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Song Thief - play on Radio 4 on Saturday 8 Aug

09 Aug 09 - 05:25 AM (#2696269)
Subject: Song Thief
From: GUEST,Cath

Excellent play on Radio 4 on Saturday afternoon (yesterday) - included lots of Northumbrian rural and urban songs with music by Alistair Anderson. Well worth a listen on whatever you listen again on.

BBC blurb - Romantic drama by Michael Chaplin. A young composer arrives in Northumberland, looking for an old man reputed to have written a hauntingly beautiful love song. He embarks on a cold-hearted campaign to make the old man's daughter fall in love with him.


09 Aug 09 - 05:40 AM (#2696271)
Subject: RE: Song Thief
From: peregrina

Not all the music was Northumbrian--it was odd hear Poor Wayfaring Stranger used at least three times when there are plenty of more appropriate alternatives.


09 Aug 09 - 05:41 AM (#2696272)
Subject: RE: Song Thief
From: Bonnie Shaljean

Brilliant - thanks so much for the heads-up, Cath. It's in the BBC Radio 4 Programme Listings as "Saturday Play", and a musician called Sheena Masson is credited. Link here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00lxsqw


09 Aug 09 - 08:37 AM (#2696321)
Subject: RE: Song Thief
From: Leadfingers

Listened to it and enjoyed it ! As I am 'Officially' a Song Thief myself , it was of great interest !


09 Aug 09 - 09:07 AM (#2696336)
Subject: RE: Song Thief
From: GUEST,Amber

Yes, I enjoyed it too! Especially 'Bonny at Morn'.

Cant believe the length some folkies will go to, to get a song though!

Amber


09 Aug 09 - 09:21 AM (#2696342)
Subject: RE: Song Thief
From: Folkiedave

Concertina and fiddle were by Sheen Masson (Stocai and Stomp). There was nother musician credited too. Does anyone know if the producer was Kit Bailey? Catherine on the credits.....


09 Aug 09 - 09:37 AM (#2696352)
Subject: RE: Song Thief
From: GUEST, topsie

I wondered if they had put it out on Saturday for the benefit of folkies driving back from Sidmouth.


09 Aug 09 - 10:54 AM (#2696390)
Subject: RE: Song Thief
From: Stower

Thanks, Cath, for putting this on: you have beaten me to it. And yes, Topsie, I heard this on the way back from Sidmouth. Peregrina, I agree, a couple of the song choices were odd; but most were not, and I thought the play underlined some of the ethical debates about song collecting, the meaning of the song to the singer (possibly lost to the collector) and the different worlds inhabited by song collectors and their sources. A play written by a folkie, I'd say, or by someone who has done their homework on the issues.


09 Aug 09 - 04:15 PM (#2696511)
Subject: RE: Song Thief
From: Folkiedave

I'd agree with those sentiments - someone had done their homework...


10 Aug 09 - 10:28 AM (#2696959)
Subject: RE: Song Thief - play on Radio 4 on Saturday 8 Aug
From: Tim Leaning

I was parked in a car park at Malton listening to this.
Enjoyed muchly


10 Aug 09 - 11:53 AM (#2697007)
Subject: RE: Song Thief - play on Radio 4 on Saturday 8 Aug
From: Bonnie Shaljean

The other musician was Kevin Adams on hammer dulcimer, and Ally Anderson wrote Abel Humble's evocative "The Song Of The Curlew" heard right at the end. Lovely stuff -


10 Aug 09 - 02:21 PM (#2697084)
Subject: RE: Song Thief - play on Radio 4 on Saturday 8 Aug
From: GUEST,St George

Not another program on Dylan!