Seven Ages: Anthology of Poetry with Music / Various

by Sean Murphy (Producer), Seven Ages of Man (Artist), D.H. Lawrence (Composer)

An arresting, deeply moving collection of the best of British poetry read by a star-studded cast--based on Lord Owen's anthology Seven Poetry for a Lifetime--features over 40 leading actors, including Dame Judi Dench, Sir Ian McKellen, Michael Caine, Ralph Fiennes, John Cleese, Pete Postlethwaite and others.

Genres: Poetry, Audiobook

2 pages, Audio CD

First published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[Bárbara Costa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fancy famous british people declaiming fancy famous poems. Gandalf reading Shakespeare is perhaps only surpassed by Poirot's take on a poem about an evil cat.

[Mockingbird · Rating 5 out of 5]

10 stars if possible. It's WONDERFUL. Get yourself a copy and buy a copy for people you love. Michael Caine's rendition of "The Bleed'n' Sparrer" will have you laughing out loud. I listen to this in the car most days. Best British voices narrating a terrific anthology of poetry spanning the "seven ages" (think of the oft quoted section from Shakespeare's "As You Like It".)

[Crystal Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. My favorite part of the book was the final age (facing death). I especially liked the poem by Christina Rossetti and I always love Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night by Dylan Thomas. The pace is a little fast for my preference because I like to digest one poem before leaping to another one. Otherwise very enjoyable.

[sch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mar 2021. High hopes, partially fulfilled. The recordings and recitations are of the highest quality. I prefer the first half.
* The "Infant" and "Schoolboy" selections are appropriately fun and diverse and lengthy.
* The selections for "Lover" are not entirely predictable.
* "Soldier" could almost be retitled "Great War Poetry." This glass is half empty, with all the misery of war and none of the glory. Odd thing for such an old country; perhaps this is why the opening poem - the Prologue from Henry V - is whispered.
* The "Wisdom" section is distressingly Romantic.
* Half of "Sixth Age" (six of thirteen poems) is buffoonery, which seems fitting but hardly "poetry for a lifetime."
* "Last Scene" is much shorter than the rest and powerful.

In terms of eras, the glaring omission from the production is the long 18th century, with appearances only by outliers (Rochester, Blake, Burns). Where are Dryden and Pope and Johnson? They could have balanced out the romanticism of "Wisdom." In terms of human life, the omission is the supernatural; only 'secular' mystics make the cut (Dickinson and Lawrence, in addition to Blake).

Still, I would listen to it again.

[Victoria Roe (Reading Addict) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Narration of some true classics by some legends, there were elements that could have been performed a little more dynamically. There was a monosyllabic feel to a lot of the pieces which I feel made said pieces a little underwhelming which is a real shame, some of the pieces I have studied from an educational point of view so there was a nice difference to hear it as it was supposed to be read. Overall enjoyable but could have been better in my opinion.

[Caroline Brassard · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an original idea and excellent compilation of mainly British poets and excerpts of great literary figures. Not only is is wholly absorbing it is also highly entertaining as famous actor’s voices rock us into reveries, make us laugh, and cry inside, but mainly bring us close to ourselves through the seven ages of our lives. This is one to remember-listen, relive and revive.

[Joanna’s Reading Rainbow · Rating 3 out of 5]

It probably would’ve been way higher if I could’ve read it instead of listened to it. I realized that poetry is something that I much rather prefer to read. Or at least have in front of me as I listen. But I need to see it.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent readings, and some surprise selections amongst the chestnuts.

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poetry should always be read aloud by Britain’s finest actors. Thanks, audible.com. Seriously.

[Eliza Fitzgerald]

I really prefer listening to poetry to reading it. This was an interesting collection, but not all of the sections would be kid friendly.

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun to hear familiar voices reading some wonderful, flowery poems that provided a good backdrop for casual school work

[Shannon McGarvey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful and lovely. Great performance on audio.

[Kerianne Noel · Rating 5 out of 5]

What is there to say except this was a fun way to organize a poetry anthology - and the reading aloud, once again, only made it better.

[Patrice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully read. My favourites were The Walrus and the Carpenter, Macavity, and I remember. I do wish the readers would also say THEIR names as well so I could figure out who’s read what. Pete Postlethwaite, Michael Caine and Jon Cleese were also delightful

[Becky Keeley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have the CD, and it is fun to listen to it with all the different great British actors reading specific poems. My friend gave me the anthology in which the CD was based on. The book definitely has far more poems! I look forward to reading the poems and listening to the CD again.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some of the best British voices reading some of the best poetry on the universal theme of times of life. This is wonderful, I recommend it highly, if only to hear Michael Caine recite - and really just say the name Rudyard Kipling.

[Jillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an incredibly wonderful poetry anthology. Each poem was a pleasure to listen to. I have watched many of these actors for years in various movies, so it was like listening to friends perform these poems. I will definitely listen to this again!

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent 2-CD set with a wide variety of poetry read by some excellent British voices. I enjoyed it very much.

[Sara Ponte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good medicine.

[Mark Cerasaro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love how the many different voices read these classics.

[Shawna Alpdemir · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed this collection of poetry. I agree with previous reviews - the performances were fabulous and Michael Caine's reading of "Bleed'n Sparrer" had me grinning widely.