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The Window

Adjoa Andoh and John Rowe with readings about being pushed out of windows, the sparkling of glass, the opportunities an open window suggests and the feeling of being watched.

From David Bowie's Breaking Glass to Mozart's serenade from his opera Don Juan, from the religious inspiration behind Respighi's Church Windows to the diner scene conjured by Suzanne Vega - today's Words and Music weaves together music and poetry which takes us both sides of the glass as we look at literal and metaphorical windows with readings from Adjoa Andoh and John Rowe. They squint, stare and dream glassy-eyed with Baudelaire, who was born 200 years ago this week; glance over their shoulders with Robert Frost, muse on escaping a mother's rage in the poem by Mary Jean Chan and today's programme contains one piece of strong language in a Philip Larkin poem. We look at the idea of our eyes as windows, our souls as windows, the words of a poem framing a view of the world and get a sense of windows opening and closing with some of the musical tracks being more transparent than others.

READINGS:
Baudelaire: Les Fenêtres translated by Arthur Symons, read by John Rowe in four extracts.
Emily Dickinson: The Wind Tapped Like a Tired Man
Marcel Proust: The Way by Swann translated by Lydia Davis
George Herbert: The Windows
J. L. Carr: A Month in the Country
Jules Verne: Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
Robert Frost: After Apple Picking
Seamus Heaney: Glanmore Sonnet IX from Field Work
Howard Nemerov: Storm Windows
Philip Larkin: High Windows
Mary Jean Chan: The Window
RP Lister: Defenestration
Baudelaire: Les Fenêtres translated by Arthur Symons

Producer: Zahid Warley

1 hour, 14 minutes

Last on

Sun 11 Apr 2021 17:30

Music Played

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

  • 00:00

    Boards of Canada

    Magic Window

    • Warp Records, WARPCD 101.
    • Tr23.
  • Baudelaire translated by Arthur Symons

    Les Fenêtres, read by John Rowe

  • 00:01

    Franz Waxman

    Prelude from Suite from Rear Window

    Orchestra: San Diego Symphony. Conductor: Lalo Schifrin.
    • Pro Arte CDS524.
    • Tr7.
  • Baudelaire

    Les Fenêtres translated by Arthur Symons, read by Adjoa Andoh

  • Baudelaire

    Les Fenêtres translated by Arthur Symons, read by John Rowe

  • Baudelaire

    Les Fenêtres translated by Arthur Symons, read by Adjoa Andoh

  • 00:04

    Jimmy Yancey

    At the Window

    Performer: Jimmy Yancey.
    • Vogue LDE166.
    • Tr5.
  • 00:05

    Jimmy Yancey

    At the Window

  • Emily Dickinson

    The Wind Tapped Like a Tired Man, read by John Rowe

  • 00:08

    Suzanne Vega

    TomÂ’s Diner

    Performer: Suzanne Vega.
    • A&M SUZCD2.
    • Tr1.
  • 00:09

    Suzanne Vega

    Tom's Diner

  • Marcel Proust

    From The Way by Swann translated by Lydia Davis, read by Adjoa Andoh

  • 00:12

    Olivier Messiaen

    La Dame de Shalott

    Performer: Olivier Messiaen.
    • Erato OME1.
    • CD4, Tr1.
  • 00:12

    Olivier Messiaen

    La Dame de Shallott

    Performer: Olivier Messiaen.
  • George Herbert

    The Windows, read by John Rowe

  • 00:17

    Ottorino Respighi

    Church Windows, La fuga in Egitto

    Orchestra: Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. Conductor: JoAnn Falletta.
    • Naxos 855771.
    • Tr1.
  • 00:17

    Ottorino Respighi

    The Flight to Egypt (Church Windows)

    Orchestra: Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. Conductor: JoAnn Falletta.
  • J. L. Carr

    Extract from A Month in the Country, read by John Rowe

  • 00:24

    Claude Debussy

    La Cathedrale Engloutie

    Orchestra: London Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Leopold Stokowski.
    • London 4551522.
    • Tr5.
  • 00:25

    Claude Debussy

    La Cathedrale Engloutie

    Orchestra: London Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Leopold Stokowski.
  • Jules Verne

    Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, read by Adjoa Andoh

  • 00:34

    Cheryl Frances-Hoad

    Telescope

    Singer: Sophie Daneman. Singer: Mark Stone. Performer: Sholto Kynoch.
    • Champs Hill Records CHRCD146.
    • Tr12.
  • 00:34

    Cheryl Frances-Hoad

    Telescope

    Singer: Sophie Daneman. Singer: Mark Stone. Performer: Sholto Kynoch.
  • Robert Frost

    After Apple Picking, read by Adjoa Andoh

  • 00:40

    The Necks

    See Through

    Performer: The Necks.
    • RER LC-02677.
    • Tr1.
  • 00:40

    The Necks

    See Through

  • Seamus Heaney

    Glanmore Sonnet IX from Field Work, read by Adjoa Andohi

  • 00:52

    Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

    Deh vieni alla Finestra (Don Giovanni)

    Singer: Eberhard Wächter. Orchestra: Philharmonia Orchestra. Conductor: Roberto Benaglio.
  • Howard Nemerov

    Storm Windows, read by John Rowe

  • 00:55

    عبد العزيز المبارك

    Ya Marri Bebaitna

    Performer: عبد العزيز المبارك.
    • World Circuit WCD018.
    • Tr6.
  • 00:55

    عبد العزيز المبارك

    Ya Marri Bebaitna

  • Philip Larkin

    High Windows, read by John Rowe

  • 01:04

    Bob Dylan

    It AinÂ’t Me Babe

    Performer: Bob Dylan.
    • Columbia CK8993.
    • Tr11.
  • 01:04

    Bob Dylan

    It Ain't Me Babe

  • Mary Jean Chan

    The Window, read by Adjoa Andoh

  • 01:08

    David Bowie

    Breaking Glass

    Performer: David Bowie.
    • RCA, Victor PL12030.
    • Tr2.
  • 01:09

    David Bowie

    Breaking Glass

  • R. P. Lister

    Defenestration, read by Adjoa Andoh

  • 01:11

    Nick Lowe

    I love the sound of Breaking Glass extract

    Performer: Nick Lowe.
    • Radar RAD1.
    • Tr2.
  • 01:12

    Nick Lowe

    I Love the Sound of Breaking Glass

  • Baudelaire

    Les Fenêtres translated by Arthur Symons, read by Adjoa Andoh

  • 01:14

    Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

    Piano Concerto No 20 in D minor, K 466

    Performer: Daniel Barenboim. Orchestra: English Chamber Orchestra. Director: Daniel Barenboim.
    • Mozart The Collectors Edition 50 CDs The Masterpieces The Greatest Artists.
    • EMI Classics.
    • 1.

Broadcasts

  • Sun 6 Oct 2019 17:30
  • Sun 11 Apr 2021 17:30

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