Desert Island Discs revisited
Life in Ambridge
An upcoming storyline methinks!
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Life in Ambridge
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Who will win the Tug of War?
If people want to put their names up over the next few days I will choose in a random order allowing time for others opinions/feedback
ReplyDeleteA few people, Soz, Cheshire Cheese and Janice have so far expressed interest on the other blog,. It doesn’t matter if people’s choices are the same or different as previously as I suspect most of us can’t remember each other’s choices after five years.
ReplyDeleteYes, I’d like to take part, please.
ReplyDeleteyes, me too please
ReplyDeleteI would also be interested
ReplyDeleteI am going to put the names of those who expressed an interest in joining in the Desert Islands discs in a hat and will draw the first tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteThe first castaway is …….🥁 🥁…. Archerphile! So whenever you are ready : eight tunes a book & a luxury, with as much or as little explanation as you wish
ReplyDeleteOkey Doke - here we go:
ReplyDelete1. Sparky’s Magic Piano - the only record I had when young and it was supposed to encourage me to practice. I loved the voice of Sparky but I don’t think it had much effect on my practicing because I knew I could never be as good as him,
2. Clarinet Cadenza - Sid Phillips & his jazz band. My Dad played clarinet & saxophone in various dance bands, including Bron’s Band, run by Eleanor Bron’s Dad. Sid Phillips was his hero, a superlative composer and clarinet player & his records were constantly on in our house.
3. Piano Concerto No 2 - Rachmaninov. The first piece of classical I lever heard after all the jazz and dance music. A real awakening to romantic classics.
4.
Whoops, don’t know what happened there!
Delete4. Michelle - The Beatles. The song that inspired my daughter’s name. I loved the Beatles, especially George but my Dad was disgusted by ‘ all this modern trash’ so I had to listen in private up in my room!
5. Symphony No 1 - Gustav Mahler. Husband & I went to a concert at Royal Festival Hall, before we were because I wanted to hear the Israeli Philharmonic conducted by Zubin Mehta playing for 1st time in London. The programme contained the Mahler & I apologised because he was supposed to be very dark & difficult to listen to and we didn’t really want to hear that work.. We ended up entranced, loved the playful tunes and references to Frère Jaques and other nursery rhymes. We went home humming the tunes and became addicted to Mahlers more serious, dramatic works too. Now we go to Mahler concerts whenever we can, but that unintentional No 1 was the introduction.
6. Don’t Worry - Dire Straits. Never been much of a pop music fan, was only ever keen on Dire Straits and ABBA. Toss up between the two. I adore Mark Knofler’s guitar playing and arrangements. Don’t Worry is a lovely simple song for when you are feeling low.
7. Shoshtakovitch - Romance from The Gadfly Suite . Supreme romantic violin piece. Specially enjoy Nicola Benedetti’s version
8.
8. Nocturne No 5 in B flat Major - John Field. First heard this on the radio as the opening music to George Elliot’s Middlemarch serialisation. So entranced by it that I wrote to the BBC for details. And so opened the world of 18C John Field, the inventor of the Nocturne who influenced Chopin. Have been to several concerts of his music and it is often played on Classic Fm. But this particular Nocturne is my absolute favourite - it can be found on YouTube.
DeleteBook
South Riding by Winifred Holtby
Luxury
An absolutely guaranteed effective mosquito repellant
I will be checking out your choices Archerphile. Thank you. Nice to have explanations for each choice too.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to listening to the ones I don't know Archerfile.
ReplyDeleteDire Straits is one of the bands I listen to when driving.
Mr CC's father used to play the trombone in dance bands and we've still got his electric organ that he used to play at home. When he died our middle daughter asked us to look after it until she had room for it. They are currently having an extension done and their current dining room is going to be a music room so I guess it will go to them when it's all finished.
When I used to drive up to Lancashire I used to listen and sing along to Dire Straits - if I were alone.
DeleteI have a dreadful singing voice.
To be honest I am not struck on my speaking voice either..
I moved from Oxford to Lancashire when I was just six years of age and I soon developed a Lancashire accent which my mother was not impressed with.
Hope I didn’t take up too much space with my explanations! And I meant to say ‘before we were married’ for the Mahler. Many people know the Adagietto in Symphony 5 because it was used in the film Death in Venice, but never go on to explore some of the more challenging works. As for my Dad’s dance band days, playing was in addition to his daytime job, to earn some extra money. I have a lovely photo of him in white tie & tails (!) in the front row of a dance band behind his music stand with his Sax in hand, ready to play. Very posh!
ReplyDeleteYour explanations were great Archerphile and ,in my opinion ,good choices which is more than I can say about the “celebrity” choices in the main on the radio
DeleteThanks .
That is a good idea of yours to say why…..
I am still trying to find the name of some ballet music which someone recommended last time and I checked it out and it is beautiful.
I plan to do my list before next year.
Also since I can’t stand our Reading Group book “We are all completely beside ourselves” by Karen Joy Fowler ,I am going to reread my copy of “South Riding”so thank you for that too.
.I am going to
I wonder Lanjan if it is was either of 2 of my original choices : Stefan Hauser playing Tchaikovsky's Pas de Deux from the Nutcracker ( which the youtube video sometimes has a ballerina dancing to) , or the 2Cellos Moonlight Sonata which in the official video has the shadow figure of a ballerina dancing across buildings.
DeleteArcherfile if you ever find your luxury item please let my son know then he can get it to use next time they go to the Philippines!
ReplyDeleteI find the Nocturne beautifully peaceful but haven't had time to listen to the others yet, as busy preparing for friend coming. Hope to when things quieten down.
DeleteSo glad you enjoyed it Janice. There are many nocturnes but I love this one best.
DeleteJanice, thank you so much.
DeleteYou are right .
It was Stefan Hauser .
I have just watched it again on U tube with tears in my eyes .
Absolutely beautiful.
I also listened to an Orchestra playing it but I definitely preferred the Hauser version.
Actually I am feeling quite emotional at the moment.
One of my closest friends was someone I taught in the 1960s .
By chance we met up at Chelmsford years ago at a Cricket Match when she was accompanied by her husband and young children
She is now a grandma and her teenage grandchildren are amazed that their grandmother not only is friendly with her teacher but her teacher is actually still alive!
When I went to their grandmother’s funeral and they were both at junior school I was asked to go with their mum to collect them so they could show me off because their friends did not believe that anyone so ancient would still be around !
This morning I received a large parcel contains two fabulous boxes ,from my friend’s daughter full of many homemade goodies which she hoped would see me through the Christmas period.
What a lovely memory Lanjan and you rediscovered the music to match your emotions.
DeleteJanice,the Nutcracker ballet is on BBC2 this morning so I am going to record it.
DeleteLooking forward to watching it.
Thank you again
I will try to find it on the iplayer when things quieten down. Hope you enjoyed it.
DeleteFor the first time in my life yesterday evening ,I watched a ballet throughout ,Janice.
ReplyDeleteThe piece of music I loved was played 9 minutes before the end!
It was not a patch on the Hauser cello version!
Having now watched all of it, I agree.
DeleteLooking forward to a more relaxing day. Still in bed but with a cup of tea, and have been listening to the first episode of Sparky's magic piano Archerfile. Was chuckling at the interaction between Sparky and his piano teacher, and then came the voice of the piano which sounded so like a Dalek it made me jump. We didn't have a television but our neighbours let us watch Dr Who with their children, and I can still remember running fast back down our drive in the dark in case any Daleks were lurking behind he shrubs. I think Sparky's magic piano must have been in existence before Dr Who.
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed the clarinet cadenza very much. I like music where there is a main instrument that is not overwhelmed by the other instruments, and here the voice of the clarinet is clearly heard. Lovely.
ReplyDeleteDaughter is cooking Sunday dinner today for the rest of us, ( I cooked Xmas day and Boxing day) so I can just relax, listen to this music and hopefully watch the rest of the Nutcracker on the Iplayer. She says she can't face another roast, so dinner will be a surprise.
Janice, I am very flattered that you have taken the trouble to track down and listen to my choices.
ReplyDeleteAnd I am very please that you enjoyed some of them. Listening to Sid Phillips reminds me so much of my Dad, practicing his baritone sax and clarinet in the dining room to my Mum’s piano accompaniment
Have only just caught up with this thread.
ReplyDeleteSparky’s Magic Piano !
Oh what memories.
Frequently played in our house, probably due to my mothers long held ambition to play the piano. She never did.
Janice - yes it was long long before Dr Who, ( 40s and 50s ) but now I think about it - and I have not re listened yet - I can hear in my head the similarities. I will need to look up the history of the making of the records.
Others may be able to confirm….. please. We’re there not a set of the records, not just one round, hard, disc ?
I often wonder what happened to all those original records.
All my fathers classical pieces and my mothers pop, and the Doris Day’s.
How were they disposed of ?
Where did they go ?
Mistral would you like to post your choices?
ReplyDeleteArcherphile I’ve really enjoyed listening to your choices. Some I knew but hadn’t listened to them for ages and it’s been good to get reacquainted. John Field was an unknown - the nocturne you chose is beautiful, a good find. Also Holtby’s South Riding I remember enjoying years ago and will read again - when I find it ( I never throw anything away )!
ReplyDelete✔️✔️ 😊
DeletePlan A is to start to read South Riding again this evening,Archerphile.
ReplyDeleteMy copy once belonged to a BA Hall ,Guys Hospital .
Apparently it was a 21st birthday present on February 1948 .
I don’t know how I got hold of it.
Hello, sorry for the delay, snowed under here, but I will try to post my choices tomorrow - that is my resolution!
ReplyDeleteI decided not to follow the DID format of choosing tracks that have an emotional bearing throughout my life, but just to choose music that I love now. This year I have become a R3 listener, also R3 Unwind, which has opened up so much new - to me - music a lot of which I don't know, but I am always thrilled when I recognise something.
ReplyDeleteHere are my choices, randomly...
1) Gymnopedie - Erik Satie. I first heard this at a student art show in Leeds in the 70's, and think it is the most beautiful, calming music - I just hang on waiting for each note, I love it. R3 did a 'Satie-day last summer, I listened all day.
2) Balero - Ravel. Mesmerising. I spent my younger years in Nottingham and Tovill and Dean had such a huge success with this, but I knew it well before as it was one of the handful of records in my family home, this and The Planet Suite were my parents' favourites.
3)Jupiter - Holst , my favourite from the above.
4)West Side Story - Bernstein. I don't much like 'Maria' or 'I Feel Pretty' but really love the rest of the soundtrack, I have several versions including the operatic one with Kiri Te Kanawa. My absolute favourite tracks are 'America' and the 'Jet Song'. I didn't think the 60's film could be bettered, but Steven Spiellberg certainly equalled it, I love them both. 'Stay cool, daddio' !
5)Farewell to Stromness - Peter Maxwell Davies. Every note pulls me in, I think it is sublime. I had never heard this until my son had it at his wedding, and I know it was a protest/lament, but how gorgeous it is.
6) Claire de Lune - Debussy. Another one which makes me hold my breath, waiting...so beautiful.
7) O Mio Babbino Caro - Puccini. I am not an opera-goer, but I do love Puccini, and this is my favourite aria, soaring and pure. If I hear it, everything stops, I have to listen, it is not background music for me.
8) Swan Lake - Tchaikovsky. Specifically the point at which Billy Elliot soars onto the stage in Mathew Bourne's production. I loved the film and later the musical, of Billy Elliot, and was interested in the final scene when he becomes a dancer, so did some research and found out about Mathew Bourne, and have seen every one of his productions, I would not miss one - just got tickets for The Car Man this summer. The bit where he erupts onto the stage is breath-taking, I am so glad I saw it. Whenever I hear the music, it makes me really happy.
Luxury - my bed, pillows and duvet and very good linen sheets.
Book - The entire series of Philip Pullman's 'His Dark Materials/The Book of Dust.
These books are such a part of my life and my family history that I would not be without them. I can always get lost in his imagination. I met him once and asked if he was widely travelled as his scenes are so vivid, he said not, but he was a great user of our public library system, research was free!
The disc I would save would be Farewell to Stromness, I think it is utterly sublime.
I have really enjoyed doing this, listened to each piece of music again, it has taken ages and I have entirely missed out whole swathes of stuff I love - jazz, folk, choral music etc, but this is my mood now, very mellow.
Time to take the dog out.
I am still in bed as I read this Mistral.
ReplyDeleteA most enjoyable read .
Thank you.
I am hoping I can still get onto the blog to comment further about one particular piece of music.
I have decided to make one comment now,Mistral.
ReplyDeleteIt is about Peter Maxwell Davies.
I went to school in Leigh which was then a small industrial town- cotton mills and coal mines -as did he .There were two single sex Grammar Schools miles apart .
I didn’t know him .He was 6 years older than me anyway but a friend of mine did and he said that the headmaster told Max ,as he was known ,that he shouldn’t study music because that was only for girls.
Meant to say that I think that Fairwell to Stromness is lovely too.
Delete….also that Mrs P knows someone famous from Leigh!
DeleteI’m lost LanJan !
DeleteWho do I know who is from Leigh ?
I was born in Leigh Lanjan, and lived there till the age of 4. We still visit relatives there but they are getting few and far between now.
DeleteWell I never ,Cheshire Cheese..
DeleteSmall world.
I didnt live in Leigh .I lived in Culcheth
Did any of your relatives go to the Girls’ Grammar School?
I haven’t been back there for many years and have only one friend who still lives there.
It had a great outdoor market in the days when I was at school there.
One of the people we met at Waterloo all those years ago whose pseudonym I have forgotten- (but I bet PTBY would remember or maybe Mrs P might ) had a sister who lived in the same small Close as my mum did .
Mrs P didn’t you know Georgie Fame?
He came from Leigh.
Can’t remember who it was Lanjan.
DeleteBootgums ? - even though I wasn't there.
DeleteMistral, you have made some wonderful choices. I also love Farewell to Stromess, it was played nightly by a string quintet on one of our cruises, a good night tune to send us off to bed after a day at sea. It always reminds me of sailing up Norwegian fjords.
ReplyDeleteClair de Lune is another favourite, months spent trying to perfect it on the piano! And also the Puccini, one of the loveliest arias. I don’t blame you for choosing your luxury bedding and you have encouraged me to try the Phillip Pullman’s books which I have never read, a big gap, in my reading history - thank you.
Lan Jan, my mum grew up in Leigh, my father was from Preston, How did that Head Master get his job? All those invisible female composers who didn't get played in their lifetimes....
ReplyDeleteArcherphile, thank you, and I hope you enjoy His Dark Materials - originally marketed as young peoples fiction, but really so much more, I would like to live in his space. Like you and 'Michelle', I have a grandchild named after one of the characters, who wrenched my heart, and also my daughter's.
That is interesting Mistral.
ReplyDeleteDid your mum go to the same school asI did?
Could she have been there at the same time as me?.
Mistral….love the Erik Satie piece. So calming.
ReplyDeleteWest side story……Watched it once. There’s 3 hours of my life I’ll never get back!!
Oh the memories of seeing Torville and Deans Bolero routine as a kid. I was convinced I’d be brilliant as an ice dancer. Been ice skating once in my 30’s. Spent most of the time on my backside.
Love your choices Mistral. I didn’t know Farewell to Stromness - like Claire de lune, those pauses are so important. I remember my big sister playing C de Lune so tenderly. I love O Mio Babbino Caro too. You say you are not an opera goer but have you ever seen GiannI Schicchi? It is hilarious - slapstick at times then there is this sublime aria. It is usually part of a trio of short Puccini operas and I’m not sure if those would appeal but GS would make you laugh.
ReplyDeleteI’ve never read any Phillip Pullman books so I look forward to remedying that. Thank you Mistral.
Farewell to Stromness was the only one that I hadn't heard before Mistral. Thank you for introducing me to such a lovely piece of music ❤️
ReplyDeleteLove the Puccini aria. Hadn't heard it before.
ReplyDeleteNow just listened to Gymnopedia and recognized it when heard. Very nice.
DeleteI will be listening to Mistrals choices when in my own home and alone.
ReplyDeleteCan’t do it here whilst visiting.
However I love Eric Satie, even though I am not able to name the pieces.
Clair de Lune was my mothers favourite piece, although generally she didn’t care for. Classical music unlike my father.
For about a year in my mid forties I went out with a guy who was the first violin with the LSO and I often went to rehearsals as well as performances. I have a memory of sitting in the empty auditorium at the FESTIVAL hall listening to the Bolero in rehearsal.
Breathtaking excitement whenever I hear it. And I love watching the Flash Mob UTube.
The Holst - I an Aries so Mars is my favourite of course.
And I love West Side Story.
My first big date at 16 was being in a box watching the NY cast soon after they brought it to London. Loved it then, loved the film, took myself to Sadlers Wells when revived in the 2000s. America and Bennie and the Jets.
And Farewell to Stromness - I play very often.
Beautiful and calming !
Have not and don’t intend to read P. Pullman.
Tried to watch television production but pulled out pretty quickly.
A nice selection Mistral….
Thank you.
Thank you all for your kind comments,
ReplyDeleteSoz, I will look out for those Puccini operas, I have only ever seen Madama Butterfly, really enjoyed it so would like to see some more if they ever come my way.
Lan Jan, no idea where my mum went to school, she wasn't very forthcoming. I know that she once made an effort to visit her mother's grave somewhere up there, bit couldn't find even the area, all swallowed under motorways she said.
Re: Philip Pullman - I couldn't watch the T.V. series either, or the terrible film. The BBC did a play many years ago with a very famous actress, can't remember who, but it was appalling.
Not everybody's cup of tea, but I love it!!
Soz, would you care to step up next?
ReplyDeleteGive me a day and I’ll put them on the blog tomorrow.
DeleteWe’ll look forward to it, but no pressure!
Delete
ReplyDeleteI’ve found it very difficult to confine myself to just 8 pieces of music. So once I accepted that I couldn’t include everything I liked and that next month I might make completely different choices, the task became easier.
1) ‘Once in Royal David’s City’ from a Christmas Eve service of 9 lessons and carols from Kings College Cambridge. It would remind me of a very happy childhood. Christmases were memorable.They started at 3pm on Christmas Eve when we listened to the service. My father would always comment on the choirboy’s opening solo and the acoustics in the chapel are outstanding.
2) ‘My Fair Lady’ a record of the whole show would be great but if I have to pick one track it would be ‘I could have danced all night’. My brother was in the navy and brought back LPs from America long before they were available here. As a stage struck 8/9 year old I played these records over and over again so I knew all the words to Oklahoma, South Pacific, Carousel but the one I liked best was My Fair Lady. My brother took my mother and I to Drury Lane to see it twice. I never saw Julie Andrews but did see Rex Harrison and Stanley Holloway. There’s not a weak song in the whole show.
3)Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake - the white swan pas de deux.This piece of music is one that makes you shiver and when watching a quality performance I find I stop breathing - it is almost too beautiful to bear.
Mistral I don’t know whether this is the moment that Billy Elliot soars onto the stage. !?
There are so many other pieces of ballet music I would like to choose (eg Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet or Cinderella) but this one induces the most emotion.
4) Cosi fan tutte Act 1 trio. Apart from light opera - Gilbert and Sullivan, The Merry Widow etc I hadn’t seen any opera until well in my twenties. Cosi fan tutte was the first one I saw. The music is sublime and I like to see how each production deals with the issues of infidelity and self deception. I would like a recording of the whole opera but I have chosen the trio from Act 1 if I’m only allowed one piece.
5) Der Rosenkavalier trio from Act 3 Richard Strauss
I had to include something by Richard Strauss. His sound is so individual and definitely has the ‘tingle’ factor.
Trying to choose one piece from an opera has made me realise how important it is to see it live; when you can immerse yourself in the sound and the sights of a performance.
Sometimes it can be difficult to get myself to the theatre and I wonder is it worth the effort. Then the overture starts, I take a breath, relax and lose myself in another world.
6) Chris Smither Leave the Light On
I have seen Chris live 4 or 5 times. He is always good value but I could listen to him all night. His guitar playing is something else.
7) ‘Fields of Gold ‘ Eva Cassidy’s cover
This is one of my husband’s favourite songs and I love it. I wanted something to remind me of the English countryside and the wind playing over a field of barley is a mesmerising sight.
It is said that Sting preferred Eva’s interpretation of his song to his own.
8) ‘Send in the Clowns’ from A Little Night Music’ Stephen Sondheim.
ReplyDeleteJudi Dench
I have always been moved by this song but what swayed me to include it was when I found that Judi Dench had performed it for Sondheim’s 80th birthday. So I have Judi’s voice as well as the song. As a teenager I saw Judi in Romeo and Juliet and for the first time I could hear Shakespeare’s words and understand them. She brought it to life.( though I did have John Stride’s name scrawled all over my pencil case - he was Romeo) Her enthusiasm for the bard is well known and is evident in her portrayal of any Shakespearean character she has played.
Probably Glynis John’s version of the song is the best but Judi lives it.
Book: The Oxford book of English Verse
I nearly chose Elizabeth Jane Howard’s ‘Cazalet Chronicles’ but thought I would get more from a poetry anthology and this is the one I know best. I intend to learn a poem by heart every week so that should keep my brain active!
Luxury item: I was going to choose a bed with luxurious bedding but Mistral beat me to it. So I wondered if I could have a heated swimming pool instead with nice fluffy towels to dry myself. I can’t walk very easily but I can still swim. I know I’m on an island but I might be surrounded by shark infested water and the sea may be cold.
Which record would I save? Actually none of the above as the one piece of music that means the most to me hasn’t been recorded yet. Mr Soz wrote the lyrics and composed the music for a song which he plays on his guitar. It describes how we met and his feelings for me - it is truly beautiful.
Soz
ReplyDeleteYour final paragraph !
So romantic…….. how lovely.
I will never forget Glynis Johns singing Send in the Clowns on Parkinson, whenever it was.
Mesmerising.
And, yes, the best rendition…..ever.
Soz, your most treasured piece of music is there just for the two of you...
DeleteIt's a shame that we can't hear the song that Mr Soz wrote for you Soz.
ReplyDeleteFantastic selection Soz, thank you.
ReplyDeleteHave only just begun to listen to your choices Soz, but I recognized the lovely Fields of Gold because it was played at a funeral I attended back in the Autumn. It totally suited the countryman who died. I think when he chose it he would have been thinking of his wife who had died previously.
ReplyDeleteThought Send in the Clowns with Judi Dench was truly moving, and also liked the Rosenkavalier tri ( felt sorry for the older woman though, she deserved better than that feckless youth!). Hadn't come acoss the Chris Smither before but will now listen to some more of his.
DeleteLizzie Dee would you like to present next?
ReplyDelete