Desert Island Discs

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  • smittims
    Full Member
    • Aug 2022
    • 4721

    Desert Island Discs

    Do any members listen to this? I used to regularly, but I don't often now, for reasons I might mention .

    But I think a person's choice of music, especially if it's limited to eight discs, says a lot about them, even if music isn't important to them. The politician who wants votes and chooses the most popular music of the time, or the person who went for a nice holiday in Greece once and think they would like 'a record of some greek music ' (cue bouzoukis).

    And there have been some notorious choices, such as Elisabeth Schwarzkopf taking eight of ther own discs. I thought for years that Arthur Bliss did this also, but on checking I find he chose only three of his own works, the others including a record of wolves barking, someone laughing, and a comic song by Tom Lehrer (no, not the one about Alma Mahler).

    I also thought the classical choices were cut off after a minute where the pop music choices were allowed to go on longer. I've since heard that several people complained about this, and the BBC had officially denied it.

    Now we can hear many of them on BBC sounds, I had much pleasure hearing Peter Maxwell Davies' episode. He didn't choose any of his own music , and comes across as a very pleasant person.

    I suppose we've all tried to assemble our own eight choices. I find it practically impossible. Eight hundred wouldn't be enough. How about you?
  • Quarky
    Full Member
    • Dec 2010
    • 2681

    #2
    As I'm sure you know, podcasts of Deasert Isand Discs are available all the way back to 1942, with many fascinating subjects::

    Comment

    • Pulcinella
      Host
      • Feb 2014
      • 11354

      #3
      Though not a fan of Schwarzkopf, I will defend her by saying that, since she may well have been unfamiliar with the programme, on being asked to choose eight of her favourite record(ing)s, she did exactly that: ones she featured in.

      Comment

      • smittims
        Full Member
        • Aug 2022
        • 4721

        #4
        I think Walter told her she was expected to choose her own recordings (which were also his, of course)!

        I was sorry to see that Boyd Neel and Reginald Jaques were unavailable, as I'd like to have heard them reminisce. But I'm looking forward to hearing Agnes Nicholls, who was married to Hamilton Harty and was Elgar's favourite soprano.

        Comment

        • LHC
          Full Member
          • Jan 2011
          • 1582

          #5
          Schwarzkopf actually only chose seven of her own recordings, although the eighth was the overture to one of her opera recordings.

          Moura Lympany went one better and chose her own recordings for all eight, as did Nile Rogers more recently.

          One of the best castaways was Lucia Popp who was absolutely charming, and chose the teddy bears picnic as the single record she couldn’t do without. Lord Harewood’s was also a good programme with a very good choice of recordings.

          Probably the worst I can remember hearing was A J Ayer, who began his appearance by telling Roy Plomley that he didn’t like music, never listened to records and had struggled to find 8 records to choose. Not a great start.
          "I do not approve of anything that tampers with natural ignorance. Ignorance is like a delicate exotic fruit; touch it and the bloom is gone. The whole theory of modern education is radically unsound. Fortunately in England, at any rate, education produces no effect whatsoever. If it did, it would prove a serious danger to the upper classes, and probably lead to acts of violence in Grosvenor Square."
          Lady Bracknell The importance of Being Earnest

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          • Pulcinella
            Host
            • Feb 2014
            • 11354

            #6
            Originally posted by LHC View Post
            Schwarzkopf actually only chose seven of her own recordings, although the eighth was the overture to one of her opera recordings.

            Moura Lympany went one better and chose her own recordings for all eight, as did Nile Rogers more recently.

            One of the best castaways was Lucia Popp who was absolutely charming, and chose the teddy bears picnic as the single record she couldn’t do without. Lord Harewood’s was also a good programme with a very good choice of recordings.

            Probably the worst I can remember hearing was A J Ayer, who began his appearance by telling Roy Plomley that he didn’t like music, never listened to records and had struggled to find 8 records to choose. Not a great start.
            My mistake about Schwarzkopf; I took smittins' comment as gospel!

            I think that Janet Baker was also a good castaway, saying that so much music was in her head she didn't really need recordings of it.
            I'd like to know what she DID choose.

            Comment

            • Quarky
              Full Member
              • Dec 2010
              • 2681

              #7
              Just Google Janet Baker Desert Island Discs:: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p009mkhn

              Comment

              • Pulcinella
                Host
                • Feb 2014
                • 11354

                #8
                Originally posted by Quarky View Post
                Just Google Janet Baker Desert Island Discs:: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p009mkhn

                Very flattering picture of a young Ludwig there.

                Comment

                • cloughie
                  Full Member
                  • Dec 2011
                  • 22263

                  #9
                  Originally posted by Pulcinella View Post
                  My mistake about Schwarzkopf; I took smittins' comment as gospel!

                  I think that Janet Baker was also a good castaway, saying that so much music was in her head she didn't really need recordings of it.
                  I'd like to know what she DID choose.
                  I wonder if she would tire of Sea Pictures!

                  Comment

                  • gurnemanz
                    Full Member
                    • Nov 2010
                    • 7468

                    #10
                    Famously, three of James Robertson Justice's choices in 1955 were extracts from Beethoven's Quartet op132. Also the call of a flock of pink-footed geese

                    Comment

                    • smittims
                      Full Member
                      • Aug 2022
                      • 4721

                      #11
                      Sadly, James Robertson Justice's episode doesn't show up a savailable to hear, but if AJ Ayer is 'Sir Alfred Ayer ' (sic) his is.

                      There's a delightful book called 'Flotsam and Jetsam' which retails many anecdotes about the programme. Unfortunately, some of them are not quite accurate (there are many 'urban myths' about the programme) . Edward Ardizzone is missing from the list of castaways, though this was a delightful episode which is on BBC Sounds.

                      Comment

                      • Belgrove
                        Full Member
                        • Nov 2010
                        • 966

                        #12
                        A wonderfully quirky Arena film celebrating the programme, from 1982:

                        First transmitted in 1982, Arena celebrates Roy Plomley's classic radio favourite, with the help of celebrity castaways, including Frankie Howerd, Arthur Askey and Paul McCartney.

                        Comment

                        • Serial_Apologist
                          Full Member
                          • Dec 2010
                          • 38155

                          #13
                          Originally posted by gurnemanz View Post
                          Famously, three of James Robertson Justice's choices in 1955 were extracts from Beethoven's Quartet op132. Also the call of a flock of pink-footed geese
                          https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p009y9pm
                          A ridiculous waste of allocations, imv - why not choose the entire album? Couldn't the producers have informed James that there was no need to limit his options in that way?... unless that particular recording had been issued on 78s, of course!

                          By the way I see the page setters for that link appear to have used the wallpaper from University Challenge as their backdrop.

                          Comment

                          • smittims
                            Full Member
                            • Aug 2022
                            • 4721

                            #14
                            Thanks , Belgrove, I wouldn't have known otherwise. And what a coincidence that it was made half-way through the programme's history until now.

                            1982 was a snowy winter. I remember going for a walk in Hampton Court Park on Xmas day.

                            Comment

                            • ChandlersFord
                              Member
                              • Dec 2021
                              • 188

                              #15
                              Sports personality castaways invariably reveal themselves to have terrible taste in music, with Will Carling (remember him?) being arguably the worst.

                              Enoch Powell and Jack Vetriano were the best castaways, imo: all of their choices were absolutely impeccable.

                              Comment

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