Sir George Christie

Speaker 30:00

Hello, I'm Kirsty Young, and this is a podcast from the Desert Island Discs archive. For rights reasons, we've had to shorten the music.

Speaker 30:08

The programme was originally broadcast in nineteen ninety four, and the presenter was Sue Lawley.

Presenter0:30

My castaway this week is an opera impresario. From his father he inherited a beautiful house, magnificent grounds and a private theatre, which was establishing itself as a place of serious music making. That was in 1962. Today, more than thirty years later, he is the master of one of Europe's most distinguished opera houses, famous not only as a mainstay of the English social scene, but also as a place of creativity and innovation.

Presenter0:56

After a season of no productions, this year he welcomed back his audiences to a new building, Britain's latest and much acclaimed opera house. He is the chairman of Glinebourne, Sir George Christie.

Presenter1:08

In fact, the original Opera House was was born in about the same year as you, wasn't it, Sir George?

Sir George Christie1:15

It was built in the same year, though it was quite a few months afterwards. I suppose I trod the boards, actually,'cause I was conceived by the time my mother s performed Susanna on on stage in that first nineteen thirty four festival.

Presenter1:32

And you've lived nowhere else but Glimborn all your life. It's a family home and you're still there. So you've always had an opera house in the back garden. I mean, did did did this mark you out as a child? Did other people nudge and say, he's the one whose dad built that thing in the back garden?

Sir George Christie1:36

It's a family

Sir George Christie1:49

No, I don't think it made much difference as far as other people m my contemporaries were concerned at school and that type of thing.

Sir George Christie1:55

My oldest son went to a tea party locally and at the end of the tea party he said to his hostess, Thank you for a lovely time and then he said, Could I perhaps just have a look at your opera house? thinking it was kind of the norm that people automatically have an opera house attached to their their homes.

Presenter2:15

It's the same as they have a garden shed.

Sir George Christie2:16

Record.

Presenter2:17

But it is of course a national institution now, but back in 1934

Presenter2:22

It must have appeared to all those who knew your father as really a quite a dotty thing to do, to to decide to build an opera in the middle of the Sussex countryside, miles from anywhere.

Sir George Christie2:33

True. I mean, I think it was a dotty idea, and he was regarded as rather eccentric to do it.

Sir George Christie2:39

and risk a lot of money in the process.

Presenter2:41

But he he was a genuine eccentric, was he, your father?

Sir George Christie2:44

He was ecc very eccentric indeed, I mean so much so that um when he went on his honeymoon with his much younger wife, uh they went to Salzburg.

Sir George Christie2:55

And she got struck down with acute appendicitis and was popped into hospital and was operated on immediately.

Sir George Christie3:03

And when she woke up she found my father in a bed next door to her. And when he came to, she said, What on earth what on earth are you doing here? and to which he said, Well, it's a completely useless organ, and I'm on it on my honeymoon with nothing better to do, so I thought I'd h have mine out as well. Nineteen thirty one. Rather risky thing to do.

Presenter3:21

What about you on a desert island? What sort of music are you going to take? Is it all opera?

Sir George Christie3:26

No, it's not.

Presenter3:27

It's not gonna

Sir George Christie3:27

be all opera, though there is going to be quite a large amount of opera.

Sir George Christie3:31

There's a couple of wild cards, and there are a couple of orchestral pieces.

Sir George Christie3:38

So four out of eight are non-operatic.

Presenter3:42

Tell me about the first one, which is operatic.

Sir George Christie3:44

First one is Mozart's I Domineo, Zefiretti Luzinghieri, sung by Seni Yuri Knatz, conducted by Fritz Busch, an ari which I think is more ravishingly sung than

Sir George Christie3:57

I would ever hope to hear anywhere else.

Presenter4:50

The Aria Zeffiretti Luzinghieri, from Mozart's Idomineo, sung by Sena Jorinatz, with the Gleinborn Festival chorus conducted by Fritz Busch. Mozart's always been at the core of the Gleinborn Festival. You've never done a season with a season without him, have you?

Sir George Christie5:06

I don't think we ever have.

Presenter5:08

Do you think you ever would?

Sir George Christie5:09

No.

Sir George Christie5:10

Not in my lifetime.

Presenter5:12

But you insist, do you?

Sir George Christie5:13

I would absolutely, absolutely insist on that. I don't think I'd be alone, though.

Sir George Christie5:19

I don't think I'd have any opposition whatsoever.

Presenter5:21

No battle on that one. Maybe battles on other things, but we'll talk about that in a minute. Because Gleimborn, I think, has been responsible for for bringing a lot of Mozart's operas to popularity, hasn't it? Idomine, certainly.

Sir George Christie5:21

Yeah.

Sir George Christie5:32

In Domino we did the British professional performance on back in nineteen fifty, I think it was. We also brought Cozy to a state of popularity back in nineteen thirty four when we started an opera which had been relatively disgraced, oddly.

Sir George Christie5:49

But had been regarded as dramatically rather slight and rather perverse.

Presenter5:56

Let's go back to you as a small boy at Glenbourne in the sort of late thirties. Then you were away for the war, I know, but back again in about forty four. Is it true that during performances you used to sneak around the grounds nicking things from people's picnics that they'd left out there?

Sir George Christie6:12

Topsy rubbish

Presenter6:14

It's a good story there.

Sir George Christie6:16

Doubtless, Andrew.

Sir George Christie6:18

Totally untrue, and and and even the temptation was there.

Presenter6:21

Oh, w why? Because they didn't bring very good food.

Sir George Christie6:23

No, because I was never riding out in the garden at that time in the evening, knowing that probably I would do so.

Presenter6:28

What about the the music? What sort of impression did it make on you as a small boy? Do you remember?

Sir George Christie6:35

I can't remember before the war, I ca can remember after the war, I can remember the Verdi operas Baron Mascara.

Sir George Christie6:41

and Forza del D'Estino, and the Perfigaro and Cossi in those early days, and they all all made quite a deep impression.

Sir George Christie6:50

It was at that particular point, I suppose, that I really began to feel that I was pretty well wedded to Glenbourne. I had no difficulty when it came to the inheritance.

Presenter6:59

But did you have a

Sir George Christie6:59

I'm accepting the inheritance.

Presenter7:00

Did you have any choice in that, do you think? I mean, or were you always was your father always determined?

Sir George Christie7:06

My father was, I think, always determined. I didn't think that I had much choice simply because I wouldn't have been a very good vet or dentist or lawyer, charity accountant.

Presenter7:15

You studied languages, didn't you?

Sir George Christie7:17

I started lining up to play good at them.

Sir George Christie7:19

I mean, I studied an instrument. I wasn't very good at that either.

Presenter7:22

So so you're lucky, really, that you have something to inherit?

Sir George Christie7:25

Yeah, that was. Quite right.

Presenter7:26

It's her record number two.

Sir George Christie7:28

Record number two

Sir George Christie7:30

Is a dotty old musical song sung by Leslie Holmes. What can you give a nudis for her birthday?

Presenter7:40

Why why would you like that? said George.

Sir George Christie7:42

I think the whole I think the desert island desperately needs to be cheered up a bit.

Presenter7:43

Okay.

Speaker 47:45

One

Sir George Christie7:46

What can you give a nudice for a present? The things I used to buy her would be wrong. I've sent a check, but dash it, how could she go out to cash it? What can you give Anudis when her birthday comes along?

Sir George Christie8:01

Now I know she's fond of reading, but if I get her some books, I don't know whether to send them with the covers on or the covers off. Now it's a bit chilly, a hot water bottle might be useful. Anyhow, she could sit on it while she was doing her knitting. But perhaps she doesn't knit now, and there you are, if she's not a knitter.

Speaker 48:15

F w

Sir George Christie8:16

And the second verse is wonderful as well.

Presenter8:19

That was Leslie Holmes and the old musical song What Can You Give a Nudist for Her Birthday? Your father died when you were twenty eight, um, which meant that you had to take over, although you'd already been involved in in the running of the show, as it were. Um that must have been a great responsibility. Was it easy for you to effect that?

Sir George Christie8:37

I had to impose some kind of authority, which took a long time to achieve, because between

Sir George Christie8:44

My mother's death and my father's death, nineteen fifty three and nineteen sixty two.

Sir George Christie8:50

Other people had got themselves wedged in to uh the organization and were running it.

Presenter8:56

And they didn't want a twenty-eight-year-old.

Sir George Christie8:58

And they didn't want a twenty-seven, twenty-eight-year-old heaving its his weight around.

Sir George Christie9:03

And so it was.

Sir George Christie9:05

A process of gradual attrition.

Sir George Christie9:08

Which kind of worked, I think.

Presenter9:10

What about today? I mean, you have a, again, a a full management structure, a full complement of administrators. You've got a general director, a music director, a director of productions.

Presenter9:20

How much influence do you yourself have to day?

Sir George Christie9:24

Well, I think probably that question should be addressed to them rather than to me. I think I have a loyalty.

Sir George Christie9:30

And to that extent, I think that people listen to what I say. In other words,

Sir George Christie9:35

They recognized the fact that I'd been there almost certainly longer than any of them.

Sir George Christie9:39

and know the profession fairly well. I think they don't dislike me.

Presenter9:45

But would you I mean, you you are still chairman, I mean, would you have the power to draw the line somewhere? Are there certain operas that you would not have on?

Presenter9:54

What are they?

Sir George Christie9:56

I don't dislike, but I don't terribly like.

Sir George Christie9:59

And I'm regarded as being

Sir George Christie10:02

Very.

Sir George Christie10:04

Perverse in saying that I would not allow Vozsek.

Sir George Christie10:09

Bergsvotsek to B stage at Glindborn. I simply don't terribly like the work. I find it stuffs a message down your throat in a rather Brechtian way, which I find actually rather intolerable. I rather like messages given to me subtly rather than with great force.

Presenter10:27

So so it's a b you it's twentieth century music that you would object to, is it more than

Sir George Christie10:32

No, not at all. I do actually quite like a lot of twentieth century music. In fact, some twentieth century music I prefer to any other music.

Presenter10:39

Record number three.

Sir George Christie10:41

Record number three is the trio from the second act of Rossini's Le Contorie, sung by Juan Anthina, Shari Barabash and Korakane Maia. I think it's one of the most beautiful romantic pieces of music written by Rossini, and my selection of records has been chosen composer by composer.

Sir George Christie11:03

because I find it very, very difficult to sit down and simply choose those pieces which smack of nostalgia or whatever it may be. So I simply chose each piece according to those composers who I love most, and those pieces of music which I love most and those composers.

Speaker 311:20

Uh

Speaker 411:25

Yeah.

Speaker 411:57

Believe in the world, sweet us we serve with all.

Presenter12:08

The trio Damour et Desperance from the second act of Rossini's Le Comte Horie.

Presenter12:13

The hallmarks of Gleinbourne George Christie are well known, immaculate productions, an emphasis on acting as well as on singing, and the fact that there are no superstars. You you prefer young, gifted, international stars to prima donnas, don't you?

Sir George Christie12:29

Well, there's a very natural uh explanation for that, and that has to do with the fact that we can't afford the stars.

Sir George Christie12:36

What we like to think is we have actually discovered occasionally stars like um well we can't quite say we discovered Barbarotti, but

Sir George Christie12:43

We engaged him very early in his career, at the time when he was within our prize bracket. The same applies to a lot of other thinkers like Janet Baker.

Sir George Christie12:53

Who started her creature climb on finished her career climb on?

Sir George Christie12:56

And

Presenter12:57

You say within your price bracket, but you do pay somewhat less than they might nevertheless command elsewhere, don't you?

Sir George Christie13:04

Well, when they first come to Glenbourne, we try and compete with the going rate for

Sir George Christie13:10

The singer in question.

Sir George Christie13:12

When they come back, if they come back, you can be almost certain that.

Sir George Christie13:17

They will be in a different price bracket, but they'll come back for a lower price.

Presenter13:22

So it it it can one compare it with Wimbledon, if you like, that actually the cachet of appearing at Glinebourne is is greater than the financial reward, and so they come.

Sir George Christie13:31

Is that what happens at Wimbledon?

Presenter13:33

Well, I think in the past I mean the prize money's higher now, but in the past the prize money was not high, but players wanted to play at Wimbledon.

Sir George Christie13:36

Surprise my

Sir George Christie13:37

Value.

Sir George Christie13:39

But I think I think the ana the analogy in that case is great.

Presenter13:42

You're also quite demanding, as I understand it. I mean, you expect them to toe the line. They're they're supposed to stay for longer rehearsal or arrive for longer rehearsals, aren't they?

Sir George Christie13:51

A lot of singers actually rather like this, particularly if they're gonna learn a new role. They want to get that role under their belt. The fact that they're taking quite a long time through rehearsal, too.

Sir George Christie14:02

Get an insight into the row. Suits them.

Sir George Christie14:06

Uh but there are those who grow out of that situation.

Sir George Christie14:10

Either don't want to learn any new roles because they're happy to go round the circuit with the same old repertory, or those who

Sir George Christie14:19

would like to know a new role and be done with it very quickly. But the serious ones, I think, tend to enjoy coming back and doing a long stint.

Presenter14:27

But Glimborn has a reputation for insisting on three weeks, and even those who know the parts very well have to turn up for that, and they have to be prepared to have their accents corrected, or their demi, semi quavers pointed up, or whatever it is. I mean, it's a punctilious business at Glimborn.

Sir George Christie14:42

Well, that's perfectly true. But think of a number you said three weeks. You can double it.

Sir George Christie14:46

We are talking about six weeks of rehearsal.

Sir George Christie14:49

Usually.

Presenter14:50

It does sound, I have to say, reading about it, a a bit like a boarding school, that you're all living there together. I mean, the family obviously, but then the musicians, directors, singers and obviously there has to be some order and some rules. But apparently there's there's even a notice board, um, you know, telling people what's out of bounds, or which fields they can't go into.

Sir George Christie15:11

It's not really a rule, it's a recommendation that they don't kind of wander off, particularly if they've got a dog, into a field full of sheep.

Presenter15:17

Hm. But some of them have been known to to to christen it glindits, haven't they?

Sir George Christie15:22

Oh yes, but uh that's because they're locked up and grindable for such a long period. They're not really locked up. Um just there's nowhere else to go. They've got plenty of freedom. These thing as you rightly say they haven't got anywhere else to go, exactly.

Presenter15:29

It's just there's nowhere else to go.

Presenter15:35

Let's have some more music. Tell me about this one.

Sir George Christie15:38

The next piece is an entract from Schubert's Rosenmund. It was extremely difficult to choose anything from Schubert, rather like the Mozart, without, as it were, excluding most of his output, which one would love to have taken on the on the Desert Island.

Presenter16:52

The second Leidnder from Schubert's Rosamond. It's it's pretty obvious from all that you've said that that that wonderful inheritance as it is, it is nevertheless a very demanding one and often quite restrictive, because of course you you really can't call your house your own between April and September, can you?

Sir George Christie17:10

It goes on longer longer than that. It goes on really from the beginning of April when we start rehearsals to late October when we've taken our touring company out on tour. From November through March we revert to a normal household.

Presenter17:26

But through the summer, uh I mean, seventy two days of the summer, you cannot walk into your own garden after two or three o'clock in the afternoon.

Sir George Christie17:32

They were an operatic.

Sir George Christie17:34

We're an operatic hotel.

Presenter17:35

Does that does that get to you sometimes?

Sir George Christie17:37

No, not if you've been brought up in it.

Sir George Christie17:40

It seems to be a perfectly natural way of living.

Presenter17:42

But it is an invasion of your privacy. I I mean, I wonder if you and and Lady Christie have ever discussed moving somewhere else. I mean, finally giving in to the fact that the Opera House is not in your back garden. I mean, i i i that's what the complex is.

Sir George Christie17:55

Well, I suppose to begin with, when we took it over, we were slightly resentful, and thought that the place belongs to us, and we would like to impose our rules. But on the other hand, that quickly disappeared.

Sir George Christie18:09

And

Sir George Christie18:11

The more we live there, th the the more we accept the situation. I mean, I have no difficulty with it at all, and I think actually the same applies to my wife.

Sir George Christie18:19

She actually

Sir George Christie18:21

In a way, might have suffered more than I, because she wasn't brought up in it.

Sir George Christie18:24

No, there's no great problem on that on that score.

Presenter18:27

Pickwood number five.

Sir George Christie18:29

Record number five is the end of the chorus to Verdes Macbeth. I actually in nineteen forty-seven performed ridiculous mute part as Banquo's son, the only time that I've ever trod the boards and I thought perhaps a little bit of Macbeth would be and what's more, it's a rather good rumpty-time piece of music which I would rather enjoy on the Desert Island.

Presenter19:40

Part of the chorus Scudi Inferno from Verdis Macbeth with the orchestra and chorus of the Bologna Theatre conducted by Riccardo Schaill

Presenter19:47

This year, sixty years to the day of its first opening, may the twenty eighth, the curtain went up at Glinebourne on the marriage of Figaro, same opera, but a completely different opera house. Was it or how painful a decision was it to demolish the original?

Sir George Christie20:03

But I must confess it wasn't all that painful.

Sir George Christie20:06

It was.

Sir George Christie20:07

If truth be known, I think very much my idea that we should embark on the rebuild. And we did so because the old theatre

Sir George Christie20:17

Simply hadn't a hope of surviving a form.

Sir George Christie20:20

much time, and I had been hankering to uh rebuild the thing, which I'm quite certain my father was likewise wanted to do.

Presenter20:29

But it was nevertheless um very special, wasn't it? It had its own homespun charm, at that sort of village hall atmosphere almost, that that people loved, and that was one of the reasons they loved Glimborn. Did you get many nasty letters saying you're not to do this?

Sir George Christie20:44

Oddly enough, not many. We had to destroy the old house, but it had absolutely no architectural merit to it, so much so that English Heritage, when I asked them to come down,

Sir George Christie20:55

viewed the thing and said

Sir George Christie20:58

Rather insultingly, I thought, that there wasn't a solitary thing worth preserving in the old building.

Speaker 421:03

Uh

Presenter21:03

Yeah.

Speaker 421:03

Yeah.

Presenter21:03

Uh

Sir George Christie21:03

On the other hand, that was precisely the message that I was seeking.

Presenter21:07

The rebuild cost thirty three million pounds, and and it's taken two years, and it's certainly very elegant and has won many plaudits. I mean, can you describe it? It's mainly red brick, isn't it?

Sir George Christie21:18

It's externally mainly red brick with lead cladding as far as the roof is concerned and as far as the fly tower is concerned. Flytire is actually made of

Sir George Christie21:29

a steel structure, but the rest of the building is load bearing brick and internally it is pitch pine, recovered pitch pine, most of it a hundred, a hundred and fifty years old, recovered from warehousing in the north and the midlands.

Presenter21:44

It's very curvaceous, the auditorium.

Sir George Christie21:45

and the auditorium is a horseshoe.

Presenter21:48

So it's it's it's quite formal in a way, but at the same time it's quite country, I suppose.

Sir George Christie21:52

It's quite country. I've always um laid great great stress on on the need for something which is not plush.

Sir George Christie21:59

which is not pompous, but something which fits in essentially with a Glenbourne and that kind of homespun feel that surrounds the dear old house.

Presenter22:11

Well, no, it cost as a whole, as I said, thirty three million pounds. Money mainly raised through companies, I think.

Sir George Christie22:18

No. Three hundred companies approximately a little over three hundred companies provided seventy five percent and three hundred individuals provided twenty five percent. Twenty five percent.

Sir George Christie22:33

Equal something close on eight million pounds. So that's sub a substantial amount to have been given by individuals.

Presenter22:40

Certainly, but twenty five million through companies. Does that mean that there is now a greater corporate hold on tickets?

Sir George Christie22:46

The corporate presence at Glenbourne has reduced.

Sir George Christie22:52

It was never higher than thirty five percent in the old auditorium, it is now around about twenty seven percent.

Sir George Christie22:59

So

Presenter23:01

It was a pretty tough deal you drove with.

Sir George Christie23:01

Pretty tough deal, you'd rather have to do it.

Sir George Christie23:04

of the ticket holders are represented by those who've contributed the capital costs of the new theatre for the benefit of seventy three percent. That seems to be a remarkable bargain for the seventy three percent.

Presenter23:18

Yes. The the companies perhaps didn't get such a good bargain, did they, putting up twenty five million pounds.

Sir George Christie23:23

I did the companies?

Sir George Christie23:25

wanted to be an exclusive club, I think. They didn't want to be a huge part of a massive fundraising effort. They wanted to feel a personal stake in in in Granbourne. And to that extent we didn't go out to a huge number of companies. We went to those we knew wanted to support Groundbourne.

Presenter23:46

But how much does it worry you the the fact that there is this social Gleinborn as well as the artistic Gleinborn, and if you're not careful you can have an awful lot of people there who don't care too much, perhaps, about the quality of the opera, but want to say they've been to Gleinbourne.

Sir George Christie23:59

Well, there's nothing much we can do about that, but we have opened up our doors to a much wider section of the general public, by which I don't mean the individual members, I do mean the general public, who have now access to Glimborn in a way that they never previously had, and there are lots of ten pound standing places and fifteen pound seats, which we didn't have in the old theatre.

Presenter24:20

Record number six.

Sir George Christie24:22

Record number six is the prayer from Janacek's opera Yenufa, sung by Elizabeth Soderstrom. Janacek is a composer who I regard as being perhaps the more or less the epitome of twentieth century composers.

Speaker 424:47

Oh yeah, not cheating.

Speaker 424:57

Word with His His On Him.

Speaker 425:06

Oh my god cannot see or sell cheek Oh Madkina Sve

Presenter25:27

Elizabeth Serderstrom singing the prayer from the second act of Janacek's Jennofa with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Sir Charles MacKerris.

Presenter25:35

By the sound of it, George Christie, your life is anything but solitary. I mean, you're surrounded by people who are obviously very gregarious. Would you therefore

Presenter25:44

Welcome the idea of a desert island and being solitary and silent for a time, or would you hate it?

Sir George Christie25:51

Well, I suppose in a way the grass is always green you think you might enjoy something which you haven't particularly experienced before, but I think the answer is no, I'd hate it. I don't think I'd be much good at coping. I'm no good at d do it yourself. I don't much care for the sea. I don't mind looking at it, but I don't like being in it or on it.

Presenter26:08

Very good at cooking.

Sir George Christie26:09

No.

Presenter26:11

Make a cup of tea.

Sir George Christie26:12

Only if I can mash a cup of tea, like

Presenter26:15

So you'd be a good candidate for escape, would you?

Sir George Christie26:17

Yes, but I wouldn't have the guts.

Presenter26:19

So what would you miss most, do you think, when you're there?

Presenter26:22

And you're not allowed to say your wife.

Sir George Christie26:25

My bugs.

Presenter26:26

The Dogs

Sir George Christie26:27

The dogs.

Presenter26:29

Well you might be worried that they'd put on Votsek while you were away, anyway, get back quickly. When did you last have a summer holiday, then? Presumably you don't get such things.

Sir George Christie26:31

Anyway, get back.

Sir George Christie26:36

I have a summer holiday this year.

Sir George Christie26:39

Had a very nice week in Corfu, thank you.

Presenter26:40

So you do go away and leave somebody else to run the shop?

Sir George Christie26:42

And leave

Sir George Christie26:44

Yes, but there's a nice little gap at the end of the season between at the end of the festival between the festival and touring rehearsals.

Presenter26:49

Record number seven.

Sir George Christie26:51

Record number seven is.

Sir George Christie26:54

Stanley Unwin, Professor Stanley Unwin.

Sir George Christie26:58

And the pidey pipeload of handling.

Presenter27:01

Why do you want that?

Sir George Christie27:02

I find it fight for comforting.

Speaker 327:06

Once in a long far away in the Germanic land there was a a great city.

Sir George Christie27:12

city with Grubblesberg or something like that, with an Obermeister burglomaster. Now there they had a surfeit or rat suffery where all they used to creep now, gnaw, sniff and gribble into the early maud and the late Evage, biting the bits of the table, also the tea clothers, and when people were sniff asleep in their beds, so these rats would gnaw into the shebes and also the whiskers of those who was dangling over.

Presenter27:38

Stanley Unwin and the piny pipe load of Hamling for A Giggle on the Desert Island. You've got four children. Two of them are named after your dogs, your pugs, aren't they?

Presenter27:50

And they are called?

Sir George Christie27:52

Hector and Ptonomy.

Presenter27:54

And uh and you were named after your father's birthday?

Sir George Christie27:57

I was n named after my father's boat, yeah. George.

Presenter28:00

Will will will one of your children succeed you? Three sons, one daughter?

Sir George Christie28:04

Well, I rather hope that the middle zone, Augustus, will take over from me.

Presenter28:09

He's willing, is he?

Sir George Christie28:10

I hope he's willing. At the moment he's in the Serengeti, so I'm safe to say this, because he won't hear this programme.

Presenter28:16

And your daughter works in the company as well, does she?

Sir George Christie28:18

She does, yes.

Presenter28:19

She doesn't want to take over.

Sir George Christie28:21

Well, she might want to take over.

Presenter28:24

But she's not allowed.

Sir George Christie28:25

I don't quite know about that at the moment.

Sir George Christie28:29

You're posing hypotheses. Um I'm not sure how things will work out, but I rather hope that Augustus will take it on.

Presenter28:31

Yeah.

Presenter28:36

But a succession requires an abdication. I mean, are are you of a mind to abdicate?

Presenter28:42

I'd like to

Sir George Christie28:42

Well I think I really ought to try and climb down when I'm sixty five, which is after all only five, six years away.

Sir George Christie28:52

by which time Augustus will be thirty five, thirty six.

Presenter28:55

Is that a difficult concept for you, though? Can you imagine?

Sir George Christie28:58

I've got to be rather careful about climbing down too early and as it were putting at risk those who put up a large amount of support for the organisation, and also having in mind to the artistic welfare of the company in the long term.

Sir George Christie29:16

But in saying that, I don't want to lay too much emphasis on my ability to hold everything together in the longer term. The younger man's got to take over some time. It's better that he takes over when he's ready to take over rather when it's too late.

Presenter29:28

But it it nevertheless is a dramatic decision because uh um if nothing else, it means you've got to move house for the first time in what will be sixty five years.

Sir George Christie29:37

Ever.

Presenter29:38

Never.

Sir George Christie29:40

Yes, but we'll have to face that when we come to face it. I mean, I rather hope that I might move over to a nice farmhouse on the estate.

Presenter29:49

So you wouldn't go far.

Sir George Christie29:49

So you wouldn't go

Sir George Christie29:50

So I won't well, I yes, but I'll be fine enough not to be a nuisance, I hope.

Presenter29:55

And were there to be a a farewell performance and you may well have answered this really in in your Desert Island discs but I mean, if Gleinbaum were to stage a particular opera for you as a kind of final performance and thanks to you, what would it be?

Presenter30:10

I think actually probably

Sir George Christie30:11

Probably I'd rather like it to be

Sir George Christie30:14

False theft.

Presenter30:16

And why should it be Falstaff? Do you like prefer that above all other operas?

Sir George Christie30:20

I'm not sure that I do necessarily. It's one of my favourites. But as a swan song, I think it's the one that I like to go out on.

Presenter30:29

But it's not your last record, that is what.

Sir George Christie30:32

That is a bit of the third movement of Mahler's first symphony.

Sir George Christie30:37

a symphony which I adore, conducted by Bruno Walter with the Columbia Symphony Orchestra. It's a piece of music which I'd rather like if I'm allowed any music at my funeral I'd rather like to have played at my funeral.

Presenter31:42

Part of the third movement of Mahler's Symphony No. One in D major, played by the Columbia Symphony Orchestra conducted by Bruno Welter. So if you could only take one of those records, George.

Sir George Christie31:53

Slight hankering for Stan Stanley Unwyn, but I think it'll have to be Sephorated losing Geary.

Presenter31:58

Motor

Sir George Christie31:59

The mouthsop sung by Sandy Yori Knutts.

Presenter32:02

What about your book?

Sir George Christie32:04

I'm in a muddle about the book, but I think it'll have to be The Origin of the Species Darwin. I think it would be ideal for a desert island. I mean, just simply get me back to nature. It might be given give me an understanding of what the hell my predicament was all about.

Presenter32:18

And you're luxury.

Sir George Christie32:21

I think it'll have to be the Archer's recordings from the very, very start.

Sir George Christie32:26

I simply adore the archers.

Presenter32:28

An endless supply of the archers early archers

Sir George Christie32:31

And what I like is the archers going from start to finish. I I mean that really would.

Sir George Christie32:35

take up quite a lot of time. And what's more, some kind of player

Sir George Christie32:39

which is going to cope with quite a l lot of playing.

Presenter32:44

Sir George Christie, thank you very much indeed for letting us hear your desert island discs.

Speaker 332:55

You've been listening to a podcast from the Desert Islandists archive. For more podcasts, please visit bbc.co.uk slash radio four.