Main content
Sorry, this episode is not currently available

The Aeneid

Including music by Purcell, Berlioz and Tangerine Dream; translations of the Aeneid by Dryden, Sarah Ruden and Cecil Day-Lewis and reworkings by Ursula Le Guin and Caroline Lawrence.

Virgil's Aeneid traces the epic journey of the Trojan hero from the ruins of his home town through to his arrival in Italy. It is full of incident and pathos as we move from Aeneas's struggles at sea, his tragic love for Dido, his descent into Hades and his battle with the Italian prince Turnus. This Latin epic poem, written between 29 and 19 BC, has been a source of many retellings, including some from the standpoint of female characters who hardly appear at all in the original. Olivia Darnley and John Sackville read from translations of the Aeneid by England's first poet laureate John Dryden (1631-1700), a later holder of that post Cecil Day Lewis (1904-1972) and contemporary translator Sarah Ruden, plus reworkings by Ursula Le Guin and Caroline Lawrence all set alongside music by Purcell, Berlioz and Tangerine Dream.

Producer: Tony Sellors

If you want more discussions relating to classic literature and the arts you might also be interested in a recent Free Thinking discussion about Phaedra and the excavation of Knossos, and a landmark discussion featuring translator Emily Wilson on her version of the Odyssey.
/programmes/b09kqjc0

Works included (timings from the start of the programme itself, after the introduction):

00.00.00: Caroline Lawrence: The Night Raid, read by Olivia Darnley

00:00:20: Handel: Giulio Cesare: Se pieta di me non senti
Sabine Devieilhe (soprano), Pygmalion, Raphaël Pichon (conductor)

00:03:36: Berlioz: The Trojans: Royal Hunt and Storm
London Symphony Orchestra, Colin Davis (conductor)

00:03:36: Virgil, trans. Allcroft and Mason: The Aeneid, read by John Sackville

00:05:56: Virgil, trans. Dryden: The Aeneid, read by John Sackville and Olivia Darnley

00:08:17: Lutosławski: Mi-parti
Polish Radio National Symphony Orchestra, Witold Lutoslawski (conductor)

00:12:05: Mendelssohn: Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage
London Symphony Orchestra, Claudio Abbado (conductor)

00:15:10: Peter Baumann, Edgar Froese, Christophe Franke: Rubycon
Tangerine Dream

00:15:30: Virgil, trans, C. Day Lewis: The Aeneid, read by Olivia Darnley

00:16:12: Virgil trans. Sarah Ruden: The Aeneid, read by Olivia Darnley and John Sackville

00:18:10: Virgil, trans. John Dryden: The Aeneid, read by Olivia Darnley and John Sackville

00:24:13: Purcell: When I am laid in earth (from Dido and Aeneas)
Joyce DiDonato (mezzo), Il pomo d’oro, Maxim Emelyanychev (conductor)

00:28:13: Magnus Lindberg: Graffitti
Finish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Sakari Oramo (conductor)

00:28:32: Virgil, trans. Robert Fitzgerald: The Aeneid, read by Olivia Darnley

00:30:47: Shostakovich: Symphony No 4 in C minor
Boston Symphony Orchestra, Andris Nelsons (conductor)
Label: DG 4835220

00:31:16: H.V.Morton: A Traveller in Rome, read by John Sackville

00:37:17: Rachmaninov: The Isle of the Dead
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Vasily Petrenko (conductor)

00:41:44: Purcell, arr. David Rees-Williams: Dido's lament (When I am laid in earth)
David Rees-Williams Trio

00:47:26: Ursula Le Guin: Lavinia, read by Olivia Darnley

00:51:00: Virgil trans. Sarah Ruden: The Aeneid, read by Olivia Darnley and John Sackville

00:51:27: Tippett: King Priam
London Sinfonietta, David Atherton (conductor)

00:52:52: Scriabin: Prometheus, the Poem of Fire
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Martha Argerich, piano, Claudi Abbado, conductor

00:52:53: Ovid, trans. Mary M. Innes: Metamorphoses, read by John Sackville and Olivia Darnley

00:53:58: Richard Strauss: Eine Alpensinfonie, Op. 64
Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, David Zinman (conductor)

00:58:08: Ravel: Daphnis Et Chloé 1ère Partie: 4. Danse Générale
Orchestre National de France, Eliahu Inbal (conductor)

01:00:03: Dutilleux: Symphony No 2
Seattle Symphony, Ludovic Morlot (conductor)

01:01:40: Caroline Lawrence: Queen of the silver arrow, read by John Sackville and Olivia Darnley

01:06:28: Stravinsky: Requiem Canticles: Postludium
SWR Baden-Baden and Freiburg Symphony Orchestra, Michael Gielen (conductor)

01:08:11: J.S.Bach: Ascension Oratorio, BWV 11: Ach, bleibe doch, mein liebstes Leben
Iestyn Davies (counter tenor), Retrospect Ensemble, Matthew Halls (conductor)

01:08:20: Ovid, trans. Mary M. Innes: Metamorphoses, read by John Sackville and Olivia Darnley

1 hour, 14 minutes

Last on

Sun 26 Feb 2023 17:30
Â鶹ԼÅÄ Radio 3

More episodes

Previous

The Emperor's New Clothes

Next

Women and Music

See all episodes from Words and Music

Music Played

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

  • Caroline Lawrence

    The Night Raid, read by Olivia Darnley

  • 00:00

    George Frideric Handel

    Giulio Cesare: Se pieta di me non senti

    Singer: Sabine Devieilhe. Ensemble: Pygmalion. Conductor: Raphaël Pichon.
    • Erato 9029667786.
    • 14.
  • 00:03

    Hector Berlioz

    The Trojans: Royal Hunt and Storm

    Orchestra: London Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Colin Davis.
    • LSO Live LSO0010.
    • 1.

  • Virgil, trans. Allcroft and Mason

    The Aeneid, read by John Sackville

  • Virgil, trans. Dryden

    The Aeneid, read by John Sackville and Olivia Darnley

  • 00:08

    Witold Lutosławski

    Mi-parti

    Orchestra: Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Witold Lutosławski.
    • Warner 5176342.
    • 1.

  • Virgil, trans, Dryden

    The Aeneid, read by John Sackville and Olivia Darnley

  • 00:12

    Felix Mendelssohn

    Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage

    Orchestra: London Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Claudio Abbado.
    • DG 423104-2.
    • 3.
  • 00:15

    Tangerine Dream

    Rubycon

    • UMC 00602577469893.
    • 1.

  • Virgil, trans, C. Day Lewis

    Aeneid, read by Olivia Darnley

  • Virgil trans. Sarah Ruden

    Aeneid, read by Olivia Darnley and John Sackville

  • Virgil, trans. John Dryden

    Aeneid, read by Olivia Darnley and John Sackville

  • 00:24

    Henry Purcell

    When I am laid in earth (from Dido and Aeneas)

    Singer: Joyce DiDonato. Ensemble: Il Pomo d’Oro. Conductor: Maxim Emelyanychev.
    • ERATO 0190295928469.
    • 6.
  • 00:28

    Magnus Lindberg

    Graffitti

    Orchestra: Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Sakari Oramo.
    • Ondine ODE1157-2.
    • 2.

  • Virgil, trans, C. Day Lewis

    Aeneid, read by Olivia Darnley

  • Virgil, trans. Robert Fitzgerald

    Aeneid, read by Olivia Darnley

  • Virgil, trans, C. Day Lewis

    Aeneid, read by Olivia Darnley

  • 00:30

    Dmitry Shostakovich

    Symphony No 4 in C minor

    Orchestra: Boston Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Andris Nelsons.
    • DG 4835220.
    • 5.

  • H.V.Morton

    A Traveller in Rome, read by John Sackville

  • 00:35

    Finish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Sakari Oramo

    Graffitti

    • Ondine ODE1157-2.
    • 2.
  • 00:37

    Sergey Rachmaninov

    The Isle of the Dead

    Orchestra: Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. Conductor: Vasily Petrenko.
    • Avie AV2188.
    • 4.

  • Virgil, trans. John Dryden

    Aeneid, read by Olivia Darnley and John Sackville

  • 00:41

    Henry Purcell

    Dido's lament (When I am laid in earth), arr. for piano, bass guitar and drums

    Music Arranger: David Rees-Williams. Performer: David Rees-Williams Trio.
    • DePaean DPNCD006.
    • 4.

  • Ursula Le Guin

    Lavinia, read by Olivia Darnley

  • Virgil trans. Sarah Ruden

    Aeneid, read by Olivia Darnley and John Sackville

  • 00:51

    Michael Tippett

    King Priam

    Ensemble: London Sinfonietta. Conductor: David Atherton.
    • Chandos Records 884824.
    • 1.
  • 00:52

    Alexander Scriabin

    Prometheus, the Poem of Fire

    Orchestra: Berliner Philharmoniker. Performer: Martha Argerich. Conductor: Claudio Abbado.
    • SONY 88985320352.
    • 2.

  • Ovid, trans. Mary M. Innes

    Metamorphoses, read by John Sackville and Olivia Darnley

  • 00:53

    Richard Strauss

    Eine Alpensinfonie, Op. 64

    Orchestra: Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich. Conductor: David Zinman.
    • ARTE NOVA Classics G010000935795E.
    • 18.
  • 00:58

    Maurice Ravel

    Daphnis Et Chloé 1ère Partie: 4. Danse Générale

    Orchestra: Orchestre national de France. Conductor: Eliahu Inbal.
    • Savoy Jazz 00081757179621.
    • 4.
  • 01:00

    Henri Dutilleux

    Symphony No 2

    Orchestra: Seattle Symphony. Conductor: Ludovic Morlot.
    • Seattle Symphony Media SSM1007.
    • 12.

  • Caroline Lawrence

    Queen of the silver arrow, read by John Sackville and Olivia Darnley

  • 00:03

    Dmitry Shostakovich

    Symphony No 4 in C minor

    Orchestra: Boston Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Andris Nelsons.
    • DG 4835220.
    • 5.
  • 01:06

    Igor Stravinsky

    Requiem Canticles: Postludium

    Orchestra: Southwest German Radio Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Michael Gielen.
    • HANSSLER 93.226.
    • 33.
  • 01:08

    Johann Sebastian Bach

    Ascension Oratorio, BWV 11: Ach, bleibe doch, mein liebstes Leben

    Singer: Iestyn Davies. Ensemble: Retrospect Ensemble. Conductor: Matthew Halls.
    • LINN CKD 373.
    • 15.

  • Ovid, trans. Mary M. Innes

    Metamorphoses, read by John Sackville and Olivia Darnley

Broadcast

  • Sun 26 Feb 2023 17:30
    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.