Main content
Sorry, this episode is not currently available

The Environment

Chlo毛 Sommer and Ewan Bailey with readings from writers including Imbolo Mbue and Les Murray and music by Olivier Messiaen, Luna Pearl Woolf and Marvin Gaye among others.

From poplar trees felled in 1879 through fires in Australia and the Amazon to the balm of river swimming: at a time when the effects of climate change and global warming are becoming increasingly evident, our relationship with the planet that we live on has never been under such close scrutiny. Inevitably these are issues that find expression in the works of writers, composers and artists and have done for some time. In readings by Chlo毛 Sommer and Ewan Bailey we find Gerard Manley Hopkins mourning the felling of some beloved poplar trees back in 1879. More recently Les Murray writes of devastating wildfires in Australia 'We have heard that the smoke from this coast was seen far out over/the curve of the earth, on the open Pacific, on islands', while in 'Bottled Macaw' Pascale Petit considers the threat of smuggling endangered species to biodiversity. There's also an extract from Rachel Carson's classic environmental work 'Silent Spring' about pesticides published in 1962 . The music ranges from Luna Pearl Woolf's 'Apr猫s moi, le d茅luge', written in response to the catastrophic flooding caused by Hurricane Katrina, to Heitor Villa Lobos's evocation of a forest fire in the Amazon, to Marvin Gaye's 1971 elegy for the environment 'Mercy Mercy Me'. But there is room for hope too. In 'Swims' Elizabeth-Jane Burnett celebrates the literal immersion in nature offered by river-swimming and environmentalist Bill McKibben asks 'What would it mean . . . if we began to truly and viscerally think of ourselves as just one species among many?'. Music suggesting the possibility of a better future includes Re-Greening by Tansy Davies and a piece by electronica duo Orbital that was recorded in a solar-powered studio.

Producer: Torquil MacLeod

Readings & *Music

*John Luther Adams - The Circle of Suns and Moons
Les Murray - The Fire Autumn
*Heitor Villa-Lobos - Floresta do Amazonas: Forest Fire
*Karen Young - Ode to Nature: I. Migrating Monarchs
Rachel Carson - Silent Spring
*Laurie Anderson, Kronos Quartet - All the Extinct Animals
Jeff VanderMeer - Hummingbird Salamander
*Olivier Messiaen - Oiseaux Exotiques
Pascale Petit - Bottled Macaw
*Fazil Say - Violin Sonata No. 2, Op. 82 "Mount Ida" 鈥� II. Wounded Bird
Elizabeth Jennings - Introduction to a Landscape
*Ludwig van Beethoven - Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68 鈥淧astoral鈥�: IV. Donner 鈥� Storm (allegro)
*Sarah Collins - Forest Piece
Adrienne Rich - What Kind of Times Are These
Gerard Manley Hopkins - Binsey Poplars
*The Beach Boys - A Day in the Life of a Tree
*Orbital - The Girl with the Sun in Her Head
Stephanie Burt - Advice from Rock Creek Park
Heather McHugh - Webcam the World
*Stephen Montague - Tsunami
Elizabeth Bishop - The Imaginary Iceberg
*Neets'aii Gwich'in - Caribou Song
*Philip Glass - Cloudscape
Amanda Thompson - Be/Longing
Imbolo Mbue - How Beautiful We Were
*Luna Pearl Woolf - Apr猫s moi, le d茅luge: II. Deep in the Water, Too Deep for Tears
Patrick Hamilton - Mr Stimpson and Mr Gorse
*George Enescu - Voix de la nature "Nuages d'automne sur les for锚ts"
J. O. Morgan - Then, Again
*Marvin Gaye - Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)
*Joytown - 10 Minutes of Climate Change
David Morley - The Grace of JCBs
*Ularhan Qaharman & Baqytbek - Our Rich Nature (Huo A Lei)
Elizabeth-Jane Burnett - Swims: Preface
*Tansy Davies - Re-Greening
Bill McKibben - The End of Nature
*Peter Gabriel & Robert Fripp - Here Comes The Flood

1 hour, 14 minutes

Last on

Sun 4 Jun 2023 17:30
麻豆约拍 Radio 3

More episodes

Previous

Northumbria

Next

Rings

See all episodes from Words and Music

Music Played

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

  • 00:01

    John Luther Adams

    The Circle of Suns and Moons

    Performer: John Luther Adams Ensemble.
    • New World Records 80459-2.
    • Tr4.

  • Les Murray

    The Fire Autumn, read by Ewan Bailey

  • 00:02

    John Luther Adams

    The circle of suns and moons

    Ensemble: John Luther Adams Ensemble.
  • 00:02

    Heitor Villa鈥怢obos

    Floresta do Amazonas: Forest Fire

    Orchestra: Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Alfred Heller.
    • Delos DE1037.
    • Tr19.
  • 00:03

    Heitor Villa鈥怢obos

    Forest Fire (Forest of the Amazon)

    Orchestra: Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Alfred Heller.
  • 00:06

    Karen Young

    Ode to Nature: I. Migrating Monarchs

    Performer: Marc Grauwels. Performer: Marie-Jos茅e Simard.
    • Naxos 8.557782.
    • Tr10.

  • Rachel Carson

    Silent Spring, read by Chlo毛 Sommer

  • 00:07

    Karen Young

    Migrating Monarchs (Ode to Nature)

    Performer: Marc Grauwels. Performer: Marie-Jos茅e Simard.
  • 00:08

    Laurie Anderson & Kronos Quartet

    All the Extinct Animals

    • Nonesuch 564164-2.
    • Tr19.
  • 00:09

    Laurie Anderson

    All the Extinct Animals

  • Jeff VanderMeer

    Hummingbird Salamander, read by Ewan Bailey

  • 00:12

    Olivier Messiaen

    Oiseaux Exotiques

    Orchestra: Orchestre de la Suisse Romande. Performer: Francesco Piemontesi. Conductor: Jonathan Nott.
    • Pentatone PTC5186949.
    • Tr4.
  • 00:13

    Olivier Messiaen

    Oiseaux Exotiques

    Orchestra: Orchestre de la Suisse Romande. Performer: Francesco Piemontesi. Conductor: Jonathan Nott.

  • Pascale Petit

    Bottled Macaw, read by Chlo毛 Sommer

  • 00:18

    Fazil Say

    Violin Sonata No. 2, Op. 82 "Mount Ida" 聳 II. Wounded Bird

    Performer: Friedemann Eichhorn. Performer: Fazil Say.
    • Naxos 8.574085.
    • Tr2.
  • 00:18

    Fazil Say

    Violin Sonata No.2 (Mount Ida) (2nd mvt: Wounded Bird)

    Performer: Friedemann Eichhorn. Performer: Fazil Say.

  • Elizabeth Jennings

    Introduction to a Landscape, read by Ewan Bailey

  • 00:22

    Ludwig van Beethoven

    Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68 聯Pastoral聰: IV. Donner 聳 Storm (allegro)

    Orchestra: Berliner Philharmoniker. Conductor: Sir Simon Rattle.
    • Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra BPHR160093.
    • CD4 Tr4.
  • 00:23

    Ludwig van Beethoven

    Symphony No.6 in F major (Pastoral) (4th mvt: Storm: Allegro)

    Orchestra: Berliner Philharmoniker. Conductor: Sir Simon Rattle.
  • 00:25

    Sarah Collins

    Forest Piece

    Performer: Sarah Collins.
    • NMC Recordings NMCD205.
    • Tr7.
  • 00:26

    Sarah Collins

    Forest Piece

  • Adrienne Rich

    What Kind of Times Are These, read by Chlo毛 Sommer

  • Gerard Manley Hopkins

    Binsey Poplars, read by Ewan Bailey

  • 00:28

    The Beach Boys

    A Day in the Life of a Tree

    • Capitol Records 50999 404439 28.
    • Tr8.
  • 00:29

    The Beach Boys

    A Day in the Life of a Tree

  • 00:32

    Orbital

    The Girl with the Sun in Her Head

    • London Music Stream digital.
    • Tr1.

  • Stephanie Burt

    Advice from Rock Creek Park, read by Ewan Bailey

  • Heather McHugh

    Webcam the World, read by Chlo毛 Sommer

  • 00:33

    Orbital

    The Girl With The Sun In Her Head

  • 00:35

    Stephen Montague

    Tsunami

    Performer: Thalia Myers.
    • NMC Recordings NMCD057.
    • CD2 Tr13.
  • 00:35

    Stephen Montague

    Tsunami

    Performer: Thalia Myers.

  • Elizabeth Bishop

    The Imaginary Iceberg, read by Ewan Bailey

  • 00:38

    Neets'aii Gwich'in

    Caribou Song

    • Sunyata records Digital.
    • Tr9.
  • 00:38

    Philip Glass

    Cloudscape

    Performer: Philip Glass.
    • Island 7559-79506-2.
    • Tr3.

  • Amanda Thomson

    Be/Longing, read by Chlo毛 Sommer

  • 00:38

    Neets'aii Gwich'in

    Caribou Song

  • 00:39

    Philip Glass

    Cloudscape (Koyaanisqatsi)

    Ensemble: Philip Glass Ensemble.

  • Imbolo Mbue

    How Beautiful We Were, read by Chlo毛 Sommer

  • 00:42

    Luna Pearl Woolf

    Apr猫s moi, le d茅luge: II. Deep in the Water, Too Deep for Tears

    Choir: Choir of Trinity Wall Street. Performer: Matt Haimovitz. Performer: Molly Netter. Performer: Steven Caldicott Wilson. Conductor: Julian Wachner.
    • Pentatone PTC5186803.
    • Tr4.
  • 00:42

    Luna Pearl Woolf

    Deep in the Water, Too Deep for Tears (Apres moi, le deluge)

    Performer: Matt Haimovitz. Choir: Trinity Wall Street Choir. Conductor: Julian Wachner.

  • Patrick Hamilton

    Mr Stimpson and Mr Gorse, read by Ewan Bailey

  • 00:47

    George Enescu

    Voix de la nature "Nuages d'automne sur les for锚ts"

    Orchestra: NDR Radio Philharmonic Orchestra. Conductor: Peter Ruzicka.
    • CPO 777966-2.
    • Tr4.
  • 00:48

    George Enescu

    Voix de la nature (Nuages d'automne sur les for锚ts)

    Orchestra: North German Radio Philharmonic Orchestra. Conductor: Peter Ruzicka.

  • J. O. Morgan

    Then, Again, read by Chlo毛 Sommer

  • 00:57

    Marvin Gaye

    Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)

    Performer: Marvin Gaye.
    • Motown 013 404-2.
    • Tr6.
  • 01:00

    Joytown

    10 Minutes of Climate Change

    • Tranberg & Mortensen Records TM14.
    • Tr4.

  • David Morley

    The Grace of JCBs, read by Ewan Bailey

  • 01:00

    Joytown

    10 Minutes of Climate Change

  • 01:02

    Trad.

    Our Rich Nature (Huo A Lei)

    Performer: Ularhan Qaharman. Performer: Baqytbek.
    • Naxos World Music NXW76095-2.
    • Tr9.

  • Elizabeth-Jane Burnett

    Swims: Preface, read by Chlo毛 Sommer

  • 01:06

    Tansy Davies

    Re-Greening

    Orchestra: The National Youth Orchestra.
    • NMC Recordings NMCD260.
    • Tr7.
  • 01:06

    Tansy Davies

    Re-Greening

    Orchestra: The National Youth Orchestra.

  • Bill McKibben

    The End of Nature, read by Ewan Bailey

  • 01:09

    Peter Gabriel

    Here Comes The Flood

    • EG EGCD 41.
    • Tr15.
  • 01:10

    Peter Gabriel

    Here Comes The Flood

Broadcasts

  • Sun 2 Oct 2022 17:30
    麻豆约拍 Radio 3
  • Sun 4 Jun 2023 17:30
    麻豆约拍 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.