Claudio Arrau

Speaker 10:00

Hello, I'm Kirsty Young, and you are listening to Desert Island Discs.

Speaker 10:05

This edition of Desert Island Discs was archived without the music, so although the Castaways choices are introduced, they're not part of this recording.

Speaker 10:15

Full details can be found on the Castaways page on the Desert Island Disc's website.

Speaker 10:20

The programme was originally broadcast in nineteen sixty, and the presenter was Roy Plumley.

Presenter0:27

How do you do, ladies and gentlemen?

Presenter0:29

On our desert island this week is one of the great pianists of today. It is Claudio Arroar.

Presenter0:35

If you could choose, mister Arrow, in which part of the world would you like your desert island to be?

Claudio Arrau0:40

I imagine I would choose uh a tropical climate.

Presenter0:43

Have you ever visited a desert island?

Claudio Arrau0:45

Never.

Presenter0:46

Do you think you could endure the loneliness of being an exile?

Claudio Arrau0:49

But I think I could.

Claudio Arrau0:52

It wouldn't frighten me.

Presenter0:53

Is there any one thing you would be particularly glad to have left behind?

Claudio Arrau0:57

Well, I imagine the telephone or the traffic.

Presenter1:02

Both things that are frequently mentioned in that connection. Now you've made many records yourself. Do you play the gramophone much in in what little spare time you get?

Claudio Arrau1:10

Unfortunately not.

Claudio Arrau1:12

When I'm through with my own

Claudio Arrau1:14

work and my own music. I want to do other things rather than hear more music.

Presenter1:19

What are the things? What are your hobbies?

Claudio Arrau1:22

Well, I read a tremendous amount. I like to go to plays.

Claudio Arrau1:27

I like to visit museums. I like to do some work in my own garden.

Presenter1:32

Yeah. How did you set about choosing your eight records for the island? You have you chosen the music from from personal nostalgia or the emotional appeal the music has or or what?

Claudio Arrau1:42

I don't think so. I think I chose them for what I considered

Claudio Arrau1:48

To be summits of musical interpretation.

Presenter1:52

What's the first one you've chosen?

Claudio Arrau1:55

Let's start with Schubert's Ninth Symphony conducted by Wilhelm Purtwengler.

Presenter1:59

Why do you choose that?

Claudio Arrau1:59

Yeah.

Presenter1:59

Yeah.

Claudio Arrau2:00

It's a record that I have always cherished and I consider Mr. Furtwinger to be maybe the greatest musical interpreter of all time.

Presenter2:11

Yes. You worked with him frequently, didn't you?

Claudio Arrau2:13

Yes, I've played many times under him.

Presenter2:15

Which part of the work would you like to hear?

Claudio Arrau2:18

Let's start with the beginning of the symphony.

Presenter2:23

The opening of Schubert's Ninth Symphony in C major, played by the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Wilhelm Furtwangler. What's your second choice, Mr. Eral?

Claudio Arrau2:32

It will be one of the songs from Javel's Share Azad, sung by Jeannie Turrell.

Presenter2:39

Once again, why do you choose this?

Claudio Arrau2:42

Uh in the first place I think it's one of Ravel's greatest works and uh it is beautifully sung in a way that one always dreams of and wishes for.

Claudio Arrau2:58

Which part of the work?

Claudio Arrau3:00

Let's have the second song, La Frute enchante.

Presenter3:07

La Futon Chante from Ravel's Cheherazade, sung by Jenny Torrell.

Presenter3:13

mister Ella, where were you born?

Claudio Arrau3:15

I was born in a small town in the south of Chile, named uh Chilian, C H I double L A N.

Presenter3:23

Were either of your parents musicians?

Claudio Arrau3:26

My mother was a very good amateur pianist, but she never gave any concerts.

Presenter3:32

You showed your musical talent at a very early age, didn't you?

Claudio Arrau3:35

At the age of four I felt a tremendous urge to approach the piano and I

Claudio Arrau3:42

even taught myself to read music.

Claudio Arrau3:46

before I could read words.

Presenter3:48

How old were you when you gave your first public performance?

Claudio Arrau3:52

I was five years of age. Where was that? In the town I was born in.

Presenter3:58

Yes. You caused rather a sensation, I believe.

Claudio Arrau4:01

Well, yes, I I rather f for the

Claudio Arrau4:04

short age and then for what I actually achieved.

Presenter4:09

Where did you study?

Claudio Arrau4:11

I studied a a little in uh

Claudio Arrau4:14

the capital of my country in Santiago, before going to Germany to study.

Presenter4:19

Yes. Who who sent you to Germany? Your parents?

Claudio Arrau4:22

No, the Chilean government gave me a ten years scholarship to study music in Germany.

Presenter4:26

Present idea.

Presenter4:28

Standard that's a very enterprising government.

Presenter4:31

You've stayed in Germany some years.

Claudio Arrau4:33

Well, I stayed for ten years without interruption before going back to my country.

Presenter4:38

Yes. You had by then already achieved considerable distinction as an adult pianist or or young adult pianist.

Claudio Arrau4:45

Well, I had toured most of Europe.

Claudio Arrau4:48

and played at many of the chords.

Claudio Arrau4:51

Kings and queens.

Presenter4:53

You haven't yet played in Britain.

Claudio Arrau4:55

No, I hadn't. I came to Britain after the First World War.

Presenter4:58

And you've been here very many times since? Yes. Fortunately.

Claudio Arrau5:02

Fortunately.

Presenter5:03

Yeah.

Claudio Arrau5:03

Yeah.

Presenter5:03

Good. Let's have another record. What's number three?

Claudio Arrau5:07

Number three will be a piece from Gollescas by Granados, the Spanish composer.

Claudio Arrau5:16

Played by Miss Alicia De La Rocha.

Claudio Arrau5:20

whom I consider a wonderful, sensitive and

Claudio Arrau5:25

Extremely musical pianist from Spain.

Presenter5:29

And which section from Tojeska's?

Claudio Arrau5:32

Let's play the first piece called Los Requibros.

Presenter5:37

And what does that mean?

Claudio Arrau5:38

It means something like uh flirtations.

Claudio Arrau5:43

It's a word that's very difficult to translate into English.

Claudio Arrau5:47

It means things, beautiful, poetical things that lovers say to each other.

Presenter5:53

Perhaps sweet nothings.

Claudio Arrau5:55

Yes, it would come quite close to the real meaning.

Presenter6:03

Los Riquebros, from Collescas by Granados.

Presenter6:07

played by Alicia de la Rocha.

Presenter6:09

Where is your home now, mister Arraf?

Claudio Arrau6:12

I live uh in Long Island, near New York, on the north shore of Long Island.

Presenter6:17

Yeah.

Claudio Arrau6:17

Yeah.

Presenter6:17

Yeah. He did go back to live in Germany for a number of years, in Berlin.

Claudio Arrau6:20

Yes, as a matter of fact I I lived until the beginning of the Nazi time in Berlin.

Presenter6:26

You spend most of the year travelling. I know how much time do you get at home each year?

Claudio Arrau6:31

Well, never more than two weeks in the summer and two weeks at Christmastime.

Presenter6:37

Right. Travel with you.

Claudio Arrau6:39

Most of the time.

Presenter6:40

Is she with you on this trip?

Claudio Arrau6:41

Unfortunately not, because uh we have a

Claudio Arrau6:45

New baby

Claudio Arrau6:46

Congratulations.

Presenter6:49

Have you ever worked out how many concerts you've given a year?

Claudio Arrau6:52

Uh yes, I've had about um

Claudio Arrau6:55

for an average of 120.

Claudio Arrau6:58

Concerts a year for the last fifteen years.

Presenter7:00

What's the the ratio between recitals and orchestral appearances?

Claudio Arrau7:05

I would say

Claudio Arrau7:08

Uh roughly about two-thirds of the concerts are recitals and one-third orchestral appearances.

Presenter7:14

You've played in a in a good many countries. Are there any countries you've not played in that you particularly want to visit?

Claudio Arrau7:19

Yes, yeah. I haven't prayed in Japan, I haven't prayed in China.

Claudio Arrau7:23

Which is uh a pity because um I have always been very much interested in the Orient and have done some studying

Claudio Arrau7:32

in that field. I have read a lot about Oriental art and oriental history.

Presenter7:37

Yeah.

Presenter7:38

Do you often go back to play in Chile?

Claudio Arrau7:41

Um every second or third year.

Presenter7:44

I believe they've named a street after you in Santiago.

Claudio Arrau7:47

Yes, they named the second street only last year. Two streets now. Yes, and this time it's an avenue.

Presenter7:53

Avenue. That's wonderful.

Presenter7:55

Where are you off to when you leave Britain this time?

Claudio Arrau7:57

I'm uh going to France first and then um I'm going to play at the Prague Festival in Czechoslovakia and at the Tsurisch Festival in Switzerland.

Claudio Arrau8:07

Before going back to play at the Pablo Casals Festival, which is going to be held in Puerto Rico.

Claudio Arrau8:15

Where I'm going to have the honour of playing chamber music with the master himself. Exciting.

Presenter8:21

Now if it wasn't for that only four weeks in the year at home, I'd envy your life of travels very much indeed. Let's have record number four.

Claudio Arrau8:30

This time it's going to be

Claudio Arrau8:32

Sanção's second piano concerto in G minor.

Claudio Arrau8:36

Played by Emil Gillels and friend of mine.

Claudio Arrau8:40

I consider it to be one of the greatest piano recordings ever made. And which part of the concerto? Let's hear the second movement.

Presenter8:52

The opening of the second movement of the Saint Sans' second piano concerto

Presenter8:56

Emile Guillels with the French Conservatoire Orchestra.

Presenter9:00

Mr. Arrow, you have the reputation of having a phenomenal musical memory. Would you say that's true?

Claudio Arrau9:07

Well, I memorize very easily and retain things for a long time.

Presenter9:12

You play comparatively little modern music.

Claudio Arrau9:16

Uh unfortunately so.

Claudio Arrau9:18

It is a question of time.

Claudio Arrau9:21

being as busy as I am. The memorizing of um modern music it takes much more time than the memorizing of

Claudio Arrau9:30

Classical or romantic music.

Presenter9:32

Do you enjoy light music? Do you ever, uh for your own amusement, play jazz?

Claudio Arrau9:36

Unfortunately not, but I enjoy very much listening to jazz.

Presenter9:40

Have you any musical ambition as yet unfulfilled?

Claudio Arrau9:43

Yes.

Claudio Arrau9:44

I would like to play much more modern music than I have done up to now.

Presenter9:49

Hmm.

Presenter9:51

Let's have record number five.

Claudio Arrau9:54

Well record number five will be

Claudio Arrau9:56

Ervartum, the one act opera by

Claudio Arrau10:00

Schoenberg.

Claudio Arrau10:01

conducted by Metropolis.

Claudio Arrau10:04

and sung by Dorothy Doll.

Presenter10:07

Why do you choose it?

Claudio Arrau10:08

Well, it is a work that I have always liked.

Claudio Arrau10:12

very much and um which I consider very important.

Claudio Arrau10:17

for the development of modern music.

Claudio Arrau10:20

Although it was composed in nineteen hundred and nine,

Claudio Arrau10:24

And this is sort of a transitional work with its roots in late

Claudio Arrau10:32

Romanticism.

Claudio Arrau10:34

but already showing the way into the future.

Presenter10:42

The opening of Schoenberg's Erwachtung.

Presenter10:45

Dorothea Dow with the Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra of New York, conducted by Dimitri Mitropoulos.

Presenter10:51

What next?

Claudio Arrau10:53

The next thing we are going to hear will be what I think is one of the greatest examples of how a lead should be interpreted.

Claudio Arrau11:01

Uh the Jungenone by Schubert, sung by Elisabeth Schwarzkopf and accompanied by Edwin Fischer.

Presenter11:14

Schubert's Die Jungenone, sung by Elizabeth Schwarzkopf with Edwin Fischer at the piano. Only part of it, I'm afraid.

Presenter11:22

mister Arrow, how do you think you'd be able to look after yourself on a desert island?

Claudio Arrau11:26

I'm afraid I would be lost. I would starve.

Claudio Arrau11:31

and would absolutely not know what to do.

Presenter11:34

Well, it's a very pessimistic outlook. Any experience of camping out?

Claudio Arrau11:38

Well, in my early youth,

Claudio Arrau11:40

Thank you.

Presenter11:41

So in Germany.

Presenter11:42

Yeah.

Presenter11:43

Um we find pianists usually rather poor castaway material because, being afraid of hurting their hands, they don't go in for building things. I suppose you've never built anything.

Claudio Arrau11:51

I have never built anything, but I am not afraid of hurting my hands at all. I'm not fussy about my hands at all.

Presenter11:54

You're not a logo.

Claudio Arrau11:57

Do fish.

Claudio Arrau11:58

No, I don't.

Claudio Arrau12:00

I wouldn't like to kill an animal.

Presenter12:02

Is um is good food an important thing in your life? Would you call yourself a a gourmet?

Claudio Arrau12:06

Oh, very much so. I loved the

Claudio Arrau12:09

the different kinds of foods of all the different countries I visit.

Presenter12:12

Yeah.

Presenter12:13

You're gonna get some very different kinds of food on this island by the sound of it.

Presenter12:17

I think we'd better come and rescue you quickly.

Claudio Arrau12:20

Well, I'm afraid I'll have to pick fruits from the trees or nuts or something like that.

Claudio Arrau12:24

What's your next record?

Claudio Arrau12:27

My next record will be

Claudio Arrau12:29

Uh Schubert

Claudio Arrau12:31

One of the posthumous sonatas.

Claudio Arrau12:34

So now in A major.

Claudio Arrau12:36

Played by Arto Schnabel.

Claudio Arrau12:38

whom I have worshipped deeply.

Claudio Arrau12:41

All my life.

Presenter12:46

part of the fourth movement of Schubert's sonata in A major played by Artu Schnabel.

Presenter12:51

Your third Schubert record, mister Arrah.

Claudio Arrau12:54

Yes, I am particularly fond of Schubert.

Presenter12:57

Well, now we come to your last one. You haven't chosen any of your own records yet. Are you going to?

Claudio Arrau13:01

Oh no. I never listened to my own records after I

Claudio Arrau13:06

I okay them for the leads.

Presenter13:07

Because you are never satisfied?

Claudio Arrau13:11

Uh no, I wouldn't say that. It's uh a question of evolution.

Claudio Arrau13:16

Any artist who is alive develops all the time and what he thought was good a week ago is bad a week later.

Presenter13:25

Yeah.

Presenter13:26

What's your last one going to be?

Claudio Arrau13:28

It will be the third movement of the

Claudio Arrau13:32

One of Beethoven's late quartets was hundred and thirty-two.

Claudio Arrau13:37

Uh Heilige dunk gesang.

Claudio Arrau13:42

Very pure, highly musical interpretation by the Cockat Quartet. It's one of the loftiest musical conceptions ever written.

Presenter13:56

The opening of the third movement, the Heiliger Danka sung from Beethoven's string quartet number 15 in A minor, played by the Kirkert quartet.

Presenter14:05

Well, there are your eight, mister Ural. If you could only have one, which would it be?

Claudio Arrau14:11

It would be rather difficult, but I would choose uh Furtwängler's interpretation of Schubert's Ninth Symphony.

Presenter14:18

The first one you chose.

Presenter14:20

And every castaway is allowed to take one luxury.

Claudio Arrau14:25

I imagine it would be a a work of art, if you wish.

Claudio Arrau14:30

Uh uh maybe I would take um

Claudio Arrau14:35

One early Chinese statuette of the Wei era or maybe Tang.

Presenter14:43

Yes. What what date would that be?

Claudio Arrau14:46

Wei would be fourth century A D and Tang would be seventh.

Presenter14:52

Have you have you any particular one in mind?

Claudio Arrau14:55

Yes, uh I have a

Claudio Arrau14:59

Weigh lady in mind, court lady.

Claudio Arrau15:03

which is particularly beautiful and belongs to my own collection.

Presenter15:07

And you may have one book.

Claudio Arrau15:10

I would take uh a volume of Goethe's works.

Presenter15:15

The complete work they've Complete work. Well thank you Claudio Arrao for letting us hear your choice of Desert Island Disc.

Claudio Arrau15:22

Thank you, Mr. Plumley.

Presenter15:23

And

Claudio Arrau15:24

Uh

Presenter15:24

Yeah.

Claudio Arrau15:24

Castelu

Presenter15:24

People

Presenter15:25

Goodbye, everyone.