Greeneland
A celebration of Graham Greene on the 25th anniversary of his death, with readings by Samuel West and Romola Garai. Including Honegger, Delius and a medieval motet.
A celebration of Graham Greene on the 25th anniversary of his death with the actors Samuel West and Romola Garai. Pack your bags, check your passport and prepare to renew your acquaintance with Scobie, Aunt Augusta, Sarah Miles, Minty and of course Harry Lime. As they buttonhole you expect to hear music that complements or even contradicts what they have to say - Honegger's Pacific 231, The Walk to the Paradise Garden by Delius, a medieval motet, the odd snatch of gypsy zither and maybe even a spot of dodecaphony - music as angular, varied and surprising as the features of Greeneland itself.
Producer: Zahid Warley.
Last on
Music Played
Timings (where shown) are from the start of the programme in hours and minutes
-
00:00
The Chico Hamilton Quintet
Goodbye Baby
Performer: The Chico Hamilton Quintet.- EL RECORDS ACMEM132CD.
- Tr1.
-
Graham Greene
From Stamboul Train, read by Samuel West
00:06Arthur Honegger
Pacific 231
Performer: Danish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Neeme Järvi (conductor).- Chandos CHAN 9176.
- Tr7.
Graham Greene
From Travels with my Aunt, read by Romola Garai
00:15Serenade Op.31, Canzonetta
- BIS CD310BIS.
- Tr3.
Graham Greene
From England Made Me, read by Samuel West
00:23Anton Webern
Variations for Piano op. 27, III. Ruhig fiebend
Performer: Krystian Zimerman.- Deutsche Grammophon 4576372 (6).
- CD6 Tr17.
Graham Greene
From A Shocking Accident, read by Romola Garai
00:30Jones/Green
More than Ever
Performer: Mildred Bailey.- ASV CDAJA5065.
- Tr15.
Graham Greene
From Brighton Rock, read by Romola Garai
00:35Frederick Delius
The Walk to the Paradise Garden
Performer: ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Symphony Orchestra, Andrew Davis (conductor).- TELDEC 4509908452.
- Tr4.
Graham Greene
From The Quiet American, read by Samuel West
00:48Osvaldo Golijov
KÂ’In Sventa ChÂ’ul MeÂ’tik Kwadulupe
Performer: Kronos Quartet.- Nonesuch 7559796492.
- Tr7.
Graham Greene
from The Power and the Glory, read by Samuel West
00:56Trad.
Agnus Dei
Performer: Joachim Ngoi and Les Troubadours du Roi Baudouin.- El ACMEM 136CD.
- Tr13.
Graham Greene
From The End of the Affair, read by Romola Garai
01:02From Montpellier Manuscript
O Maria
Performer: Vox Clamantis, Jaan-Eik Tulve (conductor).- ECM New Series2244 4764499.
- Tr13.
Graham Greene
From The Heart of the Matter, read by Samuel West
01:09Anton Karas
Harry Lime Theme (The Third Man)
Performer: Anton Karas.- Soundtrack Factory SFCD33538.
- Tr2.
Graham Greene
From The Third Man, read by Samuel West
01:09Anton Karas
Anton Karas' Performance at a London Club
Performer: Anton Karas.- Soundtrack Factory SFCD33538.
- Tr19.
Producer's Notes: Greeneland
Most of us have been there at least once; some of us are permanent residents; others just casual but regular visitors. Greeneland is not so much a point on the map as a place in our minds and hearts -- a landscape where joy is frequently alloyed with pain and doubt always seems to tussle with faith. It has a knack of combining the exotic with the familiar so you’re likely to find a scrofulous old Harrovian working as a hack but in Sweden not Fleet Street; or learn that your seventy year old aunty has a penchant for smuggling and married men. Something odd seems to be going on with the perspective. Saigon and Istanbul are brought into sharp focus but then blur at the approach of a very English lens. The same optical instrument has a way of finding jungle flora and fauna in a Brighton pub or on Clapham Common.
Which brings us to this evening’s brief excursion into Greeneland. You’ll encounter some old friends and maybe make some new ones – Scobie, Aunt Augusta, Rose and Pinkie are waiting to buttonhole you as well as a priest with no name and a lugubrious chap called Minty. In Greeneland you’re as likely to hear a Viennese zither as a dodecaphonic squawk. Some pieces such as Harry Lime’s theme from the film of The Third Man or Honegger’s Pacific 231 - which Greene listened to compulsively while writing Stamboul Train – seem to fit the landscape with a kind of inevitability while others such as The Walk to the Paradise Garden by Delius, are perfectly, but obscurely right for Greeneland’s climatic conditions. A little imagination has been used to supply any gaps in the score for which I can only ask for patience and indulgence ….Neither of which will be needed for the actors, Romola Garai and Samuel West who breathe new life into the all too hungry ghosts of Greeneland  gathering to mark the twenty fifth anniversary of their creator’s death.Producer: Zahid Warley
Broadcasts
- Sun 3 Apr 2016 17:30³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Radio 3
- Wed 28 Dec 2016 16:30³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Radio 3
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