The Essential Shakespeare Live written by William Shakespeare performed by Laurence Olivier, Judy Dench, Paul Scofield, Robert Stephens, Peggy Ashcroft and many more wonderful actors on CD (Abridged)

The British Library and the Royal Shakespeare Company publish this remarkable treasury of live Shakespeare recordings. Selected from an extensive collection of recordings made by the British Library Sound Archive, this set offers scenes and speeches from some of the most celebrated productions in the history of the Royal Shakespeare Company.

All the recordings in it are being published for the first time. The twenty extracts have been personally selected by RSC Associate Director, Gregory Doran. They cover a period of over four decades of exceptional Shakespeare performances, from Laurence Olivier as Coriolanus in 1959 to Judi Dench in All's Well that Ends Well in 2002. Here are some of the RSC's most celebrated productions - the now legendary Wars of the Roses from 1963, Peter Brook's King Lear with Paul Scofield, and John Barton's Richard II with Richard Pasco and Ian Richardson. Other notable actors represented include Peggy Ashcroft, Alan Howard, Derek Jacobi, Ian McKellen, Alan Rickman, Anthony Sher, Donald Sinden, Robert Stephens, Patrick Stewart, Janet Suzman, and David Warner. Two CDs with this booklet includes the texts of the extracts from the plays.

Track listing

DISC ONE 1. Coriolanus (featuring Laurence Olivier) 2. Wars of the Roses (featuring Peggy Ashcroft) 3. King Lear [1964] (featuring Paul Scofield) 4. Hamlet (featuring David Warner) 5. Twelfth Night (featuring Donald Sinden) 6. Julius Caesar (featuring Patrick Stewart) 7. Antony and Cleopatra (featuring Janet Suzman) 8. Richard II (featuring Richard Pasco & Ian Richardson) 9. Romeo and Juliet (featuring Ian McKellen & Francesca Annis)

DISC TWO 1. Henry V (featuring Emrys James) 2. Henry V (featuring Alan Howard) 3. Comedy of Errors (featuring Roger Rees) 4. The Tempest (featuring Derek Jacobi & Mark Rylance) 5. Richard III (featuring Antony Sher) 6. As You Like It (featuring Alan Rickman) 7. The Merry Wives of Windsor (featuring Janet Dale) 8. Titus Andronicus (featuring Brian Cox) 9. Henry IV Part 1 (featuring Robert Stephens) 10. Henry VI Part 3 (featuring David Oyelowo) 11. All s Well that Ends Well (featuring Judi Dench)