Books: Spoken Word

Christina Hardyment
Friday 04 June 1999 23:02 BST
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The Banyan Tree

Fiona Shaw

Orion, 6hrs 15mins, pounds 12.99

THIS WEEK a celebration of the formidable talents of Fiona Shaw. First, as reader of Christopher Nolan's first, heart-rending novel , she lets rip with the full warmth and vivacity of her native Cork accent. It the perfect voice to choose for the Irish poet who won the 1987 Whitbread Book of the Year Award for his memoir, Under the Eye of the Clock.

Macbeth

Full-cast dramatisation

Naxos, unabridged, tape pounds 9.99, CD pounds 13.99

AS THE director, Fiona Shaw makes this Macbeth startlingly modern, a tale of warlords that has resonance with the anarchy of the Balkans. Her performance as Lady Macbeth knits together the woman's power and frailty perfectly. The icing on the cake is music specially written by Simon Weir, who also did Shakespeare in Love.

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