The Great Poets: Alfred Lord Tennyson

By: Alfred Tennyson

Narrated by: Michael Pennington

The 200th anniversary of the birth of Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809 - 1892), one of the most popular of poets, is celebrated in 2009. Works such as "The Charge of the Light Brigade", "Crossing the Bar", and "Tears, Idle Tears" have made him an internationally famous figure, and the second most quoted writer of all time (after Shakespeare).

Tennyson's poetic works encompass a great range of styles, settings and personae, and are known for their emotional resonance and powerful imagery. Naxos AudioBooks's popular The Great Poets series marks the anniversary with an audio bringing together all the key works, read by veteran reader Michael Pennington.

Download the accompanying reference guide.©2009 Naxos Audiobooks (P)2009 Naxos Audiobooks

My favorite poet

I love Tennyson. My favorite is Lady of Shallot. What made it even better was the voice and inflection of Michael Pennington. Pure magic. 

Steeped In Brillance

Who was your favorite character and why?

Crossing The Bar - A eulogy for loved ones still on the Mainland and wait to cross the bar.

Have you listened to any of Michael Pennington’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

The first one for me and not the last.He becomes fully absorbed and welds Lord Tennyson into your consciosness

Any additional comments?

Under Priced.

Tennyson

Poetry is largely meant to be heard aloud and listening to it is a new dimension of experience. Pennington is an excellent reader, though some sections feel a bit rushed. My main complaint isn't a big one. the Table of Contents isn't accurate. more than one poem is crammed under the heading of another, making it tricky to navigate. This does not, however, diminish the overall listening experience.

Good sampling, very good narrator

Nice little sample of Tennyson to check out, some great, some good, and the reading voice, the tone and pacing, and the production and editing were all done well which is better than many other poetry audiobooks.

One of the most popular Victorian poets

The poetry of depth and emotional profundity, of versatile styles and complex language. As usual, Naxos did a wonderful job of selecting the poems.
Here's the list of A.Tennyson's works:
1. The Charge of the Light Brigade
2. Song of the Lotus Eaters
3. The Lady of Shalott
4. Vivian's Song
5. Break, Break, Break
6. In the Valley of Cauteretz
7. Ulysses
8. Tears, Idle Tears
9. Sweet and Low
10. Blow, Bugle, Blow
11. Swallow, Swallow
12. Home They Brought Her Warrior Dead
13. Summer Night
14. Tithonus
15. The Passing of Arthur/Morte d'Arthur
16. The Brook
17. Come Into the Garden Maud
18. In the Garden at Swainston
19. Come Down, O Maid
20. In Memoriam (excerpts):
In Memoriam VII
In Memoriam XI
In Memoriam L
In Memoriam LI
In Memoriam CXXVI/126
21.Crossing the Bar