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The Complete Arkangel Shakespeare: 38 Fully-Dramatized Plays
 
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The Complete Arkangel Shakespeare: 38 Fully-Dramatized Plays [BOX SET] (Audio CD)

~ William Shakespeare (Author), Eileen Atkins (Narrator), Joseph Fiennes (Narrator), John Gielgud (Narrator), Imogen Stubbs (Narrator)
5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
List Price: $600.00
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The Complete Arkangel Shakespeare: 38 Fully-Dramatized Plays + Shakespeare's Sonnets (Highbridge Classics) + Great Poets of the Romantic Age (Poetry)
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Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 9 Up--The Complete Arkangel Shakespeare offers listeners the first-ever audio set of all 38 of William Shakespeare's plays, unabridged and fully-dramatized. Using a cast of almost 400 actors, most of whom trained at the Royal Shakespeare Company, this set offers Shakespeare in a manner that provides the best of both worlds: the convenient mobility of the audio format and classic, dramatic readings by skilled Shakespearean actors that are reminiscent of Sir Laurence Olivier's Shakespearean performances. Sound effects are skillfully layered and add to the intensity of the pieces as they are presented. The quality of these CDs is remarkable. The diction is clear, the emotions are strong, and the sound effects are well-chosen, easily creating the worlds of the plays in listeners minds. The major drawback for school and public libraries is that the entire series must be purchasedâ€"plays are not available on an individual basis. Since most high schools teach only four Shakespearean playsâ€"Hamlet, Macbeth, Julius Caesar, and Romeo and Julietâ€"purchasing this series in its entirety is a major investment that might be better suited to university libraries and drama departments. Public libraries can purchase the entire series for use by college students and adults as well as high school students. Any library that does purchase this exceptionally well-done, impressive masterwork will enjoy it for years to come since Audio Partners has a lifetime replacement policy.--Heather J. Stockwell, Leach Library, Londonderry, NH
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.


Review

". . . brilliantly realized by almost four hundred of Britain’s best classical actors." -- Town & Country, April 2004

"Four hundred actors combine their talents as they transform Shakespeare's Elizabethan English into contemporary-sounding plays without altering the original text." -- VOYA, June 2005

"It is an unparalleled opportunity to listen, at one’s pleasure, to any of [Shakespeare’s] works." -- Bookviews.com, May 2003

"It’s a lifetime of great listening. A+" -- Entertainment Weekly, June 4, 2004

"The quality of these CDs is remarkable… easily creating the worlds of the plays in listeners’ minds." -- Heather J. Stockwell, School Library Journal, February 2004

"Thirty-eight unabridged plays with outstanding casts offer a paragon of audio theater." -- AudioFile, June/July 2004
See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

  • Audio CD: 47 pages
  • Publisher: BBC Audiobooks America; Unabridged edition (March 2003)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1932219005
  • ISBN-13: 978-1932219005
  • Product Dimensions: 19.2 x 14.7 x 9 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 12.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #72,396 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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    #3 in  Books > Books on CD > Authors, A-Z > ( S ) > Shakespeare, William
    #7 in  Books > Books on CD > Poetry & Drama
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The Complete Arkangel Shakespeare: 38 Fully-Dramatized Plays
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The Complete Arkangel Shakespeare: 38 Fully-Dramatized Plays 5.0 out of 5 stars (13)
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Customer Reviews

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64 of 66 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A monumental project with flaws but immense overall value, June 12, 2003
To Buy or Not to Buy!

Educators, lovers of theatre and great literature--take note! Late in the 1990s, Harper Row began to release on cassettes the Arkangel Complete Shakespeare, all of which I reviewed in one paper or another. Using some of the best of the young theatrical talent in Great Britain and some of the older established stars of stage and screen, the producers gave us readings of every single word of every single play by Shakespeare, including the seldom-performed "Two Noble Kinsmen" which is partially by Shakespeare.

Well, hold on! Audio Partners has been contracted to release the entire set on CDs. The trick is that you cannot purchase the individual sets but are required to purchase the entire package of 38 plays for $600. That is 98 CDs in all with a playing time of just over 101 hours! Libraries and school departments take note.

Hearing them as they were released on tape in batches of four or five, I was impressed mostly with the enormity of the project but found some things to quibble about. Casting Oberon and Titania with a pair whose voices were South African or Jamaican (no Henry Higgins, I) made some sense in that it emphasized their other-worldly-ness. So did assigning Malvolio in "Twelfth Night" to an actor with a distinct Scottish accent, but giving Mercutio in "Romeo and Juliet" to the same actor was absurd. Then too there is that sudden sound effect of a train pulling out of a station in the middle of "All's Well That Ends Well"! Granted there was a production current then that did place the play in more modern times, but when one is hearing a recording with no clue as to setting, the result was jarring and should have been omitted.

In the grander roles such as Hamlet, Othello and the like, the younger actors give modern readings which might strike some as slighting demands of the high poetry. And those who long for the grander readings can turn to the re-releases of the old Shakespeare Recording Society sets.

One great disadvantage to the cassettes is that you could locate a specific scene only with much fast forwarding. With CDs, of course, you can jump to any scene by pressing the Skip button on your player. When a scene continues onto another disc, the tracking list tells you at which line the scene picks up.

The price might be prohibitive to all but an institution--but I feel that every library should find its way to purchasing the complete set in much the same way that many purchased the complete set of BBC Shakespeare videos.

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63 of 65 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Get it. Period., June 10, 2003
By Christopher H. Hodgkin "chodgkin" (Friday Harbor, Wa United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
If you have to empty your penny jar, if you have to cash in your IRA, do so. Get this. These are absolutely superb recordings of some of the best English ever written and some of the most memorable characters ever created. So you don't recognize every word. Doesn't matter. The excellent actors carry you along and draw you intimately into the drama.

You can follow the play in text if you choose to -- they follow the readily available Complete Pelikan Shakespeare. But you don't need to -- if you aren't familiar with a play the brief four or five line summaries of each scene in the small fold-out accompanying each play are quite sufficient to know which characters are involved. It's possible to listen to these while driving, but you can't concentrate fully unless you're totally stuck in traffic. My number one recommendation is to take a Walkman and a pair of headphones to a hammock under a tree and indulge yourself. Second best is a comfy easy chair.

However you listen to these, do get them and listen to them. Or persuade your local library to get the set.

The price -- ...-- seems high until you figure that this is 38 complete plays -- less than the cost of the same play in paperback -- and there are a total of 83 disks, so you're paying just $5 per disk. Cheap! And these aren't some pop music you'll listen to once; these are a lifetime investment for yourself and your family.

Get it. Period.

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29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Thrilling Drama, April 24, 2003
By A Customer
These performances will keep you spellbound. There is something profound and amazing about listening to this Shakespeare, probably owing to the combination of perfect sound; nuanced, captivating, stellar acting; and fully comprehending the magic of The Bard's words. The quality of the recording is impeccable - there are no glitches, and the volume-level is consistent. Listening on my CD player at home, and following along with the text (not included with the CDs), I feel like I'm "getting" Shakespeare, and being moved by his words, like never before. I even find this listening more satisfying than seeing a Shakespeare play because I can better grasp and appreciate every line. The acting is first-rate (most actors are well-recognized RSC alumns, many of whom have become respected British film stars - ahem - Joseph Fiennes, Ciaran Hinds, Simon Russell Beale, Amanda Root, to name a few), and the clarity of the production picks up the most delicate subtleties of each performance. The background music complements and enhances each play, but isn't obtrusive. I wholeheartedly recommend this set - it will take you to a new level with Shakespeare.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Get It from the Library
Borrow this from your library and rip it into MP3s. Then take the $400+ dollars you've saved and buy yourself a genius hat.

You are smart, and also good-looking.
Published 5 months ago by Zig Zag

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb resource
Great recordings by British actors - proven to be a fantastic resource for me in my work as an actor and director.
Published 7 months ago by Ian Farthing

5.0 out of 5 stars Great value!
The Arkangel Shakespeare is one of the best investments I've ever made. Both the dramatic and technical quality of the recordings are excellent. Read more
Published on July 5, 2007 by Edward Yarborough

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Collection
It's great to listen to each of these cds with lots of well-known artists. I have now listened to 36 and loved each. If you're a Shakespeare fan, this is a must!
Published on June 22, 2007 by Beate

5.0 out of 5 stars An immaculate collection.
I can't say enough about this collection. This is an absolutely astounding collection of all of Shakespeare's play, uncut and unabridged, performed by some of England's most... Read more
Published on May 10, 2007 by Ladd N. Wendelin

5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Indulgence for Lovers of the Bard
This was my Christmas present this year, and I can't stop looking at it. It's almost overwhelming to decide which play to grab and listen to in the car on my drive to work... Read more
Published on January 12, 2007 by Cat Silverthorne

5.0 out of 5 stars Shakespeare in Wisconsin
This is a gorgeous production that is indeed a treasure. I listen with a Creative Zen Vision player and every word is delicious. Read more
Published on August 9, 2006 by John Heinrichs

5.0 out of 5 stars "...poesis, poesis, the literal characters, the vatic lines..."
I give this project five stars, but a qualified five. Like one of the other reviewers, I agree: there were certain scenes/characters I would have liked to hear performed... Read more
Published on May 25, 2006 by Anonymous Lover of Beauty

5.0 out of 5 stars Shakespeare sounding fabulous!
I have studied, listened to, and viewed Shakespeare's plays in all available formats for thirty years and I am thoroughly pleased with the Archangel Complete Shakespeare audio... Read more
Published on October 10, 2005 by Doug Bridges

5.0 out of 5 stars Try your local library first
This collection of recordings is really outstanding. The other reviewers have done an excellent job of articulating the strengths and minor weaknesses of the renditions, so I... Read more
Published on July 8, 2005 by J. L. Fose

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