Tuning in…
Tuning in…
Eight records
Well the first one on the pile is the St. Matthew Passion of Bach. Because it was one of the first great works I got to know. I was at school actually, at Warwick. And the music master there was a very good musician indeed, called Sidney F. Bates. And he acquired a shortened version of the Saint Matthew Passion, which he rehearsed with the school, and we performed this in the school chapel. I can't remember what the year was. It must be 1933, I should think. I was so overwhelmed at getting to know this work as they rehearsed it, or getting to know even a truncated version of it, that Bach meant something completely different to me after it. I'd rather regarded Prelude and Fields as something perhaps a little academic when I had fallen in love with the music of Beethoven and Wagner and Brahms and so on. But the St Matthew passion has got such a marvellously expressive human quality about it, the way the story of the passion is told. And I'd like to choose particularly the wonderful new harmonization that he gives in the last chorale, which is a chorale we've heard earlier in the Passion, but after the time of the crucifixion and so forth, this returns with the most amazing harmonies.
The keepsakes
No book or luxury recorded for this episode.
In conversation
Presenter asks
On what basis did you plan your very slender collection for the desert island?
I decided if I could have eight records, then I must have eight composers who meant something very special to me.
Presenter asks
What's the first one you've chosen?
Well the first one on the pile is the St. Matthew Passion of Bach. Because it was one of the first great works I got to know. I was at school actually, at Warwick. And the music master there was a very good musician indeed, called Sidney F. Bates. And he acquired a shortened version of the Saint Matthew Passion, which he rehearsed with the school, and we performed this in the school chapel. I can't remember what the year was. It must be 1933, I should think. I was so overwhelmed at getting to know this work as they rehearsed it, or getting to know even a truncated version of it, that Bach meant something completely different to me after it. I'd rather regarded Prelude and Fields as something perhaps a little academic when I had fallen in love with the music of Beethoven and Wagner and Brahms and so on. But the St Matthew passion has got such a marvellously expressive human quality about it, the way the story of the passion is told. And I'd like to choose particularly the wonderful new harmonization that he gives in the last chorale, which is a chorale we've heard earlier in the Passion, but after the time of the crucifixion and so forth, this returns with the most amazing harmonies.
The recording
Timestamps play the recording from that turn
Speaker 1
BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, Podcasts.
Speaker 1
Hello, I'm Lauren Laverne and this is the Desert Island Discs podcast. This is the only extract the BBC has of this episode, and for rights reasons, the music is shorter than on the original broadcast. The presenter is Roy Plumley. I hope you enjoy listening.
Speaker 3
Each week a well-known person is asked the question, if you were to be cast away alone on a desert island, which aid gramophone records would you choose to have with you?
Speaker 3
As usual, the castaway is introduced by Roy Plumley.
Speaker 3
Our castaway this week, ladies and gentlemen, is the pianist Dennis Matthews.
Presenter
Do pay records a lot of terms to Matthews?
Denis Matthews
Yes, I do. The grammophone has formed a very important part of my musical experience. Do you have a big collection of records? I've got quite a large collection, and I've held on to a lot of my old 78s too, to the dismay of my hi-fi friends. It's very difficult.
Presenter
Yeah.
Denis Matthews
Uh
Presenter
Now on what basis did you plan your very slender collection for the desert island?
Denis Matthews
I decided if I could have eight records, then I must have eight composers who meant something very special to me.
Presenter
Mm-hmm.
Presenter
What's the first one you've chosen?
Denis Matthews
Well the first one on the pile
Denis Matthews
is the St. Matthew Passion of Bach.
Denis Matthews
Because it was one of the first great works I got to know. I was at school actually, at Warwick.
Denis Matthews
And
Denis Matthews
The music master there was a very good musician indeed, called Sidney F. Bates.
Denis Matthews
And he
Denis Matthews
acquired a shortened version of the Saint Matthew Passion, which he rehearsed with the school,
Denis Matthews
And
Denis Matthews
We perform this in the school chapel.
Denis Matthews
I can't remember what the year was. It must be 1933, I should think. What was your function? Well, my function was uh
Denis Matthews
A purely passive one, I turned the pages for the person playing the continuo part, who was a pianist a bit older than myself, who went to the same school, Eric Hoke.
Denis Matthews
But I was so overwhelmed at getting to know this work as they rehearsed it, or getting to know even a truncated version of it, that Bach meant something completely different to me after it. I'd rather regarded Prelude and Fields as something perhaps a little academic.
Denis Matthews
when I had fallen in love with the music of Beethoven and Wagner and Brahms and so on.
Denis Matthews
But um the St Matthew passion has got such a marvellously expressive human quality about it, the way this
Denis Matthews
The story of the passion is told. And I'd like to choose particularly the wonderful
Denis Matthews
New harmonization that he gives in the last chorale, which is a chorale we've heard earlier in the Passion, but after the
Denis Matthews
the time of the crucifixion and so forth, this returns with the most amazing harmonies.
“The grammophone has formed a very important part of my musical experience.”
“I was so overwhelmed at getting to know this work as they rehearsed it, or getting to know even a truncated version of it, that Bach meant something completely different to me after it.”
“The St Matthew passion has got such a marvellously expressive human quality about it, the way the story of the passion is told.”