Something Understood

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BBC Radio 4 LW

Religion & Ethics

Ethical and religious discussion that examines some of the larger questions of life

Ethical and religious discussion that examines some of the larger questions of life, taking a spiritual theme and exploring it through music, prose and poetry

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Something Understood: Seeking Eurydice

Seeking Eurydice

BBC Radio 4 - Something Understood, Seeking Eurydice

Jo Fidgen goes in search of an afterlife that even an atheist can believe in.

After losing a friend, broadcaster Jo Fidgen sets out in search of an afterlife that even an atheist can believe in.

Orpheus' descent to the underworld to bring Eurydice back to life is a powerful myth, and one that has a special hold over artists and anyone who is grieving. But how can someone who believes in the finality of death reconcile this conviction with an Orphic reluctance to let go? After losing a friend, Jo Fidgen goes in search of an afterlife that an atheist can believe in.
 
With readings from Czeslaw Milosz, Rainer Maria Rilke and Ali Smith; and music by David Lang, Karl Jenkins and Beethoven. The programme also includes an interview with a Sami reindeer herder about the tradition of bringing the dead to life in song.
 
Readers: Emma Fielding and Jonathan Keeble 
Producer:   Alan Hall
A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4

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