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Join two amateur Grimmologists round the fire to read and discuss the tales of the Brothers Grimm.
Episodes
Sunday Feb 09, 2020
Sunday Feb 09, 2020
In Gambling Hansel, an anti-hero with a chronic gambling addiction has dangerous run ins with Luficier, God, St. Peter, and our old friend Death.
In what we’re calling 'Hansel and Gretel Part II', Hansel threatens to destabilize heaven itself with the aid of loaded dice, a troupe of demons, and a magical tree. Will he win his battle against celestial deities? Or will his dark-side prove his downfall.
After the story, we interrogate the surprising conclusions of a linguistic paper on emotional text analysis, before checking back in with Death and hearing the world’s oldest tale about cheating the afterlife.
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Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko
Other Music: Beethoven's Piano Trio No7 in B-flat Major Op97 // Chopin’s Nocturne in B flat minor, Op. 9 no. 1.2
Sunday Jan 26, 2020
Sunday Jan 26, 2020
In our final adventure of the cock and hen trilogy, things go south fast for the incurable rascals and Chanticleer is soon faced with a life without Partlet. Can he ever move on? And will the beasts of the forest ever make it to the funeral?
Meet some old friends, find out the true meaning behind the trilogy, and discover what two murderous chickens have to do with The 12 days of Christmas, in this week's episode: The Death of the Little Hen.
Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko
Other Music: Johannes Brahms' Clarinet Quintet Op. 115 Performed by William McColl and the Oxford String Quartet
Sunday Jan 12, 2020
Sunday Jan 12, 2020
Despite the machinations of an evil king, a prophecy sees a cocky luck child marry the princess. But his happily ever after is cut short when he is forced to embark on an epic quest that will take him to the very depths of hell, and into the dress of the devil’s grandma…
In our first ever Patron chosen story, we embark on one of our biggest adventures yet, where we meet confused city guards, soft-hearted robbers and even some good millers.
We then try to pick apart this extremely dense tale and find ourselves chatting about everything from ancient Greek funerary rites to Jack and the Bean Stalk and Star Wars.
Happy new year Grimm Readers! We hope you enjoy The Devil With The Three Golden Hairs as much as we did.
Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko
Other Music: Chopin’s Nocturne in C sharp minor 'Lento con gran espressione', B. 49 performed by Aaron Dunn // Chopin’s Étude Op. 10, no. 5 in G flat major - 'Black Keys' performed by Martha Goldstein.
Sunday Dec 22, 2019
Sunday Dec 22, 2019
Join us for the second annual Grimm Reading Christmas Party! We get into the festive spirit once more with port, mince pies and crackers! We also exchange gifts, enjoy an epic Christmas story, and have a bit of a round up of the year's scores.
Thank you once again to everyone who has messaged us, supported us on Patreon and social media, and listened to the podcast throughout the year - it's been a really fun one and we're both excited for the year to come!
Keep it Grimm.
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Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko (+ sleigh bells)
Other Music: Tchaikovsky's "Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy" from The Nutcracker Suite Performed by Gabriel Antonio Hernandez Romero on Piano // Tchaikovsky's "The Magical Castle in the Kingdom of Sweets" and "The Christmas Tree" from The Nutcracker Suite - from the music.org European Archive
Sunday Dec 15, 2019
Sunday Dec 15, 2019
In this week’s episode, a young girl embarks on a psychedelic quest to rescue her brothers. after their father accidentally turns them into ravens.
Glass mountains, dwarf butlers and helpful stars all make an appearance in the strange, gothic tale The Seven Ravens.
We discuss the significance of the motifs, learn about ravens in folklore, and contemplate a popular socio-historical approach to the meaning of the story.
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Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko
Other Music: Schubert's Serenade // Schubert's Impromptu No. 4, op. 90.2
Sunday Dec 01, 2019
Sunday Dec 01, 2019
After escaping her murderous witchy step-mother, a girl and her sweetheart take flight on a magical journey of heartbreak and betrayal.
In this week’s epic, lovelorn story, meet a lonely Shepard, a house-keeping flower, talking drops of blood, a complicated couple, and some pushy village girls.
After the tale, we discuss the thorny issue of sexism in fairy tales, consider the peculiar Hansel and Gretel connection, and recount the incredible french story Hop o’ My Thumb.
This episode is Certified Grimm and may not be suitable for all listeners.
Sunday Nov 17, 2019
Sunday Nov 17, 2019
The cock and hen continue their mischievous adventure, this time with some new friends and a souped-up carriage. In part two of The Adventures of Chanticleer and Partlet, the motley crew pay a visit to the unfortunate Mr. Korbes where things escalate quickly.
After the story, we look into the history of Chanticleer and his dealings with Reynard the Fox, Geoffrey Chaucer, US mountain ranges, the French national rugby team, and of course Shakespeare.
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Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko
Other music: Chopin’s Concerto #2 in F Minor 1st and 2nd Movements, performed by the Seattle Philharmonic Orchestra
Sunday Nov 03, 2019
Sunday Nov 03, 2019
A poor cobbler, an illiterate sweeper and a distraught mother all have run ins with some cheeky elves – it’s finally time for the festive tale 'The Elves and the Shoemaker'!
After the story, we discuss the history of elves from the Anglo-Saxons to Queen Elizabeth, Iceland and Victorian Christmas, as well as belief in changelings and the surprisingly early theory of relativity.
Finally, we choose the next batch of stories we’ll be reading and reveal the results of our first Patreon listener story poll!
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Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko
Other music: Grieg’s Peer Gynt Suite No. 1 Op. 46 III. Anitra's Dance, recorded at Omega Studios, Edward S. Petersen conducting // Liszt's Liebesträume
Sunday Oct 20, 2019
Sunday Oct 20, 2019
A passing queen hears a daughter being beaten, she intervenes and whisks her off to the royal palace. Setting her a spinning challenge, the girl loses all hope before three mysterious women come to her aid...
In the three spinners, a lazy girl has the chance to escape poverty, will she find her way out of a life of spinning?
After the story, we discuss the importance of spinning through history and the surprising incarnations of the three spinners through time.
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Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko
Other music: Handel's Messiah, 1st Movement performed by the MIT Concert Choir, Cutter // Haydn's Symphony No. 101 in D major (Hoboken 1/101) - 2nd movement: "The Clock" performed by Amigos do JPC with Pedro Carlos Silva, violin
Sunday Oct 06, 2019
Sunday Oct 06, 2019
After a vicious duck attack, a cock and a hen find shelter at an inn. But the host is unsure about this unscrupulous bunch, and after first refusing them entry, he eventually lets them in. Will they prove his prejudices wrong?
Find out why you should always judge a book by its cover, and why you should never put an egg shell near a fire, in this week’s story: The Pack of Ragamuffins.
The sound quality isn't great during the story but rest assured, it gets better after the first few minutes. It won't happen again, promise!
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Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko
Other music: Chopin's Concerto 2 in F Minor 3rd Movement performed by the Seattle Philharmonic // Chopin's Mazurka D Major Op.33 no. 2 performed by Lubka Kolessa
Sunday Sep 29, 2019
Sunday Sep 29, 2019
With the help of a sticky golden goose, Dummling, the youngest of three brothers, inadvertently woos an overly serious princess and proves he’s not so dumb after all.
This week, discover how kindness always pays, why you should never cross small magical grey men, and what Venetian skater shoes have to do with German folklore.
We’re back from our summer break with a new series and a Patreon to go with it! Find out more info on how you can support the podcast and what goodies you can claim here: https://www.patreon.com/grimmreading
Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko
Other music: Beethoven's Sonata No. 11 in B Flat Major Op. 22 performed by Daniel Veesey / Chopin's Opus 10 Twelve Grand Etudes D flat major performed by Martha Goldstein
Tuesday May 28, 2019
Tuesday May 28, 2019
For our first series finale we finish off with Rapunzel, the famous story of a well coiffured heroine trapped in a tower.
We find many surprises in what may be thought of as the most childish of the Grimm’s tales, including silk ladders, salad addiction, barren deserts, and a villain with more depth than first meets the eye.
After the story we discuss the more adult themes of the tale, why witches get such a bad rep, a Lithuanian long hair festival, and how it can all be traced back to 17th century Naples.
See the animated video by our competition winner here: http://tiny.cc/mqvi7y
Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko
Other music: Live instrumental performance of “Beau Soir” (Beautiful Evening) written by Claude Debussy // Chopin’s Opus 10 Twelve Grand Etudes (F Major) Performed by Martha Goldstein
Saturday May 11, 2019
Saturday May 11, 2019
In The Hare’s Bride, a young maiden minding her cabbages gets whisked off to an unexpected wedding under a rainbow.
In desperately trying to unpick the meaning of the story, we discuss ‘animal bridegrooms’ in folklore, beauty and the beast, and blade runner.
Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko
Other music: Johannes Brahms's 16 Waltzes, Op. 39, #2 - Performed by Martha Goldstein// Ludwig van Beethoven's Sonata no. 15 in d major, op. 28 'pastorale' - iv. rondo. allegro, ma non troppo - Performed by Karine Gilanyan
Sunday Apr 28, 2019
Sunday Apr 28, 2019
Decapitation, magical singing birds, and human black puddings – it can only be the long-awaited story 'The Juniper Tree'.
After we read the story, we discover what Björk, the bible, and a painter named Philipp have to do with it all.
Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko
Other music: Beethoven's Violin Sonata No. 5 in F Major, Op. 24 "Spring" by Corey Cerovsek, (violin) & Paavali Jumppanen (piano) // Chopin's Opus 10, No. 7, Twelve Grand Etudes C Major performed by Martha Goldstein
Sunday Apr 14, 2019
Sunday Apr 14, 2019
In ‘The Riddle’, a princess pits her wits against a wandering king’s son. But who will win? And where does a gang of murders, a witch, a hungry raven, golden syrup and Batman fit into all this?
After the story, we go on a riddling journey through time from the Queen of Sheba to Turandot.
Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko
Other music: Johannes Brahms's 16 Waltzes, Op. 39, #4 Performed by Martha Goldstein // Ludwig Van Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 28 in A Major, Op 101 Movement II performed by Daniel Veesey