Recently, through the riches of the public library and the benefit of antiquated compact disc technology, we have been revisiting E.B. White’s “The Trumpet of the Swan.” The recorded reading with interludes of trumpet is exceptionally well done.
If you, like me, were unfamiliar with the lilting and romantic song “Beautiful Dreamer,” pivotal to the swan’s love story, you get to hear an excerpt here and there. If you pine the loss of regional dialect afflicting our television-and-internet age, the reading done by White himself has marvelous lyricism of its own. A distinctively Northeast way of speaking with an old-fashioned pacing gives even more character to a wonderful story.
The combination of the author’s voice and the musical interludes had me thinking about what makes for an excellent audiobook. In a pinch, like the prospect of several hours in the car, a Librivox recording can provide a good story. Some Librivox recordings are even quite well executed by someone who seems to have spent time with and enjoyed the story. However, such recordings are truncated and the quality varies greatly.
What satisfies in the E.B. White recording is the presentation of the story as a cohesive piece of art. Humble though it is, the unlikely story of a voiceless swan who plays trumpet in nightclubs and communicates with chalk and slate, the story has a profound truth to convey. The professional recording does it justice.
This thinking leads me to the qualities of, perhaps, my favorite audiobook recording. Maybe it does not merit the designation of “favorite” but it certainly qualifies at least as the zaniest. With a runtime of a mere 25 minutes—but they are unforgettable!—the Rabbit Ears production of Rudyard Kipling’s “The Elephant’s Child” deserves consideration. Read by Jack Nicholson of all people, it is a little masterpiece.
It seems in the 1990s, Rabbit Ears had a series of audiobook recordings featuring movie actors accompanied by professional musicians. The actors are trained and excellent readers! Another one we greatly enjoyed was a version of “King Midas” read by Michael Caine with music by Yo-Yo Ma. Stunningly beautiful! Not all are gold, pun intended, as the selections of Beatrix Potter read by Meryl Streep are decidedly uninspired.
Back to “The Elephant’s Child.” This incredible recording is available through the lavish opportunity of public domain at Archive.org. Nicholson’s reading is at once full of verve and understatement. The music, by Bobby McFerrin, evokes what one might image of the jungle setting with hypnotic repetition. Ultimately, what is so engaging about it? The recording is fun!
It is worth inserting here a warning about the eccentricities of this particular recording. You may well be aware that parenting practices of Kipling’s time were a bit different than ours. As such, there is frequent and repeated reference to spanking, a fact that is humorously accentuated by the musical accompaniment. Some children may find imitation irresistible. If you imagine your four-year-old moved to the point of unrestrained mirth, cackling uncontrollably whilst spanking everyone and everything in reach after such a listening experience, the time is not yet. The hypnotic calm, however, means that many children can enjoy the zaniness without violent outbursts.
In closing, I was struck by Nicholson’s reading especially because he is associated with dark and complex films. Hearing such a person engage with a children’s story so playfully evokes levity in the listener. Nicholson’s skill offers an example to the parents who resist good stories. Too many adults grumble about repetition and heavy-handed allegory. If we allow ourselves to become again like little children we can find a path to deeper and lasting enjoyment instead of endlessly seeking novelty.
