Poetry On Record: 98 Poets Read Their Work (1888-2006)
|
List Price: Our Price: $33.78 You Save: $16.20 (32%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Music CD See more new music releases 
|
|---|
Buy this Music CD at online store in your country
Canadian Music Store
Canadian Music Store
Free Music Notes for Poetry On Record: 98 Poets Read Their Work (1888-2006)
Free Music Review: Excellent, mainly for the 1st and 2nd CDs
Hit: 4 Stars
This is an excellent collection, worth having, but primarily for the first two CDs. (I wasn't aware any recording of Walt Whitman existed at all.)
Many of the recordings are surprising for the style of reading. Whitman's is one -- his accent made me gape. Likewise, the style of Yeats or Eliot is a real insight into how poetry was received in a different time.
I give the collection 4 stars instead of 5 for its unevenness. I can think of vastly more interesting people than Rebekah Presson Mosby to compile such a collection. And the selection of contemporary poets is erratic with glaring omissions and curious (even pointless) inclusions. Why three selections of Amiri Baraka (whose work I do like) but only one of Seamus Heaney? Or A.R. Ammons or John Ashberry or Adrienne Rich?
Sadly missing (a partial list and in no particular order): Louise Gluck, Nikki Giovanni, Mark Doty, Thomas Hardy, Marianne Moore, Philip Larkin, W.S. Merwin, Michael Ondaatje. (Of course, I have my own biases.)
And it would have been wonderful to hear some poets back to back on the same work. For example, William Butler Yeats and Galway Kinnell reading "The Lake Isle of Innisfree" (Yeats's work and one of Kinnell's favorites). Admittedly, this might be asking too much.
So, on balance, very worth having for the recordings of the late poets.
Free Music Review: Incredible collection of recited poetry
Hit: 5 Stars
This boxed set is absolutely amazing. Lots of big-name poets as expected but also tons of great poets I'd never heard of before. It's fascinating to hear poetry read by the poets themselves because it adds a whole new dimension to your appreciation and understanding of the poems.
The other very notable aspect of this box is the gorgeous packaging. It comes housed in a sturdy slipcase, and the beautifully illustrated book includes great essays that further deepen your understanding of the poems.
Overall, this is a simply amazing collection for anyone who loves poetry or who might want to try getting their feet wet with it. I'm definitely getting one for my mom on Mother's Day, and I can think of at least three other people who'll be getting it for Christmas.
More Free Music Notes:
1 2
1 2