My grandfather worked at Nimbus records. As a very young child I got first hand experience of this performance. I listened to it, and the looking glass, sooo many times. Sir John was something absolutely special that I'm not sure exists in the world anymore.
Finally!! The other six or seven versions I have listened to seem to think it's a race to get to the end. I love this book, and now I listen to it to relax and unwind. With most versions they read so fast they run the words into each other. I don't want to have to work hard to hear the story, I like to relax and let the story wash over me. Sir John reads it perfectly, every word is clearly enunciated. My only problem is the music, although lovely, sometimes drowns out the voice!
@@sharsimma NOthing worse than these bad voices trying to talk as FAST as possible. It's important to be slow and accurate and calm. It's not a race , it's a reading...get into it...
Such a pleasant experience. Feels like we are seated near him, in some elegant old drawing room somewhere, and maybe some tea has been prepared. The brief musical interludes are very pretty, and luckily they don't interfere with the reading-- it's merely an intro/interlude to establish mood or to bridge chapters, and doesn't interfere with Gielgud's perfect and proper narration. He's clearly enjoying this, the character voices and such.
Well, this is a treat! I always wondered what this particular read version sounded like and it is quite good! Lovely to hear the Victorian tone kept front and center. While a big fan of the late Christopher Plummer, I was disappointed with his move towards trendy characterizations in his recording of the complete ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND. Plummer was such an excellent actor and why he stooped to that level of spoon-feeding listeners is beyond me. My absolute favorite recorded reading of both ALICE books remains the complete texts read and performed by Cyril Ritchard with incidental music composed by Alec Wilder. I still have the big boxed 33 rpm LP-recording sets with the facsimile first edition volumes tucked into a cardboard pocket behind the records. After sixty-some years nothing tops those two treasures. They were clearly an act of love for Ritchard who really understood those classics' elements of nonsensical absurdity and fun. For adapted dramatized renderings nothing beats the 1950s CAEDMON recordings with Joan Greenwood as Alice and Stanley Holloway as the narrator leading an exemplary British cast. While abridged they are respectful to the letter of Carroll's text and after hearing Greenwood's unique vocalization one would be hard pressed to imagine anybody else; she gets Alice's essential sophisticated determination and her "inner adult". Thanks very much for posting this!
I was reading along with this (I'm dyslexic and was hoping this would help keep my brain focused and stop my eyes wandering the pages) and I had to stop a few pages in because several chunks or even whole paragraphs are missing in the audio. Pretty disappointed :(
My mother read me the Alice stories (as well as the Just So stories and Mary Poppins). She sang all the songs rather more tunefully than Sir John! That was in 1950.
lovely music is besides the point. it obscures the voice, the reading of the book. that is almost as bad as a voice (loud talk) obscuring the music at a concert! It's sad to me that I cannot enjoy such a lovely, dreamy reading because I can barely hear it above the music. if I could download, separate the voice and music tracks, and lower the music track a few decibels, I'd totally do that. I'd also never hire this sound engineer.
It is SO disappointing that Gielgud, who is surely among the best "Alice" readers, reads abridged versions of both this book and "Through the Looking-Glass." And the echo gives his voice an annoying booming quality.
@@valentinefrey5164 However, there was only one version of TTLG, and Gielgud also reads an abridged version of that. The best unabridged recordings are by Cyril Ritchard.
@@JMDinOKC Interesting. I had assumed this was Alice's Adventures Underground because of the text that gets Alice directly the hallway to the forest that doesn't occur in Alice in Wonderland. In any case, I'm very happy we have this, abridged or not.
The classical segments are a bit too long for my tastes. Had it been a small pause between chapters it would be very pleasant but as it is, it’s fairly distracting. An excellent reading however as Sir Gielgud’s voice is always pleasing to listen to. Thank you for sharing this.
CAN ANYONE PLEASE DIRECT ME TO WHEN ALICE SAYS “things were much more pleasant at home, when one wasn’t growing smaller and larger and being ordered about by mice and rabbits. I almost wish I hadn’t gone down the rabbit hole- and yet-“
Forget this youtube copy. Audio is terrible. Sounds like Sir John is reading out loud in the basement with the door closed and I'm upstairs by the fire!
No reverb, so far as I understand. Nimbus believed in recording in a very fine hall on the English/Welsh border. Their website says: “The recordings were made in the Ballroom of the beautiful Victorian Wyastone Leys house, resulting in a fairly resonant acoustic.”
that's just the natural echo of the room it was recorded in. you realize that Gielgud was an actor and not a sound engineer, right? the room choice may have been intentional, as a touch of echo was considered to lend authority to a voice (Roddy MacDowell and John Houston took advantage of this endlessly) but I'll bet that Sir John left the engineering to the engineers and the direction to the directors. simpler times.
I love the bits where you can hear he's restraining laughter. It's nice to a narrator enjoys what he's reading.
My grandfather worked at Nimbus records. As a very young child I got first hand experience of this performance. I listened to it, and the looking glass, sooo many times. Sir John was something absolutely special that I'm not sure exists in the world anymore.
very beautiful awesome memory. Thanks for sharing
Beautifully read by Sir John. Note: the music only plays for a short time at the beginning and at the very end. Thanks for posting this, Roman.
Is this the full audiobook?
Finally!! The other six or seven versions I have listened to seem to think it's a race to get to the end. I love this book, and now I listen to it to relax and unwind. With most versions they read so fast they run the words into each other. I don't want to have to work hard to hear the story, I like to relax and let the story wash over me. Sir John reads it perfectly, every word is clearly enunciated. My only problem is the music, although lovely,
sometimes drowns out the voice!
Three words; Sir John Gielgud.
IF I MAY CALL YOU JENNY.......JENNY YOU MUST LISTEN MORE INTENTLY DURING THE PASSAGES OF MUSIC
@@sharsimma NOthing worse than these bad voices trying to talk as FAST as possible. It's important to be slow and accurate and calm. It's not a race , it's a reading...get into it...
Don't be shy, give me the link to the fast ones. I have to listen to this for a project. I don't want to listen to it any longer then i have to lmao.
Nice
Such a pleasant experience. Feels like we are seated near him, in some elegant old drawing room somewhere, and maybe some tea has been prepared.
The brief musical interludes are very pretty, and luckily they don't interfere with the reading-- it's merely an intro/interlude to establish mood or to bridge chapters, and doesn't interfere with Gielgud's perfect and proper narration. He's clearly enjoying this, the character voices and such.
This is absolutely magical. I cannot think of a voice I'd rather hear reading this work.
YAYA
So true! Such a lovely man!
Well, this is a treat! I always wondered what this particular read version sounded like and it is quite good! Lovely to hear the Victorian tone kept front and center.
While a big fan of the late Christopher Plummer, I was disappointed with his move towards trendy characterizations in his recording of the complete ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND. Plummer was such an excellent actor and why he stooped to that level of spoon-feeding listeners is beyond me.
My absolute favorite recorded reading of both ALICE books remains the complete texts read and performed by Cyril Ritchard with incidental music composed by Alec Wilder. I still have the big boxed 33 rpm LP-recording sets with the facsimile first edition volumes tucked into a cardboard pocket behind the records. After sixty-some years nothing tops those two treasures. They were clearly an act of love for Ritchard who really understood those classics' elements of nonsensical absurdity and fun.
For adapted dramatized renderings nothing beats the 1950s CAEDMON recordings with Joan Greenwood as Alice and Stanley Holloway as the narrator leading an exemplary British cast. While abridged they are respectful to the letter of Carroll's text and after hearing Greenwood's unique vocalization one would be hard pressed to imagine anybody else; she gets Alice's essential sophisticated determination and her "inner adult".
Thanks very much for posting this!
Excellent!
One forgets about problems while listening. I think the music adds to the recording.
Love the musical interludes. Great read. In fact, using this voice in my head I can write in The Style of Lewis Carroll with greater ease.
So magical. You go down a rabbit hole and come back up stronger.
Now this is a most apt reading!! Bravo!! Many thanks for sharing. 👏
I’ve listened to this audiobook three times in the past two months (at work)… very fun way to pass time.
Love this voice actor the most. Thank you for the upload 💛
The music appears to cover the introductions and conclusions of each chapter.
Beautifully read...
Wonderfully read ! Thank you !
SPECTACULAR!! Thank You For This.
Hot take: I like the music and think it adds to the experience
I was reading along with this (I'm dyslexic and was hoping this would help keep my brain focused and stop my eyes wandering the pages) and I had to stop a few pages in because several chunks or even whole paragraphs are missing in the audio. Pretty disappointed :(
I am glad to find this! Good voice!
I think sir John Gielgud would be pleased to read this comment.I am just amused.:)
@@joytekb d'ye think he had any formal training or experience?
My mother read me the Alice stories (as well as the Just So stories and Mary Poppins).
She sang all the songs rather more tunefully than Sir John!
That was in 1950.
This is so pleasant and charming. I love it.
Beautiful name you have as well as pfp, and it's nice to meet you. And yeah, I love Alice In Wonderland very much myself.
wonderful i must buy the book
lovely music is besides the point. it obscures the voice, the reading of the book. that is almost as bad as a voice (loud talk) obscuring the music at a concert! It's sad to me that I cannot enjoy such a lovely, dreamy reading because I can barely hear it above the music. if I could download, separate the voice and music tracks, and lower the music track a few decibels, I'd totally do that. I'd also never hire this sound engineer.
?? I'm pretty sure the music is played on it's own as short interludes between chapters
It is SO disappointing that Gielgud, who is surely among the best "Alice" readers, reads abridged versions of both this book and "Through the Looking-Glass." And the echo gives his voice an annoying booming quality.
Yeah, he sounds like he's in another room, it's a real shame.
I think this is Alice's Adventures Underground, the original shorter version which later grew into Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
@@valentinefrey5164 However, there was only one version of TTLG, and Gielgud also reads an abridged version of that. The best unabridged recordings are by Cyril Ritchard.
@@JMDinOKC Interesting. I had assumed this was Alice's Adventures Underground because of the text that gets Alice directly the hallway to the forest that doesn't occur in Alice in Wonderland. In any case, I'm very happy we have this, abridged or not.
Beautiful and tranquil
marvelous!
A shame that there are parts missed out... The Caucus Race, The White Rabbit's House, the song in the Duchess' Kitchen. Why?
Thank you this WILL HELP ME WITH MY AR
godamnit!! i just wanna hear it while sleepin but these adds are killing me!! ugh, ill just have to download it...
Yeah that's probably better. Nothing to interrupt your personal download.😉
Beautiful music.
Yeah, very optimistic.... Like at funeral
what songs are playing in the background? i love them
+mali Extracts from Mendelssohn's string symphonies and Boyce's symphonies.
thanks a lot
I can't hear the words because of the music!
The classical segments are a bit too long for my tastes. Had it been a small pause between chapters it would be very pleasant but as it is, it’s fairly distracting.
An excellent reading however as Sir Gielgud’s voice is always pleasing to listen to.
Thank you for sharing this.
I'm very confused as to why several sections of the story are missing, like the Caucus Race and getting trapped in the Rabbit's house.
Permanent Placeholder it's abridged
Yeah this isn't the real version.
Why does it sound as if it was recorded in the room next door?
Am I the only one who can barely hear his great voice and acting?????
Now published - Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll here: a.co/afKyx2o Also available on free ebook.
CAN ANYONE PLEASE DIRECT ME TO WHEN ALICE SAYS “things were much more pleasant at home, when one wasn’t growing smaller and larger and being ordered about by mice and rabbits. I almost wish I hadn’t gone down the rabbit hole- and yet-“
You made my teacher make me to whatch this
Why is this version different from most???
Misleading title since abridged with music excerpts, not to mention a fuckton of ads.
Forget this youtube copy. Audio is terrible. Sounds like Sir John is reading out loud in the basement with the door closed and I'm upstairs by the fire!
The music should not have been allowed to obscure his wonderful voice.
Bliss.
Bookmark: 1:13:45
Hello I'd like to use this video for our purpose. How can I contact you?
Abridged. Heavily 😞
Mi assistant manager on google took me here
Why is Sir John Gielgud reading this book in the lavatory?
BAHAHAHA...
Everyone knows you get perfect resonance in a bathroom! And, I'm told "great lighting" for 'insta' pictures! 💁🏻♀️🤷🏻♀️😜😬
he had heard everything sounds better in the shower, but he didn't want to get the book wet.
Hey...just a state of mind. TEA NOW!
1:25:38 for those doing wolsey hall
Book mark for myself:
41:46
47:00
The reverb was added later?
+Eric Brett Jones nothing has been added
Thank you for clearing that up. It is a very strange production, I imagined Geilgud would have less clutter.
No reverb, so far as I understand. Nimbus believed in recording in a very fine hall on the English/Welsh border. Their website says: “The recordings were made in the Ballroom of the beautiful Victorian Wyastone Leys house, resulting in a fairly resonant acoustic.”
My grandfather worked there at the time, was a friend of Count Labinsky. You're absolutely right. I listened to this over and over as a kid.
that's just the natural echo of the room it was recorded in.
you realize that Gielgud was an actor and not a sound engineer, right?
the room choice may have been intentional,
as a touch of echo was considered to lend authority to a voice
(Roddy MacDowell and John Houston took advantage of this endlessly)
but I'll bet that Sir John left the engineering to the engineers and the direction to the directors.
simpler times.
1:10:16
58:28
bookmark 1:04:95
16:09
this is diffrent tothe movie
So many cuts! :(
02:53
!!!!!!!!!!!!
30:15
2:53( to save my spot :)
Why the anoying music
the sound quality is poor. too bad
The sound levels are rather muted. It's as if he's reading aloud in the next room.
He might be a good actor but he is a very poor narrator
WHAT!? I LOVE HIS NARRATIVE
Rubbish LoL
Lucy Corney Are your describing yourself?
Ms. Zombangle are your trying to be funny?
Audio is terrible,sounds like the author is reading it from inside a whale,the music drowns out the words
16:00
43:30
54:45