The Rural Trilogy: Blood Wedding, Yerma and The House of Bernarda Alba - Federico García Lorca, Carmen Zapata (Translator)

Written by Federico García Lorca, Carmen Zapata (Translator)
Read by Full Cast
Format: M4B
Bitrate: 128 Kbps
Unabridged

Three of Federico García Lorca’s best-known plays, as heard on BBC Radio 3

Poet and playwright Federico García Lorca is one of the most famous figures in 20th-century Spanish literature. A member of the ‘Generation of ‘27′ avant-garde movement that included Dalí and Buñuel, he became well known for his lyrical, symbolic works mixing modernism and the folkloric traditions of his native Andalusia. He was executed by Nationalist forces at the start of the Spanish Civil War, aged only 38. Over 80 years later, his poetry is revered worldwide, and the plays in his ‘Rural Trilogy’ are widely regarded as masterpieces.

Blood Wedding—Based on the true story of a tragic feud between two families in rural Almeria, Lorca’s atmospheric meditation on fate, war, tradition, passion and repression is adapted for radio by former Poet Laureate Ted Hughes. The winner of the 2008 Sony Award for Best Drama, it stars Barbara Flynn, Carl Prekopp, Sarah Smart and Andrea Riseborough.

Yerma—Infused with poetic imagery and song, this evocative drama tells the tragic tale of a woman’s desperate desire for a child. Her maternal yearnings escalate to the point of obsession, ultimately driving her to commit a terrible crime… Emma Cuniffe stars as Yerma, with a full cast including Conrad Nelson, Declan Wilson, Rebecca Callard and Annette Badland.

The House of Bernarda Alba—Written in 1936 and completed just a few months before his assassination, Lorca’s final play explores the familial passions and tensions that arise following the death of Bernarda Alba’s second husband. After the funeral, the tyrannical matriarch imposes an eight-year period of mourning on her daughters—but the ensuing power struggle will have tragic consequences. Starring Siân Thomas, Brigit Forsyth and Elaine Cassidy.

First published 1932 (Blood Wedding), 1934 (Yerma), 1936 (The House of Bernarda Alba)

Produced and directed by Pauline Harris

Length: 4 hrs
Release date: 01-27-22