Saturday, March 7, 2009

Audiobooks



History of Theatre, The



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History of Theatre, The


Author : David Timson

Performed By : Full Cast Production

Publisher : Select Music & Distribution

Runtime : 5 hours 10 minutes

Categories : Social & Economic
Dramatizations

Our Price : $18.75

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Here is the diverse and fascinating story of the Theatre, from the first tragedies and comedies of Ancient Greece to the high-tech mega-musicals of the late 20th century. It is an absorbing tale, encompassing ancient tales, medieval theatre, Commedia dell'Arte, the great dramas of the Elizabethan age, the foppish 18th century, the European developments in France, Germany and Spain with Russia making its main impact in the 19th century. As the 20th century progressed, the theatre moved in different experimental directions, particularly in America and Europe.


Interwoven within the story are the playwrights, the actors, the designers and theorists who have kept this performing art flourishing for 2,500 years.
All this is illustrated by more than 50 excerpts from plays and contemporary accounts, ranging from the controversial and innovative to sheer entertainment.


Here is the rich variety of experience that is the Theatre.



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Just a Little Fiddle
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Just a Little Fiddle

Author : Dennis Rookard
Performed By : Full Cast Production
Publisher : Hosiprog
Runtime : 30 minutes
Categories : Humor
Comedy
Dramatizations
Our Price : $1.00
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Ever since that long gone age of railways - Whenever that was - Stations have needed porters. That special breed of men who during those long periods between trains, can find endless tasks to perform along the platforms.

Yet can, with the appearance of a train and it's passengers, vanish. Only reappearing if the smell of a large tip is in the air.

Burt Pride is just such a man, and Burt, a long time servant of the railway, knows that every job has it's little fiddles and is not above making them work to his advantage.

Cast List:
Burt Pride... Peter Seaman
Jim Prentice... John Lawrence
Sarah... Angela Neville
Nigel Bridger... Peter Mayn
Fred... Keith Flack
Gary Stranks... Scott Peters
Claire... Rose Butcher
Rev Linda Cartwright... Rita Mayn
Policeman... Tony Hine

Produced & Directed by John Glasscock
Audio Direction and Realisation by Dennis Rookard

With grateful thanks to First Great Eastern for location facilities, Brentwood Talking Newspaper for studio use, and to John Glasscock for additional dialogue.

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History of English Literature, The



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History of English Literature, The


Author : Perry Keenlyside

Performed By : Full Cast Production

Publisher : Select Music & Distribution

Runtime : 5 hours 15 minutes

Categories : Social & Economic
Classic Literature

Our Price : $18.75

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Shall I compare thee to a summer's day...
Far from the madding Crowd's ignoble Strife...
Emma felt the tears running down her cheeks...
I saw that the bride within the bridal dress had withered...
Move him into the sun...


English literature may very well be the greatest body of imaginative writing the world has yet seen. The human experience has been understood, interpreted and conveyed by writers of genius in a tradition stretching through six or more centuries, from Chaucer to Philip Larkin, from Defoe to William Golding. Here, accompanied by a wealth of examples, is the story of a literature that has touched the hearts and stirred the minds of countless readers through the ages.



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Julius Caesar
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Julius Caesar

Author : William Shakespeare
Performed By : Full Cast Production
Publisher : BBC Audiobooks Ltd
Runtime : 2 hours 20 minutes
Categories : Shakespeare
Dramatizations
British
Our Price : $18.49
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BBC Radio has a unique heritage when it comes to Shakespeare. Since 1923, when the newly formed company broadcast its first full-length play, generations of actors and producers have honed and perfected the craft of making Shakespeare to be heard.

Political intrigue and fierce battle rage in this tense and dynamic production in which a country is torn apart under the legacy of Julius Caesar, 'the colossus'.

Revitalised, original, and comprehensive, this is Shakespeare for the new millennium.

Friday, March 6, 2009

Audio book download



History of Opera, The



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History of Opera, The


Author : Richard Fawkes

Performed By : Robert Powell

Publisher : Select Music & Distribution

Runtime : 5 hours 20 minutes

Categories : Social & Economic
Music Related
Music Related

Our Price : $18.75

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Opera, said Moliere, is the most expensive noise known to man. From its beginnings in the 16th century, through to today when there are as many musical styles as there are composers, opera has fascinated, infuriated, delighted, been censored, been banned, excited riots, even won a nation its freedom. Here is the colourful story of sometimes temperamental composers and even more temperamental singers working in an art form which has produced some of man's noblest artistic creations.


This absorbing history is illustrated by over 100 musical examples by Naxos artistes as well as some of the greatest singers of the 20th century including Enrico Caruso and Fyodor Chaliapin.



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Julius Caesar
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Julius Caesar

Author : William Shakespeare
Performed By : Full Cast Production
Publisher : Harper Collins US
Runtime : 2 hours 15 minutes
Categories : Shakespeare
Our Price : $25.00 $12.95
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In Julius Caesar, there are no heroes, only heroic words spoken by men of ambition, arrogance, and jealousy. Yet Julius Caesar is also one of Shakespeare's most popular and polished works, a seamless blend of highly-stylized oratory and penetrating soliloquies that lays bare the innermost workings of the human mind. Here is Shakespeare in his prime, taking the story of history's most notorious assassination and fashioning from it a brilliant and at times chilling indictment of politics by violence and of how even the strongest and noblest of minds can be corrupted by flattery and the lure of power.

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Captain Blood - Episode 16: Cartagena



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Captain Blood - Episode 16: Cartagena


Author : Rafael Sabatini

Performed By : Colonial Radio Theatre

Publisher : Colonial Radio Theatre On The Air

Runtime : 25 minutes

Categories : Audio Theater
Drama
Dramatizations
Action & Adventure
Historical

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The Greatest Pirate Adventure Of Them All!



The Colonial Radio Theatre on the Air is proud to present Rafael Sabatini's adventure classic, "Captain Blood," fully dramatized for the first time. Dr. Peter Blood is arrested and sentenced to hang for treating a wounded rebel. Instead of death, he is sent to Barbados as a slave. When the Spanish attack the port city of Bridgetown, he and his fellow slaves capture the Spanish ship and set out to sea, where he becomes the notorious Pirate, Captain Blood. Battles on Sea and on Land, daring escapes, sword duels to the death, a touch of romance, and a magnificent score by Jeffrey Gage, “Captain Blood” is a swashbuckling adventure on a very grand scale! Presented in 17 episodes.



The Colonial Radio Theatre on the Air presents Rafael Sabatini's Captain Blood.

Starring Jerry Robbins, Amy Strack, Deniz Cordell, J.T. Turner, Joseph Zamparelli Jr, Hugh Metzler, Aaron Smith, Tom Berry, James Turner, Leigh Berry and the Colonial Radio Players.



Executive Producer Mark Vander Berg.

Music by Jeffrey Gage.

Dramatized for Audio, Produced and Directed by Jerry Robbins

© 2006 Colonial Radio Theatre.


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John Peel Remembered: Home Truths Special
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John Peel Remembered: Home Truths Special

Author : Various
Performed By : Various
Publisher : BBC Audiobooks Ltd
Runtime : 1 hour
Categories : Biographical
Music Related
Radio Shows
Biographical
British
Our Price : $7.25
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Not many people manage to achieve the status of legend in their own lifetime, and even fewer deserve that status. John Peel was one such, whose contribution to British culture is undeniable. His 40-year career on Radio I and Radio 4 reached a huge and diverse audience, and he influenced the musical tastes of millions.

On the first anniversary of his death the BBC broadcast a tribute programme of HomeTruths, hosted by Tom Robinson. Among the items featured are a visit to John Peel's family at the ironically-named 'Peel Acres', the launch of the John Peel Train, and the story of the Gomersall family, three generations of Salvation Army members.

Guaranteed to appeal to all John Peel's many devoted fans, this download is a perfect reminder of the genius of a man many regarded as the best ever DJ.

John Peel was BBC Radio I's longest-serving DJ, with a radio career spanning 40 years.

He was born in Heswall, near Liverpool, and educated at Shrewsbury School. After completing his military service, he went to the United States where he worked for a cotton producer and an insurance company before getting a job with Dallas radio station WRR. When the Beatles became popular in the States, his Liverpool accent led to him becoming the official Beatles correspondent for rival Dallas station KLIF. He stayed in America for five years, returning to Britain in 1967.

Back in the UK, he worked for the pirate station Radio London, where he hosted a programme called The Perfumed Garden in the midnight to 2am slot. There, he used his extensive knowledge of the American underground scene to play an eclectic mix of classic blues, folk music and his favourite West Coast bands such as The Doors and Jefferson Airplane. His personal, confessional style of presentation was a huge hit with the listeners, who sent him letters, poems and even records from their own collections.

He joined Radio I at its launch in 1967, and again hosted a late-night programme called Top Gear until 1975. Subsequently, his programmes were simply known as the John Peel shows. Continuing the tradition he established at Radio London, he built his reputation on playing unusual, obscure and avant-garde music, and was one of the first DJs to expose punk, reggae and hip-hop to a mainstream audience. His enthusiasm for new music led to him playing the entirety of Tubular Bells, an entire side of a Cocteau Twins album, and putting Teenage Kicks by The Undertones on twice. In addition, he was the first DJ to play The Sex Pistols' God Save the Queen and Bob Dylan's Desire. Many bands credit John Peel with launching their career, including The Undertones, The Cure, Pulp and The White Stripes. His Radio I shows were also notable for The John Peel Sessions, usually four tracks pre-recorded in the studio. Many of these have been released on record, largely by the Strange Fruit label.

John Peel married Sheila in 1974, and they had four children. Married life mellowed him somewhat, so when BBC Radio 4 launched a programme about family life called HomeTruths in 1998, John Peel was chosen to present it. An idiosyncratic, charming, magazine-style show, based around listeners' phone-ins, letters and interviews, it quickly became an institution and won Peel a whole new fan base.

As well as radio broadcasting, John Peel also appeared on television, regularly presenting Top of the Pops, voicing documentaries such as Life of Grime and contributing to Grumpy Old Men. In 1998 he was awarded an QBE, and in 2003 was inducted into the Radio Academy's Hall of Fame.

He died of a heart attack in 2004, while on holiday with Sheila in Cuzco, Peru.

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Books in mp3



A PHIL BYRNES MYSTERY. Episode 6: WAITING FOR  REDEMPTION Part 1



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A PHIL BYRNES MYSTERY. Episode 6: WAITING FOR REDEMPTION Part 1


Author : Sable Jak

Performed By : Colonial Radio Theatre on the Air

Publisher : Colonial Radio Theatre On The Air

Runtime : 24 minutes

Categories : Dramatizations
Detective

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When a woman's husband is killed, you're susposed to do something about it."

Phil (short for Philomena) Byrnes and her husband ran their Gloucester MA detective agency until he was killed at his desk. It's not a case of her stepping into his spot to keep the family business running  -- she was a working detective long before his death -- and she makes for a refreshingly prickly widow.


Now Phil runs the agency with the help of her assistant Buzzy, with occasional forays to Papa's Bar, for a little liquid refreshment now and then, and some occasional paternal advice from Papa. She's also helped out in her investigation by Detective Jim Colman, a member of Gloucester's finest, who has a soft spot for Phil, though she seems largely unaware of it. Evidently she's still trying to come to terms with her husband's murder.


Episode 6: WAITING FOR REDEMPTION, Part 1: Phil begins to uncover clues about her husbands murder. Part 1 of 2


THE COLONIAL RADIO THEATRE presents A PHIL BYRNES MYSTERY. Starring DIANE CAPEN. JAMES TURNER. J.T. TURNER and the Colonial Radio Players. Written by Sable Jak. Produced by Chris Snyder and Matt McLaren. Music By Jeffrey Gage. Directed by Jerry Robbins. (c)2006 by Sable Jak (P) 2006 by CRT



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John Bull's Other Island
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John Bull's Other Island

Author : George Bernard Shaw
Performed By : Christopher Benjamin, Patrick Duggan and cast
Publisher : Harper Collins UK
Runtime : 3 hours
Categories : Classic Literature
Classics
Our Price : $12.75
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When Thomas Broadbent, an Englishman, visits Ireland for the first time, he is accompanied by his friend Larry Doyle, an Irishman who is returning to his homeland after being away for many years.

Through the two men's differing responses to the country and also the Irish people's reactions to their two visitors, Shaw is able to explore the misunderstandings and misconceptions that have characterised relations between England and Ireland for centuries.

According to Shaw, 'John Bull's Other Island' was written in 1904 at the request of W.B.Yeats 'as a patriotic contribution to the repertory of the Irish Literary Theatre', but when Mr Yeats read the script he rejected it, claiming that it was beyond the resources of the Abbey Theatre.

In fact, for Yeats, a play which was 'uncongenial to the whole spirit of the neo-Gaelic movement' must have made uncomfortable reading, and for us today, in the light of all that has happened in the intervening years, the issues raised by the play have lost none of their urgency.

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Alan Bennett - Untold Stories Part 4: A Common Assault



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Alan Bennett - Untold Stories Part 4: A Common Assault


Author : Alan Bennett

Performed By : Alan Bennett

Publisher : BBC Audiobooks Ltd

Runtime : 2 hours

Categories : Biographical
Biographical
Modern Classics

Our Price : $18.49

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Alan Bennett reads three further chapters from Untold Stories , his major collection of new writings.

 


Untold Stories , Alan Bennett's first major collection of prose since his bestselling Writing Home , brings together the finest and funniest of his writing over the last ten years.


After Untold Stories: Part 1: Stories, Part 2: The Diaries and Part 3: Written on the Body, Part 4: A Common Assault contains two more reminiscences from Bennett's life and an essay on the class system.


A Common Assault describes an incident in Italy when he was mugged, and found himself trying to give a statement to the police in bad Italian. The History Boys harks back once more to Bennett's time at school, and shows how the raw material of experience was eventually transformed into the highly-acclaimed stage play The History Boys . Arise, Sir..., finishes on a light-hearted note, in which Bennett muses on the Honours List in typically iconoclastic mode.


Alan Bennett's television series Talking Heads has become a modern-day classic, as have many of his works for the stage, including Forty Tears On, The Lady in the Van, The Madness of George III (together with the Oscar-nominated screenplay The Madness of King George ) and an adaptation of The Wind in the Willows. The History Boys won the Evening Standard and Critics' Circle awards for Best Play, the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Play the South BankAward and six Tony Awards.



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John Betjeman: A First Class Collection
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John Betjeman: A First Class Collection

Author : Sir John Betjeman
Performed By : Various
Publisher : BBC Audiobooks Ltd
Runtime : 2 hours 30 minutes
Categories : Autobiography
Biographical
Poetry
Biographical
British
Our Price : $18.49
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Sir John Betjeman's unique relationship with the BBC left a lasting legacy of poetry, readings and performances. To celebrate the centenary of his birth A First Class Collection features a selection of some of his most memorable and best-loved poetry.

 

Sir John Betjeman was one of the best-known and loved Poet Laureates and even a hundred years after his birth he continues to attract acclaim and admiration.

Some of his fascinating BBC Archive recordings can be enjoyed again in this specially selected collection of poetry. A First Class Collection features the poet's own readings of some of his most popular works, as well as readings specially commissioned for BBC Radio 4's Poetry Please , and new exclusive readings, from actors Derek Jacobi, Miriam Margolyes, Stephen Fry, Susan Jameson and Samuel West .

As an additional tribute, the present Poet Laureate, Andrew Motion , reads his own introduction to John Murray's new edition of the Collected Poems .

This compilation will bring to a new generation of admirers the remarkable poetic voice of one of the twentieth-century's best-loved personalities.

Due to the age and the off-air source of some recordings, the sound quality may at times vary

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Dr Crippen



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Dr Crippen


Author : Not Known

Performed By : Full Cast Production

Publisher : True Crime Audio

Runtime : 34 minutes

Categories : Dramatizations
True Crime
Social & Economic

Our Price : $1.00

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The tale of Dr. Crippen bears all the trademarks of the classic English whodunit. It is a thrilling tale of death, love, sin and virtue. While stereotypical in nature, it is set apart from the ordinary by the motive of its crime, Freudian in nature and, in fact, reminiscent of the Jekyll and Hyde syndrome that fascinated period writers.

"There are two sides of the story - the physical, which is sordid, dreadful and revolting, and the spiritual, which is good and heroic," writes Filson Young, editor for the "Notable British Trial Series," which published the Trial of Hawley Harvey Crippen a decade after the sensational murder and subsequent trial occurred. "Such a story can only be understood by the aid
of the imagination; and it should remind us, in the judgments we pass on our fellow men, never to forget the dual nature of the human character and the mystery in virtue of which acts of great moral obliquity may march with conduct above the ordinary standards."

This recording is, in essence, a melodrama tracing the events leading up to and after one of Edwardian London's most publicized crimes - and, definitely, one of the most colorful of the Twentieth Century.

Its cast of characters includes a lovelorn murderer, his wicked wife, a demure heroine, a sharp-as-a-tack Scotland Yard detective and a sleuth-playing sea captain.

Certain histrionics have been very slightly altered, for effect, but the nature of the crime - its mechanics, its motive, its chronology and its results remain intact. Certain patches of dialogue have been constructed to explain a character's inner thoughts and devices. But, the personalities involved, in all their societal and anti-societal form, are as they were.


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Jane Eyre
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Jane Eyre

Author : Charlotte Bronte
Performed By : Claire Bloom, Sir Anthony Quayle & cast
Publisher : Harper Collins UK
Runtime : 3 hours
Categories : Dramatizations
Classics
Our Price : $12.75
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Jane Eyre is the story of an unloved and penniless orphan who triumphs over harsh treatment to become a spirited and independent young woman.

She secures employment as a governess at Thornfield Hall where she transforms the life of morose and lonely Edward Rochester.

They fall in love, but Thornfield holds a dark secret that blights their happiness.

This dramatised reading captures all the passionate intensity of Charlotte Brontë's great romantic novel.