檚 poem 鈥淭he Welcoming Land鈥�. There are also Wild Swans from poet WB Yeats and composer Elena Kats-Chernin and a glorious murmuration of starlings by Peter Tallis.

Our wild Isles soundtrack also includes Schubert鈥檚 Trout Quintet, Janacek鈥檚 鈥淐unning Little Vixen鈥�, Orcadian sea birds from Erland Cooper and a Bonny Moorhen from Steeleye Span. Two recent winners of the National Centre for Early Music Young Composers Award also feature today: Jacob Fitzgerald鈥檚 2021 piece 鈥淢urmuration鈥� for the Palisander recorder ensemble, as well as a poem by the 2022 winner Christopher Churcher, who celebrates the strutting, boisterous capercaillie.

Oh, and Captain Beaky and his Band wander through the woodland singing songs and righting wrongs.

Part of Radio 3's programming to go alongside a 麻豆视频AV documentary series Wild Isles, presented by David Attenborough and filmed over the last 3 years, which is available on the iPlayer.

Producer: Les Pratt

Readings:
Melissa Harrison - Rain (excerpt)
William Cowper - The Squirrel
Thomas Hardy - The Woodlanders (excerpt)
Zaffar Kunial - The Hedge
Claire Ratinon - Unearthed (excerpt)
Clemence Dane - The Welcoming Land (read by Noel Coward)
Henry Williamson - Tarka the Otter (excerpt)
William Shakespeare - Venus & Adonis (excerpt)
Elizabeth Sears Bates - What sees the Owl?
Jini Reddy - Wanderland (excerpt)
Jim Carruth - Roe
Robert Burns - To a Mouse, on Turning Her Up in Her Nest With the Plough, November, 1785
Peter Tallis - Murmuration
W.B. Yeats - The Wild Swans at Coole
Christopher Churcher - Capercaillie
Katherine Rundell - The Hare (excerpt)

1 hour, 14 minutes

Last on

Sun 12 Mar 2023 17:30
麻豆视频AV Radio 3

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Women and Music

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Nature of the British Isles

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Music Played

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

  • George Fenton

    excerpt from Wild Isles soundtrack

    Performer: 麻豆视频AV Concert Orchestra.
    • 麻豆视频AV RECORDING.

  • Melissa Harrison

    excerpt from 鈥淩ain鈥� PROSE read byEmma Cunniffe

  • John Lennon & Paul McCartney

    Blackbird

    Performer: The Beatles.
    • APPLE RECORDS.
    • 11.

  • Caroline Shaw

    The Beech Tree [Plan & Elevation]

    Performer: Attacca Quartet.
    • NONESUCH 7559792609.
    • 7.

  • William Cowper

    The Squirrel POEM read by Gordon Kennedy

  • Thomas Hardy

    Excerpt from 鈥淲oodlanders鈥� PROSE read by Gordon Kennedy

  • Patrick Hadley

    The Trees so High (3rd mvt: Vivace) (excerpt)

    Orchestra: Philharmonia Orchestra. Conductor: Matthias Bamert.
    • CHANDOS CHAN241-22.
    • 4.

  • Zaffar Kunial

    The Hedge POEM read by Emma Cunniffe

  • George Butterworth

    The loveliest of trees [6 Songs from "A Shropshire Lad"]

    Singer: Roderick Williams. Performer: Iain Burnside.
    • NAXOS 8.572426.
    • 1.

  • Claire Ratinon

    Excerpt from 鈥淯nearthed鈥� PROSE read by Emma Cunniffe

  • Hoagy Carmichael

    Skylark

    Performer: Ella Fitzgerald.
    • VERVE 8232472.
    • 6.

  • The Welcoming Land read by Noel Coward

  • Franz Schubert

    Quintet for piano & strings in A major, D.667 "Trout" (3rd mvt) (excerpt)

    Performer: Emanuel Ax. Performer: Pamela Frank. Performer: Rebecca Young. Performer: Yo鈥怸o Ma. Performer: Edgar Meyer. Performer: Edgar Meyer. Performer: Edgar Meyer.
    • SONY CLASSICAL.
    • 3.

  • Henry Williamson

    excerpt from 鈥淭arka the Otter鈥� PROSE read by Gordon Kennedy

  • Maggie Sansone

    Otter's Holt

    Performer: Maggie Sansone.
    • MAGGIE鈥橲 MUSIC MM111.
    • 13.

  • William Shakespeare

    excerpt from 鈥淰enus & Adonis鈥� POEM read by Emma Cunniffe

  • Edward Elgar

    Owls, an epitaph [4 Choral Songs, Op.53]

    Choir: The Rodolfus Choir. Conductor: Ralph Allwood.
    • SIGNUM CLASSICS SIGCD315.
    • 12.

  • Elizabeth Sears Bates

    What sees the owl? POEM read by Emma Cunniffe

  • The Unthanks

    Magpie

    Performer: The Unthanks.
    • RABBLE ROUSER MUSIC RRM013.
    • 5.

  • Jini Reddy

    excerpt from 鈥淲anderland鈥� PROSE read by Emma Cunniffe

  • Jim Parker

    Captain Beaky and his Band

    Lyricist: Jeremy Lloyd. Performer: Keith Michell.
    • POLYDOR 2383 462.
    • 1.

  • Jim Carruth

    Roe POEM read by Gordon Kennedy

  • Hamish MacCunn

    Land of the Mountain and the Flood (excerpt)

    Performer: 麻豆视频AV Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Martyn Brabbins (conductor).
    • HYPERION CDA66815.
    • 1.

  • Robert Burns

    To a mouse, on turning her up in her nest with the plough, November, 1785 POEM read by Gordon Kennedy

  • Peter Tallis

    Murmuration POEM read by Emma Cunniffe

  • Jacob Fitzgerald

    Murmuration

    Performer: Palisander Recorder Quartet.
    • 麻豆视频AV RECORDING.

  • WB Yeats

    Wild Swans at Coole POEM read by Gordon Kennedy

  • Elena Kats鈥怌hernin

    Eliza's aria [Wild Swans]

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

  • Christopher Churcher

    Capercaillie POEM read byGordon Kennedy

  • Erland Cooper

    Solan Goose

    Performer: Erland Cooper.
    • PHASES PHA001CD.
    • 2.

  • Katherine Rundell

    Hares PROSE read by Emma Cunniffe (reader)

  • 00:01

    George Fenton

    Starlings [Wild Isles soundtrack]

    Orchestra: 麻豆视频AV Concert Orchestra.

  • Mike Batt

    Bright Eyes and Interlude

    Composer: Angela Morley. Performer: Art Garfunkel.
    • Original Soundtrack, CBS S CBS 70161.
    • 10.
  • 00:04

    The Beatles

    Blackbird

    • Apple Records / Parlophone.
  • 00:06

    Caroline Shaw

    Plan & Elevation (The Beech Tree)

    Ensemble: Attacca Quartet.
    • Orange.
    • Nonesuch Records.
    • 7.
  • 00:10

    Patrick Hadley

    The Trees so High (3rd mvt: Vivace)

    Performer: Matthias Bamert. Orchestra: Philharmonia Orchestra.
    • CHANDOS.
  • 00:13

    George Butterworth

    Loveliest of trees [6 Songs from "A Shropshire Lad"]

    Performer: Iain Burnside. Singer: Roderick Williams.
    • NAXOS.
  • 00:16

    Hoagy Carmichael

    Skylark

    Singer: Ella Fitzgerald. Orchestra: Nelson Riddle and His Orchestra. Conductor: Nelson Riddle.
    • Verve.
  • 00:22

    Franz Schubert

    Quintet for piano & strings in A major, D.667 "Trout" (3rd mvt)

    Performer: Emanuel Ax. Performer: Pamela Frank. Performer: Rebecca Young. Performer: Yo鈥怸o Ma. Performer: Edgar Meyer.
    • SONY CLASSICAL.
  • 00:25

    Maggie Sansone

    Otter's Holt

    • MAGGIE'S MUSIC.
  • 00:27

    Edward Elgar

    Owls (4 Choral songs Op.53)

    Choir: Tenebrae. Conductor: Nigel Short.
    • SIGNUM.
  • 00:31

    The Unthanks

    Magpie

    • Mount The Air.
    • Folktracks.
    • 5.
  • 00:36

    Leos Jan谩膷ek

    Cunning Little Vixen - Orchestral Suite No.1

    Orchestra: Vienna Philharmonic. Conductor: Charles Mackerras.
    • DECCA.
  • 00:41

    Keith Michell

    Captain Beaky

    • CAPTAIN BEAKY AND HIS BAND.
    • POLYDOR.
    • 1.
  • 00:46

    Hamish MacCunn

    The Land of the mountain and the flood - overture Op.3

    Orchestra: 麻豆视频AV Scottish Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Martyn Brabbins.
    • HYPERION : CDA-66815.
    • Hyperion.
    • 1.
  • 00:52

    Trad.

    My bonny moorhen

    Ensemble: Steeleye Span.
    • BGO.
  • 00:57

    Jacob Fitzgerald

    Murmuration

    Ensemble: Palisander.
  • 01:01

    Elena Kats鈥怌hernin

    Eliza Aria [Wild Swans Suite]

    Singer: Jane Sheldon. Orchestra: Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Ola Rudner.
    • ABC.
  • 01:06

    Erland Cooper

    Solan Goose

    Performer: Erland Cooper.
    • Phases.
  • 01:11

    Mike Batt

    Bright Eyes & Interlude [Watership Down soundtrack]

    Composer: Angela Morley. Singer: Art Garfunkel. Orchestra: Original Soundtrack Orchestra.
    • CBS.

Broadcast

  • Sun 12 Mar 2023 17:30
    麻豆视频AV Radio 3

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