The Essential Shakespeare Live Encore

British Library, The

ISBN 10: 0712351000 ISBN 13: 9780712351003

Publisher: British Library, 2010

The British Library and the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) join forces to publish this remarkable audio treasury of live Shakespearian performances. Selected from an extensive collection of recordings made by the British Library Sound Archive, these two double CD sets offer scenes and speeches from some of the most celebrated Shakespeare productions in the history of the Royal Shakespeare Company. The extracts cover almost half a century of productions, from Laurence Olivier as Coriolanus in 1959 to Ian McKellen as King Lear in 2007. Both Essential Shakespeare Live and Essential Shakespeare Encore! also include booklets that reproduce the play-text of each recorded extract in full along with introductions by Gregory Doran, Chief Association Director of the RSC.

On Essential Shakespeare Encore! the roll-call of prestigious portrayals runs from Paul Robeson’s legendary Othello in 1959 to David Tennant’s highly-acclaimed Hamlet in 2008. Among the other memorable productions are Peter Hall’s Henry IV Part 1, Trevor Nunn’s The Winter’s Tale, John Barton’s The Merchant of Venice, Adrian Noble’s Macbeth, Sam Mendes’s Troilus and Cressida, and the recent Histories cycle of Michael Boyd. Notable actors include Ian Holm, David Suchet, Juliet Stevenson, Ian Richardson, Jonathan Pryce, Simon Russell Beale, Harriet Walter, Patrick Stewart, and Ian McKellen.

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About the Author:

William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's preeminent dramatist. Gregory Doran is the Artistic Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company. His notable productions include Macbeth starring Antony Sher, which was filmed for Channel 4 in 2001, as well as Hamlet in 2008, starring David Tennant and Patrick Stewart. His most recent productions include Morte D'Arthur and The Canterbury Tales.

Review:

"It was a superb idea first time round and continues to be so. . . . There are so many good things here." (Plays International)

"What a treasure trove these discs prove for lovers of Shakespare and great acting. In the new volume you can hear Paul Robeson's magically voiced Othello, still sounding wonderfully fresh and sonorous 50 years on, and time travel through the decades right up to David Tennant's Hamlet last year, with its magical mixture of sharp intelligence, humour, and depth of feeling. . . I cannot recommend them too highly to anyone who loves Shakespeare." (Telegraph (UK))

"It's fascinating to listen to. You can hear the changes, across the decades, in how actors read their lines (more freely these days), and in how the audience reacts (more vocal now). You also get a sense of the glorious plasticity of Shakespeare's material, how much it can change in different hands."--Sam Leith, Guardian (Guardian)

Time Out Chicago Theater Holiday Gift Guide 2010 Recommendation (Time Out Chicago)

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