Seven Ages: An Anthology of Poetry with Music [Audiobook] [Audio CD]

Naxos Audiobooks (Author)

Book Description

Series: Poetry | Publication Date: February 2000

This highly entertaining anthology of verse is the comic, tender and telling story of life's seven ages - from childhood to old age. Within the framework of Shakespeare's speech, "The Seven Ages of Man", performed by Sir Ian McKellan, are 150 great poems from all ages - from Chaucer to Ted Hughes. They are presented by the finest cast ever assembled on one recording.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Some 40 leading actorsAincluding Michael Caine, Judi Dench, and Glenda JacksonAcontribute to this anthology of more than 100 poems, selected from Lord David Owen's 1992 U.K.-published book Seven Ages: Poetry for a Lifetime. Shakespeare's "The Seven Ages of Man," read by Sir Ian McKellen, punctuates the program; the change from age to age is illustrated with relevant music, like Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons."
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"One of the best anthologies of the year...An arresting, deeply moving collection of the best of British poetry read by a star-studded cast." The Independent

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Product Details

• Audio CD
• Publisher: Naxos Audiobooks (February 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9626341890
• ISBN-13: 978-9626341896
• Product Dimensions: 5.6 x 4.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #672,448 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

88 of 93 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A superbly produced audiobook anthology of timeless poetry., April 4, 2000

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Seven Ages: An Anthology of Poetry with Music (Audio CD)

Based on Lord David Owen's book Seven Ages: Poetry for a Lifetime, this Naxos audiobook edition of Seven Ages: An Anthology Of Poetry With Music features outstanding and memorable dramatic readings by forty British actors ranging from Michael Caine and Judi Dench to John Cleese and Glenda Jackson. The poetry is drawn from the works of William Shakespeare, Emily Dickinson, Ted Hughes, Dylan Thomas, Oscar Wilde, Rudyard Kipling, W.B. Yeats, Percy Bysshe Shelley, A.E. Housman, Robert Burns, D.H. Lawrence, John Keats, Seamus Heaney, Wilfred Owen, Matthew Arnold, John Dunne, Walt Whitman, Rabindranath Tagge, William Blake, William Wordsworth, Ogden Nash, Christinia Rossetti, and many others. Total Running Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes.

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This is almost the best.., January 8, 2002

By 

bookjunkiereviews (India) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Seven Ages: Anthology of Poetry With Music (Audio CD)

collection of poetry with some music thrown in that I could find out there as a Christmas gift. I also had the opportunity to listen to the first quarter of the poems. However, my set was an audio cassette set, very different in appearance from the cassette set currently available from Naxos. Unfortunately, that set seems to have disappeared from the market; what is available is either the full set on CD, or the abridged version on cassette.

Some of the poems are truly marvellous, and well worth buying this set for. The price is great too. Where else can you find some of the greatest names in British theater (and a minor royal) declaiming some of the best poems (as compiled by David Owen) concerning the seven ages of a human being (as listed by William Shakespeare)? While not all the choices appealed to me, it was wonderful to hear the voices of Ian McKellen, David Suchet, Derek Jacobi and others declaim certain lines. The listing of the poems is comprehensive only under popular music (an odd choice, I think). The listing is not available under books (audiobooks), which is a great pity.

The music only introduces each stage. Each of the readers then continues, sans music. Therefore the description of this work as poetry set to music might be a bit misleading.

I think that this volume also might be a bit overwhelming for someone not used to listening to more than a few minutes of poetry. My recommendation is to start out slowly, and then pause for awhile if needed. Gradually, you can build up to listening more. There are almost no pauses in between poems (except for the necessary pause to distinguish one poem and reader from another). A little bit more music in between (every 15 minutes) might have helped. But if you want a lot of poetry and great actors for your money, this little set is a gem.

I rate this about 4.5

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars No whispering, July 24, 2009

By 

Reilly Capps "Reilly Capps" (Aurora, Colo.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Seven Ages: An Anthology of Poetry with Music (Audio CD)

Love recorded poetry, and here John Cleese and Michael Caine are great, and selection of poems brought me lots of new stuff I loved. "Bored." The one about the mermaid. Wow. But whoever decided to whisper the speech from Shakespeare needs to be put on the rack. "Stage whisper" means "so the audience can hear." Even with my iPod cranked up all the way, I got zip. It was affected and annoying.