13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent Recording! ...pretty much., April 24, 2000
This review is from: Wallace Stevens Reads (Audio Cassette)
This recording is a truly enjoyable one. There is nothing comparable to hearing a poet read his or her own words, and among recorded poets, Wallace Stevens has one of those commanding, grave, sonorous voices that really suits the dramatic and cerebral nature of his poems. The recording opens with "The Theory of Poetry" and closes with "The Life of a Poet," two prose notes that provide a nice counterpoint to the poems. The poem selections, however, leave a little to be desired. This listener, at least, would have like to have heard "The Snow Man," "Sunday Morning," "Esthetique du Mal," or "The Course of a Particular." The poems that are included, however, are an excellent selection for those already aquainted with Stevens: "The Idea of Order at Key West," "Credences of Summer," "The Poem That Took the Place of a Mountain," "Vacancy in the Park," "To an Old Philosopher in Rome," "Prologues to What is Possible, II," and nine others. The recording quality is high, having been digitally remastered. Overall, a real treat for the ears, but don't expect to hear some of the more well-known poems mentioned above.
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