Main content
Sorry, this episode is not currently available

Aspects of the Divine

Readings from Natalie Simpson and Ray Fearon on the transcendent and numinous, from Shakespeare and Donne to Wordsworth and Larkin. Music from Beethoven to Bruckner.

Have you ever felt lost for words at the beauty of a sunset? Or watched the sunrise and been struck with a sense of awe and wonder? That鈥檚 what happens to Ratty and Mole in a magical passage in the children鈥檚 classic, Wind in the Willows. As with all literature and music that touches the heart, it鈥檚 the sense of something beyond the words or the notes that captures our imagination 鈥� something that points to the very mystery of our being 鈥� something numinous 鈥� what some people think of as God. In this programme, Aspects of the Divine, the actors Natalie Simpson and Ray Fearon explore texts which point to this feeling of something transcendent from different angles: for Wordsworth it was found in nature; for the Old Testament prophet, Isaiah, it was the potential for the parched desert to suddenly blossom abundantly; for mystics like Hildegard of Bingen and Julian of Norwich it was glimpsed in a life of contemplation; in the contemporary novels by Marilynne Robinson and Caleb Azumah Nelson it is found in the rituals of organised religion. The ancient Greeks developed the idea of balance, order and harmony as a semi-mystical property that could shape our lives. And the first words we hear are a speech from Shakespeare鈥檚 Troilus and Cressida about that. Many great composers, from Beethoven to Bruckner, caught this far-off melody in their music. And we start with Vaughan Williams鈥� glorious evocation of music as the divine resolution of discord in harmony.

Producer: Clive Portbury
READINGS:
Shakespeare/Troilus and Cressida
Donne/Batter my heart, three-person'd God
Julian of Norwich/Revelations of Divine Love Chapter 5
Dickinson/Some keep the Sabbath going to Church
Old Testament/Isaiah chapter 35
Benjamin Myers/Extract from the novel Cuddy
Beethoven/Letter to Dr Franz Wegeler
Michael Symmons Roberts/Jairus
Kenneth Grahame/Wind in the Willows: The Piper at the Gates of Dawn
Carol Ann Duffy/Prayer
Marilynne Robinson/Extract from the novel Lila
Milton/Extract from Paradise from Paradise Lost
Caleb Azumah Nelson/Extract from the novel Small Worlds
Wordsworth/Extract from Lines Written a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey
Herbert/Church Monuments
Larkin/Church going

1 hour, 14 minutes

Last on

Sun 20 Aug 2023 17:30
成人快手 Radio 3

More episodes

Previous

What's in a name?

Next

Twins and doppelgangers

See all episodes from Words and Music

Music Played

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

  • 00:00

    Ralph Vaughan Williams

    Serenade to music for 16 soloists & orchestra

    Orchestra: London Philharmonic Orchestra. Conductor: Sir Roger Norrington.
    • Decca 4670472.
    • 6.

  • William Shakespeare

    Troilus and Cressida, read by Natalie Simpson

  • John Donne

    Batter my heart, three-person'd God, read by Ray Fearon

  • 00:07

    Ludwig van Beethoven

    Credo from Missa Solemnis

    Choir: Monteverdi Choir. Orchestra: Orchestre R茅volutionnaire et Romantique. Conductor: Sir John Eliot Gardiner.
    • Archiv 4297792.
    • 3.

  • Julian of Norwich

    Revelations of Divine Love Chapter 5 part 1, read by Natalie Simpson

  • 00:14

    Hildegard von Bingen

    O viridissima virga, Ave

    Ensemble: Sequentia. Conductor: Barbara Thornton.
    • Deutsche Harmonia Mundi 05472773202.
    • 11.

  • Emily Dickinson

    Some keep the Sabbath going to Church, read by Natalie Simpson

  • 00:17

    Aaron Copland

    Appalachian spring suite No.5: Allegro

    Orchestra: Detroit Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Antal Dor谩ti.
    • Decca 473146-2.
    • 8.

  • Old Testament

    Isaiah chapter 35 Part 1, read by Ray Fearon

  • 00:20

    Samuel Sebastian Wesley

    The Wilderness

    Choir: The Choir Of Trinity College, Cambridge. Conductor: Stephen Layton.
    • Hyperion CDA68434.
    • 1.

  • Benjamin Myers

    Cuddy, read by Natalie Simpson

  • 00:27

    Fats Waller

    Your feet's too big

    Performer: Fats Waller.
    • Happy Days MCHD208.
    • 8.

  • Ludwig Van Beethoven

    letter, read by Ray Fearon

  • 00:32

    Ludwig van Beethoven

    Symphony no. 5 in C minor Op.67: 1st movement; Allegro con brio

    Orchestra: Vienna Philharmonic. Conductor: Carlos Kleiber.
    • DG 447400-2.
    • 1.

  • Michael Symmons

    Roberts; Jairus, read by Natalie Simpson

  • 00:35

    Benjamin Britten

    6 Metamorphoses after Ovid Op.49 for oboe solo: no.1; Pan

    Performer: Fran莽ois Leleux.
    • Harmonia Mundi HMN911556.
    • 16.

  • Kenneth Grahame

    Wind in the Willows: The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, read by Ray Fearon

  • 00:39

    Carl Nielsen

    Helios Overture, Op 17

    Orchestra: Royal Scottish National Orchestra. Conductor: Alexander Gibson.
    • Chandos CHAN6533.
    • 7.

  • Carol Ann Duffy

    Prayer, read by Natalie Simpson

  • 00:41

    Ronald Binge

    Sailing By

    Orchestra: The New London Orchestra. Conductor: Ronald Corp.
    • Hyperion CDS442614.
    • 10.

  • Marilynne Robinson

    Lila, read by Natalie Simpson

  • 00:45

    Trad.

    Deep River

    Singer: Verna-Jean Gervais. Choir: London Adventist Chorale. Conductor: Ken Burton.
    • Paradisum PDSCD1.
    • 2.

  • John Milton

    Song of the Pair in Paradise, read by Ray Fearon

  • 00:50

    Olivier Messiaen

    Turangalila-symphonie: no.5; Joie du sang des etoiles

    Orchestra: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Seiji Ozawa.
    • RCA Red Seal 74321 846012.
    • 5.

  • Caleb Azumah Nelson

    Small Worlds, read by Natalie Simpson

  • 00:55

    William Henry Monk

    Abide With Me

    Performer: London Community Gospel Choir.
    • BMG ANT2010CD1.
    • 1.

  • William Wordsworth

    Tintern Abbey, read by Natalie Simpson

  • 00:59

    Anton Bruckner

    Symphony No. 6 ii Adagio

    Orchestra: Munich Philharmonic Orchestra. Conductor: Sergiu Celibidache.
    • Warner 9029520143.
    • 2.

  • George Herbert

    Church Monuments, read by Natalie Simpson

  • 01:05

    Ottorino Respighi

    Vetrate di chiesa - symphonic impressions no.1; La Fuga in Egitto

    Orchestra: Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. Conductor: JoAnn Falletta.
    • Naxos 8.557711.
    • 1.

  • Philip Larkin

    Church going, read by Ray Fearon

  • 01:09

    Nina Simone

    For All We Know

    • BMG 4050538700107.
    • 7.

Broadcast

  • Sun 20 Aug 2023 17:30
    成人快手 Radio 3

The hidden history of plant-based diets

The hidden history of plant-based diets

Forget social media influencers - the meat-free movement started with the Victorians.

Books website

Get closer to books with in-depth articles, quizzes and our picks from radio & TV.