Desert Island Discs Revisited

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BBC Radio 4 Extra

Factual: Life Stories

Selected castaway gems from the BBC Desert Island Discs archive.

Desert Island Discs Revisited: BBC Proms 2022: Sir Simon Rattle

Sir Simon Rattle

BBC Proms 2022

Desert Island Discs

BBC Radio 4 Extra - Desert Island Discs Revisited, BBC Proms 2022, Sir Simon Rattle

From Bach to Joni Mitchell, conductor Simon Rattle shares his castaway choices.

From Bach to Joni Mitchell, conductor Simon Rattle shares his castaway choices with Kirsty Young. From January 2008.

Kirsty Young's castaway is Sir Simon Rattle. In 2002 he became Principal Conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic - regarded by many as the finest symphony orchestra in the world. He is only the sixth person to hold the position in 120 years and is the first Briton to take on the challenge.

Growing up in Liverpool in the 1960s, while other youngsters were listening to The Beatles, he was transfixed by Mahler and was determined to become a conductor. His talent was prodigious. He won an international conducting competition aged just 19 and so, with plenty of enthusiasm but scant experience, began his career. Initially, because of his youth, his approach was collaborative rather than autocratic and it has been a style that brought tremendous results during his 18-year association with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. He insists that his approach with the Berlin Philharmonic is about teamwork too - but concedes that it is an orchestra that contains some very strong characters and very big egos.

He tells Kirsty how, choosing his Desert Island Discs, he has been drawn towards music that expressed joy and pain in equal measure.

Favourite track: Scherza Infida from Ariodante by George Frideric Handel
Book: Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes
Luxury: Italian coffee machine and grinder

Producer: Sharon Banoff 

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2008.

Desert Island Discs Revisited: BBC Proms 2022

Your digital radio entertainment station showcasing the best in comedy and drama

Your digital radio entertainment station showcasing the best in comedy and drama. With recent favourites from BBC Radio 4.

A collection of castaways closely connected to this year's festival.

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