Desert Island Discs

[Barbirollians]

I should be fascinated to see forumites choices . My current list would be



Mahler- Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen- Ferrier/Walter
Sibelius Violin Concerto - Haendel/CBSO/Rattle
Elgar In The South- Bournemouth SO/Silvestri
Don't Explain-Billie Holiday
Chopin Berceuse-Solomon
Mozart Piano Concerto No 9 K271- Schiff/Vegh
Beethoven-Piano Concerto No 5- Barenboim/Klemperer
The Band Played Waltzing Matilda-June Tabor

ONE Disc to save - Beethoven Piano Concerto No 5

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Wot - no Barbirolli?

[Richard Tarleton]

Do you get the whole of Bruckner 8, or just the bit they actually play? Likewise Der Rosenkavalier, 4 Last songs.....

[jean]

You get as much as would fit on a 78, obviously.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Do you get the whole of Bruckner 8, or just the bit they actually play? Likewise Der Rosenkavalier, 4 Last songs.....

The original format was that desertees would be allowed to take just eight 78 rpm records. With the advent of LPs, this became eight "tracks" (or 45 rpm singles) - a rule Plomley rigorously enforced. Nowadays, you can ask for "The Ring" and it's allowed, which is a bit harsh on the "slebs" who generally keep to the original idea and take only eight "songs". I wonder if we could get away with the huge boxed sets of complete works?

My "eight" changes every hour, but the one constant is my "If you could take only one ... " choice: Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde; Patzak/Ferrier/VPO/Walter.

[Richard Tarleton]

Thanks for the explanation, ferney. It wasn't obvious to me, jean, otherwise I wouldn't have asked

Now you mention it I do remember Roy Plomley being upset with John Fowles who tried to buck the system over the Goldberg Variations.

[eighthobstruction]

Milliband on last Sunday....did nothing to dispel his nerdy image with his choices (and the admission he likes Baseball)....

[Barbirollians]

Milliband on last Sunday....did nothing to dispel his nerdy image with his choices (and the admission he likes Baseball)....

No - but there was no doubt that was his list and not a spin doctors - no spin doctor would have prepared a list like that !

[ahinton]

The original format was that desertees would be allowed to take just eight 78 rpm records. With the advent of LPs, this became eight "tracks" (or 45 rpm singles) - a rule Plomley rigorously enforced. Nowadays, you can ask for "The Ring" and it's allowed, which is a bit harsh on the "slebs" who generally keep to the original idea and take only eight "songs". I wonder if we could get away with the huge boxed sets of complete works?

My "eight" changes every hour, but the one constant is my "If you could take only one ... " choice: Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde; Patzak/Ferrier/VPO/Walter.

Wot? No Brian? No Ferneyhough?

I think that the present "rule" allows deserters(!) to take just eight works / songs / whatever, although given that they'll presumably each be allowed to take that number of CDs (and, if individual works occupy more than one CD, then that many more than eight) and that, in most cass, a CD will have quite a few works, it's hard to see how this "rule" could be effective, really.

Someone once said to me that being cast away on Roy Plomley's desert island is an indication that one has "made it"; I replied that one has "made it" only when a castaway chooses one of one's own pieces (and no, none has done that).

That said, it must be very overcrowded these days. No one has ever mentioned whether the "rules" allow castaways to share their luxury items and chosen books with one another; whatever those "rules" are, however, I do recall their precluding David Dimbleby from taking Kirsty Young as his luxury item.

Anyway, I have no idea how, if invited to be a castaway, I'd be able to get my choice down to 8,000 CDs...

[Stanley Stewart]

I certainly recall Dame Elisabeth Schwarzkopf selecting all eight choices from her own recordings! Rather hoped she would repeat James Cagney's exhortation at the end of "White Heat" (1949). "Made it, Ma, - top of the world."

[Don Petter]

I certainly recall Dame Elisabeth Schwarzkopf selecting all eight choices from her own recordings! Rather hoped she would repeat James Cagney's exhortation at the end of "White Heat" (1949). "Made it, Ma, - top of the world."

I think ah meant one of his pieces, not one of the subject's. (I think Norman Wisdom also did much the same as Schwarzkopf.)

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

…and to a lesser extent, Roger Norrington

[LHC]

No - but there was no doubt that was his list and not a spin doctors - no spin doctor would have prepared a list like that !

I'm not so sure, I thought his list seemed to have been carefully prepared to appeal to middle class, thirty something voters. Most of his choices were vapid and inoffensive, and seemed to have been chosen for what they might represent in political terms rather than for any intrinsic musical value. So Jerusalem was there to show Daily Mail readers that he loves his country, while Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika and the Paul Robeson ballad demonstrated his right-on credential for student politicians. Finally of course, Je Ne Regrette Rien showed how determined he was and that he had no regrets for stabbing his brother in the back.

I suppose we should be glad that at least he didn't claim to like the Arctic Monkeys like his mentor, Gordon Brown.

[Anna]

LHC's #14 above. Absolutely! You have got it spot-on!
Edit: I was very off-topic, but so were others!

[Barbirollians]

LHC's #14 above. Absolutely! You have got it spot-on!

Oh yes and a spin doctor would have chosen Aha, dreary Josh Ritter and the cheesiest Angels? LHC appears to have been reading the Daily Mail .

All it showed was that he is very unmusical . Music evidently means little to him unless it has an association - whether with his wife ,his father , his childhood home and a school disco !