Main content
Sorry, this episode is not currently available

Napoleon

From Beethoven to Anthony Burgess, writers, poets and composers have reflected on the tumultuous times of Napoleon Bonaparte and whether he stands as a heroic figure or a despot.

Orwell's pig in Animal Farm, Beethoven's Eroica, Ruth Scurr's biography which focuses on his interest in gardening, Berlioz’ setting of the nostalgic poem ‘Le Cinq Mai' - the date of Napoleon's death, Thomas Keneally's novel about his friendship with a girl on Elba who ended up living in Australia, Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev's evocations of the Russian campaigns, ABBA - Napoleon has fascinated writers and musicians through the centuries since his death. It's been calculated that Napoleon attended 163 different operas, and his favourite composer was Giovanni Paisiello. Today's Words and Music mixes examples of music he might have heard with composers inspired by him, and words from novels and poems. The readers are Sir Simon Russell Beale and Natalie Simpson.

Producer: Nick Holmes

You can find a Free Thinking discussion about Napoleon and his interest in both gardening and artworks available on Â鶹ԼÅÄ Sounds and as an Arts and Ideas podcast.

Readings:
Jane Austen Pride and Prejudice
George Orwell Animal Farm
Josephine Letter to Napoleon
Anthony Burgess Napoleon Symphony
Ruth Scurr Napoleon: A Life in Gardens and Shadows
André François Miot de Mélito Description of Napoleon
Charlotte Brontë Villette
Lord Byron Childe Harold's Pilgrimage
Anon Napoleon the Brave (Broadside Ballad)
Thomas Keneally Napoleon's Last Island
Arthur Conan Doyle The Adventure of the Six Napoleons
Leo Tolstoy War and Peace
Walter de la Mare Napoleon
Joseph Ogbonna Napoleon to Josephine
William Wordsworth The Ruined Cottage
William Thackeray Vanity Fair
PG Wodehouse Napoleon
Miroslav Holub Napoleon
John Clare To Napoleon

1 hour, 14 minutes

Last on

Fri 23 Dec 2022 18:15
Â鶹ԼÅÄ Radio 3

More episodes

Previous

The Trumpet

Next

Pictures at an Exhibition

See all episodes from Words and Music

Music Played

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

  • Jane Austen

    Pride and Prejudice read by Natalie Simpson

  • 00:02

    Zoltán Kodály

    Háry János suite; The Battle and defeat of Napoleon

    Orchestra: Budapest Festival Orchestra. Conductor: Iván Fischer.
    • Philips 4628242.
    • 11.

  • George Orwell

    Animal Farm read by Simon Russell Beale

  • 00:05

    Louis Vierne

    Marche triomphale pour le centenaire de Napoleon

    Performer: London Gabrieli Brass Ensemble.
    • Hyperion : CDA66275.
    • 11.

  • Josephine

    Letter to Napoleon read by Natalie Simpson

  • 00:06

    Giovanni Paisiello

    Mass for the coronation of Napoleon I

    Choir: Association Chorale Contrepoint. Performer: Gerard Dunan.
    • Philips 6504048.
    • 1.

  • Anthony Burgess

    Napoleon Symphony read by Simon Russell Beale

  • 00:09

    Ludwig van Beethoven

    Symphony no. 3 (Eroica); 3rd mvt.

    Orchestra: Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique. Conductor: Sir John Eliot Gardiner.
    • Archiv 439 900-2.
    • 3.

  • Ruth Scurr

    Napoleon: A Life in Gardens and Shadows read by Natalie Simpson

  • 00:17

    Joseph Haydn

    The Creation (Die Schöpfung); Mit Würd' und Hoheit angetan

    Singer: Toby Spence. Orchestra: Les Arts Florissants. Director: William Christie.
    • Warner Classics 3952352.
    • 2.

  • André François Miot de Mélito

    Description of Napoleon read by Simon Russell Beale

  • 00:20

    Neil Hannon

    Napoleon Complex

    Performer: The Divine Comedy.
    • Divine Comedy Records Ltd 111CD.
    • 2.

  • Charlotte Brontë

    Villette read by Natalie Simpson

  • 00:22

    Sergey Prokofiev

    War and peace suite - Fanfare and polonaise

    Orchestra: Philharmonia Orchestra. Conductor: Neeme Järvi.
    • Chandos CHAN9096.
    • 1.

  • Lord Byron

    Childe Harold's Pilgrimage read by Simon Russell Beale

  • Anon.

    Napoleon the Brave (Broadside Ballad) read by Simon Russell Beale and Natalie Simpson

  • 00:26

    °Õ°ùä»å

    Boney was a warrior

    Performer: Paul Clayton.
    • Tradition TCD164.
    • 18.

  • Thomas Keneally

    NapoleonÂ’s Last Island read by Natalie Simpson

  • 00:28

    Hector Berlioz

    Le Cinq Mai

    Singer: Lieuwe Visser. Orchestra: Netherlands Radio Symphony Orchestra. Choir: Netherlands Radio Choir.
    • Denon CO72886.
    • 3.

  • Arthur Conan Doyle

    The Adventure of the Six Napoleons read by Simon Russell Beale

  • 00:37

    Sergey Prokofiev

    War and peace suite - Intermezzo & Snowstorm

    Orchestra: Philharmonia Orchestra. Conductor: Neeme Järvi.
    • Chandos CHAN9096.
    • 4 & 5.

  • Leo Tolstoy

    War and Peace read by Simon Russell Beale

  • Walter de la Mare

    Napoleon read by Simon Russell Beale

  • 00:45

    Noël Coward

    Josephine

    Performer: Noël Coward.
    • EMI: HMV Recordings 1928 - 1953.
    • 14.

  • Joseph Ogbonna

    Napoleon to Josephine read by Simon Russell Beale

  • 00:48

    Arthur Honegger

    Napoleon - suite from the film score: Calme

    Orchestra: Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Adriano.
    • Marco Polo 8223134.
    • 9.

  • Joseph Ogbonna

    Josephine to Napoleon read by Natalie Simpson

  • William Wordsworth

    The Ruined Cottage read by Natalie Simpson

  • 00:51

    Ludwig van Beethoven

    Piano Sonata no. 26 (Les Adieux); 2nd movt.

    Performer: Éric Heidsieck.
    • EMI Classics 387755-2.
    • 13.

  • William Thackeray

    Vanity Fair read by Natalie Simpson

  • 00:56

    Dinah Washington

    Somewhere Along the Line

    Composer: Walter Merrick. Performer: Dinah Washington. Performer: Dinah Washington. Performer: Dinah Washington. Performer: Dinah Washington. Performer: Dinah Washington. Performer: Eddie Chamblee.
    • Mercury 510 602-2.
    • 5.
  • 00:58

    ABBA

    Waterloo

    • Polydor 517 007-2 .
    • 19.
  • 01:00

    Johann Strauss II

    Napoleon march

    Performer: Berliner Philharmoniker. Conductor: Herbert von Karajan.
    • DG E4100272.
    • 9.

  • PG Wodehouse

    Napoleon read by Simon Russell Beale

  • Miroslav Holub

    Napoleon (from Poems Before & After: Collected English Translations, trans. Ian & Jarmila Milner et al.) read by Simon Russell Beale

  • John Clare

    To Napoleon read by Natalie Simpson

  • 01:03

    Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

    1812 overture

    Orchestra: Orchestre symphonique de Montréal. Conductor: Mariss Jansons.
    • EMI CDD7642912.
    • 9.

Broadcasts

  • Sun 2 May 2021 17:30
    Â鶹ԼÅÄ Radio 3
  • Fri 23 Dec 2022 18:15
    Â鶹ԼÅÄ 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.