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Great Speeches and Soliloquies
- Narrated by: Simon Russell Beale, Estelle Kohler
- Length: 2 hrs and 7 mins
- Categories: Literature & Fiction, Classics
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John Gielgud's Hamlet (Dramatised)
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This outstanding historical recording made in 1941 for radio is widely regarded as one of the finest Hamlet performances ever, and one of John Gielgud's greatest moments. Though he went on to record it for commercial release, nothing matched this recording in the BBC studios, made before the days of editing.
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These are masterly readings, by renowned thespian Paul Schofield, of two substantial works of poetry by T.S. Eliot.
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A must for all literature lovers
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The History of English Poetry
- By: Peter Whitfield
- Narrated by: Derek Jacobi
- Length: 8 hrs and 5 mins
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English literature is a treasure trove of wonderful poetry. From Shakespeare to Milton, Keats to Shelley and Tennyson to Yeats, this accessible history (especially written for Naxos Audiobooks) introduces the listener to countless small masterpieces, including all the old favorites and some lesser-known gems. Whitfield explores this most expressive of art forms and traces the historical development of a rich and diverse canon of poetical works.
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An Excellent introduction
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Classic Radio Theatre: The Importance of Being Earnest (Dramatised)
- By: Oscar Wilde
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- Length: 2 hrs and 22 mins
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Algernon Moncrieff, a bachelor-about-town, has invented an invalid friend called Bunbury in order to get out of tiresome family engagements. At the same time, his friend, Jack Worthing, has invented a wicked brother called Ernest to disguise his own misdemeanours. When Algernon poses as Ernest to win the heart of Cecily Cardew, confusion reigns, and it takes the discovery of an old black handbag to reveal the truth.
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Absolutely loved it, I've listened to this 3 times
- By Rhylee Bainham on 08-08-19
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John Gielgud's Hamlet (Dramatised)
- By: William Shakespeare
- Narrated by: John Gielgud
- Length: 3 hrs and 26 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This outstanding historical recording made in 1941 for radio is widely regarded as one of the finest Hamlet performances ever, and one of John Gielgud's greatest moments. Though he went on to record it for commercial release, nothing matched this recording in the BBC studios, made before the days of editing.
-
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Music to the Ear
- By Xerxes on 07-10-20
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The Iliad of Homer
- By: Elizabeth Vandiver, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Vandiver
- Length: 6 hrs and 4 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For thousands of years, Homer's ancient epic poem the
Iliad has enchanted readers from around the world. When you join Professor Vandiver for this lecture series on the Iliad, you'll come to understand what has enthralled and gripped so many people. Her compelling 12-lecture look at this literary masterpiece -whether it's the work of many authors or the "vision" of a single blind poet - makes it vividly clear why, after almost 3,000 years, the
Iliad remains not only among the greatest adventure stories ever told but also one of the most compelling meditations on the human condition ever written.
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Great Lecture Series
- By Naomi Skilling on 18-10-17
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Richard Burton Reads the Poetry of Thomas Hardy
- By: Thomas Hardy
- Narrated by: Richard Burton
- Length: 40 mins
- Abridged
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Overall
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Performance
-
Story
Richard Burton, the multi-award winning actor, reads the finest work of Thomas Hardy.
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-
An absolute gem
- By Tom on 17-07-09
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The Waste Land & Four Quartets
- By: T.S. Eliot
- Narrated by: Paul Scofield
- Length: 1 hr and 34 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall
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Performance
-
Story
These are masterly readings, by renowned thespian Paul Schofield, of two substantial works of poetry by T.S. Eliot.
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A must for all literature lovers
- By Mr on 23-12-12
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The History of English Poetry
- By: Peter Whitfield
- Narrated by: Derek Jacobi
- Length: 8 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
English literature is a treasure trove of wonderful poetry. From Shakespeare to Milton, Keats to Shelley and Tennyson to Yeats, this accessible history (especially written for Naxos Audiobooks) introduces the listener to countless small masterpieces, including all the old favorites and some lesser-known gems. Whitfield explores this most expressive of art forms and traces the historical development of a rich and diverse canon of poetical works.
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-
An Excellent introduction
- By Chris on 15-05-10
-
Classic Radio Theatre: The Importance of Being Earnest (Dramatised)
- By: Oscar Wilde
- Narrated by: Jeremy Clyde, Richard Pasco, Prunella Scales, and others
- Length: 2 hrs and 22 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Algernon Moncrieff, a bachelor-about-town, has invented an invalid friend called Bunbury in order to get out of tiresome family engagements. At the same time, his friend, Jack Worthing, has invented a wicked brother called Ernest to disguise his own misdemeanours. When Algernon poses as Ernest to win the heart of Cecily Cardew, confusion reigns, and it takes the discovery of an old black handbag to reveal the truth.
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Absolutely loved it, I've listened to this 3 times
- By Rhylee Bainham on 08-08-19
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Vivat Rex: Volume One (Dramatisation)
- Landmark Drama from the BBC Radio Archive
- By: William Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe, Ben Jonson, and others
- Narrated by: Richard Burton, Full Cast
- Length: 12 hrs and 42 mins
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Richard Burton narrates this famous dramatic chronicle of the English Crown, a treasure of the BBC radio archive published on audible for the very first time. Vivat Rex is the landmark drama series first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1977.
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Awesome Listening
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Crow
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- By: Ted Hughes
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From his remarkable debut The Hawk in the Rain (1957) to his death in 1998, Ted Hughes was a colossal presence in the English literary landscape. He was also admired as a performer of his own work. Crow is one of his most significant collections, focusing on the central figure of the crow - predatory, mocking and indestructible. Crow is read here by the author in its entirety and with narrative links not included in the published text.
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The Great Poets: W. B. Yeats
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Naxos AudioBooks continues its new series of Great Poets, represented by collections of their most popular poems in one program. W. B. Yeats was one of the most beloved poets of the 20th century. He left a large legacy of outstanding poems, and the finest are collected here: "Down by the Salley Gardens," "The Lake Isle of Inisfree," "The Secret Rose," and "He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven". They are read by a strong cast, led by Olivier award-winner Jim Norton.
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Educative and Entertaining
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Shakespeare for Every Day of the Year
- By: Allie Esiri
- Narrated by: Allie Esiri, Ben Allen, Helen McCrory, and others
- Length: 13 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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Each track of this unique collection contains an extract, which might be a famous poem, quote or scene, matched to the date, performed by leading actors such as Sir Simon Russell Beale, Helen McCrory, and Damian Lewis. Allie Esiri's introductions give her listeners a new window into the work, time and life of the greatest writer in the English language. Shakespeare for Every Day of the Year is perfect for listening or sharing and brings you Shakespeare’s best-known and best-loved classics alongside lesser known extracts read by a range of award-winning Shakespearean actors.
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Why is there no information about the individual extracts?!
- By Katie Barker on 03-08-20
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The Life and Writings of C. S. Lewis
- By: Louis Markos, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Louis Markos
- Length: 6 hrs and 5 mins
- Original Recording
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What can we still learn from C.S. Lewis? Find out in these 12 insightful lectures that cover the author's spiritual autobiography, novels, and his scholarly writings that reflect on pain and grief, love and friendship, prophecy and miracles, and education and mythology.
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Outstanding lecture series!
- By Adisha on 26-02-21
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A Little History of Poetry
- By: John Carey
- Narrated by: Ralph Lister
- Length: 9 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
What is poetry? If music is sound organized in a particular way, poetry is a way of organizing language. It is language made special so that it will be remembered and valued. It does not always work - over the centuries countless thousands of poems have been forgotten. This little history is about some that have not. John Carey tells the stories behind the world’s greatest poems, from the oldest surviving one written nearly four thousand years ago to those being written today. Carey looks at poets whose works shape our views of the world.
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Name Checking Exercise
- By John Mullen on 10-07-20
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The Quality of Mercy
- Reflections on Shakespeare
- By: Peter Brook
- Narrated by: Michael Pennington
- Length: 2 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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Unique insights into Shakespeare, from one of the world’s most revered theatre directors. Who was the man who wrote Shakespeare’s plays? Why does Shakespeare never go out of date? How should actors approach Shakespeare’s verse? In this short but immensely wise book, visionary theatre director Peter Brook debates the questions that are central to our understanding of Shakespeare, and revisits the plays he has directed with notable brilliance, including King Lear, Titus Andronicus, and, of course, A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
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Death of a Salesman
- By: Arthur Miller
- Narrated by: Thomas Mitchell, Arthur Kennedy
- Length: 1 hr and 26 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall
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Performance
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Arthur Miller’s most famous play, Death of a Salesman, has become a key text in Western literature. This unusually powerful recording, made for radio in 1953, was directed by Elia Kazan who premiered the play. It features Thomas Mitchell and Arthur Kennedy as father and son. Willy, a travelling salesman, based in New York, relentlessly chases material success.
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Differs from Miller’s original play
- By Harry on 09-03-18
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Four Quartets
- By: T. S. Eliot
- Narrated by: Ralph Fiennes
- Length: 52 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
A masterly new recording by Ralph Fiennes. Four Quartets is the culminating achievement of T. S. Eliot's career as a poet. While containing some of the most musical and unforgettable passages in 20th-century poetry, its four parts, 'Burnt Norton', 'East Coker', 'The Dry Salvages' and 'Little Gidding', present a rigorous meditation on the spiritual, philosophical and personal themes which preoccupied the author.
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Revelation
- By Susan Bittleston on 06-10-19
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Popular Poetry, Popular Verse
- By: William Shakespeare, John Milton, more
- Narrated by: Anton Lesser, Simon Russell Beale
- Length: 2 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
With more than 80 of the most popular and loved poems in the English language, this collection is one of the most comprehensive anthologies of its kind. It covers a remarkable range, from the striking visions of Blake and Shelley and the insights of Keats to lighter but equally memorable verse by Tennyson.
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Shakespeare For Grownups
- Everything you Need to Know about the Bard
- By: E Foley, B Coates
- Narrated by: Daniel Weyman
- Length: 9 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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Performance
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Need to swot up on your Shakespeare? If you’ve always felt a bit embarrassed at your precarious grasp on the plot of Othello, or you haven’t a clue what a petard - as in ‘hoist with his own petard’ - actually is, then fear not, because this, at last, is the perfect guide to bring you up to speed. From the authors of the number-one bestselling Homework for Grown-ups, Shakespeare for Grown-ups is the essential book for anyone keen to deepen their knowledge of the Bard’s key plays and sonnets.
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Very interesting and well written/read.
- By G T Butler on 20-04-15
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Tristram Shandy
- By: Laurence Sterne
- Narrated by: Anton Lesser
- Length: 19 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Performance
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Story
Laurence Sterne’s most famous novel is a biting satire of literary conventions and contemporary 18th-century values. Renowned for its parody of established narrative techniques, Tristram Shandyis commonly regarded as the forerunner of avant-garde fiction. Tristram’s characteristic digressions on a whole range of unlikely subjects (including battle strategy and noses!) are endlessly surprising and make this one of Britain’s greatest comic achievements.
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Wonderful listening!
- By Stuart C. Clarke on 03-04-13
Summary
Many of Shakespeare's greatest and best-loved speeches are brought together in this superb collection, performed by outstanding artists who bring to vivid life words which are an integral part of our language, our culture and our everyday lives.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.
What listeners say about Great Speeches and Soliloquies
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Overall
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- Timoteo
- 09-01-18
Outstanding performances
I am a big fan of recorded books, poetry, and plays. This recording is one of my all time favourites. The performances are outstanding. I recommend this item without hesitation.
1 person found this helpful