Janet Suzman

Speaker 10:00

Hello, I'm Kirsty Young, and this is a podcast from the Desert Island Discs Archive.

Speaker 10:05

For rights reasons we've had to shorten the music. The programme was originally broadcast in 1978 and the presenter was Roy Plumley.

Speaker 40:17

Uh

Presenter0:31

On our desert island this week is the actress Janet Sussman. Janet, do you play records a lot? I do. Have you any musical talent yourself?

Janet Suzman0:39

None whatsoever, and I regret it so deeply. I started playing the violin when I was seven, and I thought I was wonderful.

Presenter0:44

And I thought

Janet Suzman0:46

But uh my mother told me to give up. I think she couldn't bear the noises I was making around about fourteen.

Presenter0:51

We have done seven years of it.

Janet Suzman0:51

We don't say that.

Janet Suzman0:53

Yeah, I did seven years yeah, but I showed no prodigal talent, I think.

Presenter0:58

How did you set about choosing your aide for the island?

Janet Suzman1:00

That was difficult. You set me a terrible problem, because it was either going to be twenty or one, and I had to choose eight. Very arbitrary number, it seems to me.

Presenter1:07

They are.

Janet Suzman1:10

Fair.

Presenter1:10

Uh

Janet Suzman1:10

Yeah.

Janet Suzman1:11

Anyway, I did. Um

Janet Suzman1:14

by a vague process of elimination, and then I got sidetracked all the time.

Presenter1:18

Watch the first one.

Janet Suzman1:19

The first one, O, uh from the marriage of Figaro.

Janet Suzman1:23

Poor Giamo.

Janet Suzman1:24

That lonely Countess I saw myself rather leaning against the palm tree, singing to the sea.

Janet Suzman1:30

instead of her to her curtain. Anyway, I think it's very beautiful.

Speaker 41:54

Which your greatest love will spare.

Speaker 42:13

Freedom.

Presenter2:36

Porgy Amour from Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro, The Lonely Count is sung by Elizabeth Schwartzcock. You come from Johannesburg, don't you, Tancan?

Janet Suzman2:44

Yes, I was born there.

Presenter2:46

And uh you went to school there and university there. What did you read?

Janet Suzman2:50

I read English and French.

Presenter2:51

Now there's not much theatre in Johannesburg.

Janet Suzman2:54

It's a desert, really. You know, I I don't recall in my childhood actually seeing yes, I did.

Janet Suzman3:00

I saw a touring production of

Janet Suzman3:04

The Dream, I think, with Paul Rogers and Irene Worth. That was a great excitement.

Presenter3:09

Was that where you picked up the bug, do you think?

Janet Suzman3:12

Did I? I don't know when I was infected. Yes, I do. I was infected at university. Really? Round about my second year.

Presenter3:16

Really?

Janet Suzman3:18

For no known reason I suddenly got

Janet Suzman3:21

deeply interested in not going to lectures and much more interested in

Janet Suzman3:26

doing the plays one was doing, you know, with the Drama Society.

Presenter3:29

What place?

Janet Suzman3:30

Oh, we did things like UNESCO's The Chairs and

Janet Suzman3:33

Oh, a version of Love's Labour's Lost, I remember, on motorcycles.

Presenter3:37

Two.

Janet Suzman3:40

We saw it, you see, as a deep play.

Janet Suzman3:42

A contemporary play about university life.

Presenter3:45

I see.

Presenter3:47

You didn't bring the production over.

Janet Suzman3:50

We we might have done it up Africa on our Vespers.

Presenter3:53

Yeah.

Janet Suzman3:53

Yeah, but if we didn't.

Presenter3:54

Yes. Uh, when you graduated, what had you in mind?

Janet Suzman3:58

This really acting in mind.

Janet Suzman4:00

And as soon as I finished I remember putting down my pin and

Janet Suzman4:04

I found a trip, a university student's trip. Actually, I attached myself to the arts faculty, which I had no

Janet Suzman4:11

Right to do.

Janet Suzman4:12

and they were doing a tour of all the art galleries of Europe and everything and I

Janet Suzman4:17

I pended myself to them and came over that way.

Presenter4:19

And then you'll jump ship, as it were.

Janet Suzman4:21

Exactly. I jump ship here and

Presenter4:21

Exactly.

Janet Suzman4:25

uh applied to audition for all the drama schools I could find in a book.

Janet Suzman4:30

Um my parents were fairly sceptical about it.

Janet Suzman4:33

But I got in, to my astonishment and to theirs.

Janet Suzman4:36

And then I chose to go to the London Academy.

Janet Suzman4:39

And I was there for two and a half years. And it was the right thing. I just

Janet Suzman4:42

Enjoyed it.

Presenter4:43

Good.

Janet Suzman4:43

Immensely.

Presenter4:44

And when you left what was

Presenter4:46

What was the first thing that happened?

Janet Suzman4:49

One of the first things I do remember was that the phone rang and

Janet Suzman4:53

A very nice man from the Royal Shakespeare Company offered me a part.

Janet Suzman4:57

in Troilus and Cressida, which was then

Janet Suzman5:00

Touring up to Edinburgh.

Speaker 45:01

That's terrific.

Janet Suzman5:02

Oh, it was. But at that moment I thought

Janet Suzman5:06

Andromache, Andromachy, how many lines how it it was an unforgivable thing to do, but I was arrogant and keen.

Speaker 45:09

Uh

Janet Suzman5:12

and having freshly

Janet Suzman5:15

expelled myself from drama school into the world. I wished to be busy. So I asked him to wait on the phone and I rushed to my Shakespeare and I quickly leaped through it and I found Andromache had sixteen lines. And in one computerized second I thought, No, no, I haven't spent two and a half years to do sixteen lines. I'm not going to do it.

Janet Suzman5:34

I without further thought, I thanked them very much and said that I I wouldn't do it. And it was only when I put the phone down I realized that

Janet Suzman5:43

I'd actually turned down the Royal Shakespeare campaign, which I think

Presenter5:44

Yeah.

Janet Suzman5:46

Was a bit much, but I've done it.

Presenter5:47

I've done it by the

Janet Suzman5:48

Yeah.

Presenter5:48

Well, this is a quite decisive thing in your life, so let's break off your second record.

Presenter5:53

What should we have?

Janet Suzman5:54

And now I'm having oh pinka zuckerman.

Janet Suzman5:57

playing the cadenza from Tchaikovsky's fiddle concerto.

Presenter6:01

Why'd you choose it?

Janet Suzman6:02

I think to hear this man, out of whom talent

Janet Suzman6:06

simply springs like a fountain. It's unstoppable.

Janet Suzman6:10

is a great joy and

Janet Suzman6:12

Am I allowed to say he's a friend of mine? Well, he is.

Janet Suzman6:15

And that gives an added dimension, I think, to hearing this. I just like to hear that naked

Janet Suzman6:20

Beast of a talent.

Speaker 46:47

Uh

Speaker 47:04

Uh

Presenter7:20

Zuckerman playing the cademza from the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto.

Presenter7:25

So you airily rejected the Royal Shakespeare Company?

Janet Suzman7:28

Well, it wasn't air really.

Janet Suzman7:30

In the end.

Presenter7:32

What did you do?

Janet Suzman7:33

Then I went on a sort of quick guided tour of the British Isles, I suppose. I went to five reps in five months.

Presenter7:40

Which one?

Janet Suzman7:40

I went to Ipswich.

Janet Suzman7:43

Worthing?

Janet Suzman7:44

Windsor, Sheffield, Manchester landed up in Manchester.

Presenter7:47

What was your very first professional job? What was the first part you played?

Janet Suzman7:50

The very first part I played was in Billy Liar.

Janet Suzman7:54

The part that Julie Christie eventually played in the film, the girl with the oranges, and I can't remember her name, but that was a Lip Switch.

Presenter7:56

The go

Presenter8:00

Any wildly unsuitable parts you had to play in rap?

Janet Suzman8:04

Yes, one in Sheffield.

Janet Suzman8:05

About the woman who invented bloomers, I think.

Janet Suzman8:08

I'm not Okay, but

Presenter8:09

And that's unsuitable.

Janet Suzman8:12

I thought it was a bit silly, but I quite enjoyed it.

Presenter8:13

Yeah.

Presenter8:15

But the Royal Shakespeare Company were stayers. They they wouldn't accept no for an answer.

Janet Suzman8:19

No, for another for fools, yes. One matinee at uh Manchester. I always hate to know who's out front, who's in the audience, because I do get

Janet Suzman8:28

Extraordinarily nervous.

Janet Suzman8:30

Um

Janet Suzman8:32

And s a little stage manager rushed backstage to the wings and said, Guess who's out front? I said, Don't tell me too late.

Janet Suzman8:39

And

Janet Suzman8:40

She named

Janet Suzman8:42

All the crowned heads of the Royal Shakespeare Company sitting out front for this.

Janet Suzman8:46

Awful, matten it.

Janet Suzman8:48

Anyway, uh I thought that's it. My career's now in total ruins. But

Janet Suzman8:52

Oddly enough, these quirks happen. John Barton

Janet Suzman8:56

got hold of me and he asked me to come and audition properly this time, not on a telephone.

Janet Suzman9:00

uh for the Royal Shakespeare Company, and I went down one Sunday.

Janet Suzman9:04

and I auditioned quite by myself in that enormous black theatre.

Janet Suzman9:09

for um Peter Hall and Peter Brook.

Janet Suzman9:12

And then they asked me to do Joan of Arc in the Henry the Sixth, that great.

Janet Suzman9:17

trilogy they were planning.

Presenter9:18

And they gave you a a quite a long-term contract.

Janet Suzman9:22

Well, Peter Hall was then instigating this idea new to this country.

Janet Suzman9:27

of a three-year contract, which is common on the continent.

Janet Suzman9:31

Certainly not common here. English actors are really rather

Janet Suzman9:35

cheery of being tied down.

Speaker 49:37

Here.

Janet Suzman9:38

And uh

Janet Suzman9:40

We talked of a three-year contract, but actually people stayed out of love rather than paper.

Presenter9:46

Yeah.

Janet Suzman9:46

In the end.

Presenter9:46

This was to form a real group of people who sparked off each other and had the same ideas on verse speaking and all the rest of it.

Janet Suzman9:48

It was

Janet Suzman9:50

Yeah.

Janet Suzman9:52

Yes, it was. It it was to form this idea of an ensemble company, which hadn't really ever happened in this country before.

Presenter10:00

You played La Puselle what what what other part?

Janet Suzman10:03

I played um Lady Percy in Henry the Fourth.

Presenter10:07

Yeah.

Janet Suzman10:07

Lady Anne in which the third.

Presenter10:09

And you had a nice tour in the United States.

Janet Suzman10:13

I did, yes. Oh yes, that was strange.

Janet Suzman10:16

Um

Janet Suzman10:17

They were doing this perennially popular programme of John Barton's called The Hollow Crown about the kings and queens of England.

Presenter10:23

Well, you don't even have to learn the lines.

Janet Suzman10:25

But

Janet Suzman10:28

You mean you're allowed to read? Yes, that's right. Now you have to pretend to read, right?

Presenter10:29

Yes, that's right.

Janet Suzman10:33

Um

Janet Suzman10:34

Dorothy Tootin

Janet Suzman10:36

I had gone off on a tour of America, a very smart tour.

Janet Suzman10:40

and she got very ill in Washington.

Janet Suzman10:43

And this sort of dream thing happened. It was the last performance I was doing Comedy Averas. The phone went.

Janet Suzman10:48

I was hustled into the

Janet Suzman10:50

our house manager's office and he said, Would you fly to Washington on Sunday?

Janet Suzman10:54

to play for the candidates.

Speaker 410:56

Mm-hmm.

Janet Suzman10:57

Would I just?

Janet Suzman10:58

So I did, and I said to him, You do know, don't you, that the moment I arrive in America, Dorothy Tewton will get better, because that's what actresses do.

Speaker 411:07

He's a little bit more.

Janet Suzman11:07

And he said, no, no, no, she's very ill, she's very ill. So I said, well, that's fine, I'll go.

Janet Suzman11:12

uh knowing that what I said would come true, and it did. And I was met at the airport

Janet Suzman11:17

And my first question was, How is Miss Tewton? Is she all right? Hoping desperately that she was, and she was. So I was deeply happy. I followed the tour round

Janet Suzman11:26

Rather like a camp follower for about a month, and never got to play, but I got to see the States, it was wonderful.

Presenter11:32

Of course, in your three years you were at Stratford for the Equator Centenary season.

Janet Suzman11:37

I was, yes. It was one of them.

Presenter11:38

It's great, great excitement.

Janet Suzman11:39

It was a great season.

Presenter11:41

And then they made you a leading player.

Janet Suzman11:43

Yes, one swam upwards towards that, I suppose. Um

Janet Suzman11:47

I then did Porsche in Merchant.

Janet Suzman11:51

It wasn't all that spectacular production, but

Janet Suzman11:54

You know, to make that leap it is a

Janet Suzman11:57

gigantic one some have.

Janet Suzman11:59

From a supporting part, however major it is, to a leading part is something.

Janet Suzman12:06

you can't really talk about until you've experienced and it was

Janet Suzman12:09

Quite dramatic, really.

Presenter12:10

Your third record was that tweet?

Janet Suzman12:13

Oh, that is

Janet Suzman12:14

Daniel Barrenboym playing

Janet Suzman12:17

The slow movement from the piano concerto number twenty three.

Janet Suzman12:21

By Mozart.

Presenter12:22

Why?

Janet Suzman12:23

Because it's the best music ever written.

Presenter13:24

The adagio from the Mozart Piano Concerto number 23.

Presenter13:29

Daniel Barenboim with the English Chamber Orchestra.

Presenter13:33

So you did your three years at Stratford and the Aldwich for the

Presenter13:38

Royal Shakespeare Company. Did you stay on after your three years?

Janet Suzman13:42

No.

Janet Suzman13:43

Mm.

Janet Suzman13:44

Sixty six I made a break, I made a foray to Oxford, the Oxford Playhouse.

Speaker 413:49

Yes.

Janet Suzman13:50

Uh they were doing The Balcony by Genet, which I think is a wonderful play.

Janet Suzman13:55

And I joined them for that. And then I started doing quite a lot of televisions.

Janet Suzman14:00

uh things like that. Then I came

Janet Suzman14:02

Back to the R. S. C. in sixty seven to do Kate in The Shrew.

Janet Suzman14:06

and Beatrice and much ado.

Presenter14:08

You married your boss, Trevor Not.

Janet Suzman14:11

I did, although yes, was he my boss then? Um

Presenter14:14

Well, he took over as uh

Janet Suzman14:15

No.

Janet Suzman14:16

I compliment.

Presenter14:16

Hetero Productions Web.

Janet Suzman14:18

Um, no, after we were married.

Presenter14:20

Off to a minute.

Janet Suzman14:20

Yes. Yes.

Presenter14:22

So you married the man who became a man. How many productions has he directed you in?

Janet Suzman14:23

Yeah.

Janet Suzman14:28

Uh Kate.

Janet Suzman14:31

Oh, Berynthia in the Relapse. He did a wonderful production of that.

Presenter14:33

Yeah.

Janet Suzman14:35

And Antony and Cleopatra.

Janet Suzman14:37

Three.

Presenter14:38

How long did you stay with the company on your your second?

Presenter14:41

Stint with them.

Janet Suzman14:42

You asked me for figures and I can never remember. I I left oh, in seventy, I I w went to make a film.

Presenter14:49

Yeah.

Janet Suzman14:50

A Day in the Death of Joe Egg, which was a stage play made into a film.

Presenter14:54

Record number four.

Janet Suzman14:56

Record number four.

Janet Suzman14:58

Oh the great

Janet Suzman14:59

Blues singer Bessie Smith.

Janet Suzman15:02

Playing with Louis Armstrong, it's just marvellous, in and singing, um, St. Louis Blues.

Presenter15:35

St. Louis Blues recorded on the 24th of January, 1925, Bessie Smith with Louis Armstrong and good old Fred Longshaw at the Harmonium.

Presenter15:45

Now, films, Janet.

Presenter15:47

You talked about A Day and the Death of Joe Egg, and then you did an epic.

Presenter15:52

Quite a big film.

Janet Suzman15:54

I did. Uh, Nicholas and Alexandra.

Janet Suzman15:57

Yes, that took a long time o' brewing.

Janet Suzman16:00

I remember

Janet Suzman16:01

meeting Sam Spiegel at Columbia Studios in in Hollywood.

Janet Suzman16:06

and he was in a rage because he was trying to get permission to film in

Janet Suzman16:11

in uh Leningrad.

Janet Suzman16:14

and in true Mogul fashion.

Janet Suzman16:17

He said, I keep on phoning Linden every day, but they won't give me Leningrad, which I thought was very wonderful, because indeed, I mean, Leningrad should be given to Hollywood free. Anyway, eventually it was filmed in Madrid. They built

Speaker 116:27

Yeah.

Speaker 416:27

Yeah.

Speaker 116:27

The Hollywood

Speaker 416:27

Free

Presenter16:28

Yeah.

Janet Suzman16:33

The Palace of Tsarsco Islo in uh the old studios in Madrid.

Janet Suzman16:38

And there was a nice irony to that too. They had built it out of real marble.

Janet Suzman16:42

Why? Because real marble was still then apparently cheaper than imitation marble.

Presenter16:46

Yeah.

Janet Suzman16:46

Let's say this gigantic palace was built.

Presenter16:46

Yeah.

Presenter16:49

Has that been all?

Presenter16:50

In the in the filming line.

Janet Suzman16:52

Ona did something in a very bad film called The Voyage of the Damned. I hope they'll forgive me.

Presenter16:57

You'd like to work more in films, or not?

Janet Suzman16:59

I think the camera and filming

Janet Suzman17:03

is simply one of the most exciting things.

Janet Suzman17:06

Uh and I would like to work more on films.

Presenter17:08

Now the small screen, you did some very distinguished work quite early in your career. You did some Shakespeare, you did St. Joan.

Presenter17:16

and Florence Nightingale.

Janet Suzman17:18

Yes, that was interesting. Um

Janet Suzman17:21

Yes, it was

Janet Suzman17:23

An honest look at

Janet Suzman17:25

that much lauded woman. Quite rightly so. What I didn't realize, of course

Janet Suzman17:31

was how little time she spent in the Crimea,

Janet Suzman17:33

How she wasn't the lady with the lamp.

Janet Suzman17:36

And how much time she spent reforming the War Office, which she didn't actually reform in the end, but uh she was a remarkable creature.

Presenter17:43

Yes. And then of course you did the big one, a full year's work.

Janet Suzman17:47

Uh

Presenter17:47

Oh, Clayhanger. Clayhanger. Yes. That's right.

Janet Suzman17:47

Oh clay hanger

Presenter17:51

Now was there enough in the character to keep you interested for a year?

Janet Suzman17:54

Oh, and how? Well, you see, because it's a trilogy. Um, if there'd been only the first novel, Clayhanger.

Janet Suzman18:01

I would have got Edwin's view of Hilda only.

Janet Suzman18:04

But Arnold Bennett wrote this rogue book in the middle, this um centre book called Hilda Lesways, where I found

Janet Suzman18:13

every quirk that could possibly please me over the years.

Janet Suzman18:16

uh in which to

Janet Suzman18:18

Richen her up.

Presenter18:19

So that was a rewarding year for you.

Janet Suzman18:21

It was. I enjoyed it enormously.

Presenter18:23

We've got to record number five. What's that?

Janet Suzman18:25

Oh. Um

Janet Suzman18:26

Oh, now we have Casals, that wonderful old man.

Janet Suzman18:30

Playing um the Bach cello suite, number two, in D minor.

Janet Suzman18:35

I think somebody playing a solo instrument with this kind of

Janet Suzman18:39

concentration and passion, and especially on the cello.

Janet Suzman18:42

I could listen to for a very long time under my palm tree.

Presenter19:39

Part of Bach's cello suite number two in D minor, played by Casals.

Presenter19:44

Now, more recent matters, Janet. You you you played Marcia in in in The Three Sisters? Yes.

Janet Suzman19:48

Yes.

Presenter19:48

Had great success in that. A Best Actress Award, I think.

Janet Suzman19:51

Yes.

Presenter19:53

And you followed that with Heddegabler.

Presenter19:56

To what extent do you plan your career?

Janet Suzman19:59

Not at all, actually. I

Janet Suzman20:02

Wait for the

Janet Suzman20:04

Thing that interests me to come up, and when it does, I sort of dive at it. For instance,

Janet Suzman20:11

No, the th I partly machinated the three sisters. Um

Janet Suzman20:16

People came to me and said they'd like to do a play with me.

Janet Suzman20:19

Um, commercially.

Janet Suzman20:21

And I said

Janet Suzman20:23

I would like to do the three sisters.

Janet Suzman20:25

And they very kindly said

Janet Suzman20:27

Uh yes, right. And I said, Hang on. Do you know how many people there are in it?

Janet Suzman20:32

Fifteen, which for are commercial plays.

Janet Suzman20:35

Not all that good a number.

Speaker 420:37

Uh

Janet Suzman20:37

But they were full of courage.

Janet Suzman20:40

And they went ahead with it, and

Janet Suzman20:42

At that stage I knew exactly who I wanted to direct it.

Janet Suzman20:46

I had seen Jonathan Miller's production of Measure for Measure, which I thought was

Janet Suzman20:50

Quite brilliant. I understood the play for the first time.

Janet Suzman20:53

and I wrote him

Janet Suzman20:54

A fan letter.

Janet Suzman20:56

Ah, saying how wonderful I thought it was. And he wrote back a little tus.

Janet Suzman21:00

Nice little postcard.

Janet Suzman21:01

saying I'm finally sick of the whole business.

Janet Suzman21:04

How very nice

Janet Suzman21:05

To go out on this note from my friends. Yours, Jonathan.

Janet Suzman21:09

I will never work in the theatre again.

Janet Suzman21:11

And the next thing I did was phone him up and say, Would you like to do three sisters? Oh, yes, yes, yes, yes, I have to do a daughter.

Presenter21:15

Yeah.

Janet Suzman21:17

So I treasure that, Prescott.

Presenter21:18

Earth has some more music.

Janet Suzman21:20

Oh, now Beethoven.

Janet Suzman21:22

With three

Janet Suzman21:24

Geniuses, really.

Janet Suzman21:25

Uh Daniel Barrenboim, Jacqueline Dupre and Pinker Zuckerman.

Janet Suzman21:31

playing the piano trio per seventy.

Janet Suzman21:33

I love the idea of people

Janet Suzman21:36

who have this sensibility and this

Janet Suzman21:39

talent playing together like angels.

Presenter22:40

Part of the Beethoven trio number five in E-flat major, played by Jacqueline Dupre, Pinker Suckerman and Daniel Baremboen.

Presenter22:49

Now, you're on this.

Presenter22:51

Sad, miserable desert island. How much do you think your South African childhood would help you?

Presenter22:57

Are there any ideas on putting up huts and and that's the base would be

Janet Suzman23:03

I think when you're born in Africa you get a feeling

Janet Suzman23:07

Of love, actually, there's no other word for it passion, even, maybe.

Janet Suzman23:10

for a large landscape.

Janet Suzman23:14

Um

Janet Suzman23:15

depths and densities. I can't describe it, but it goes very deeply into one's soul, I think.

Janet Suzman23:21

We had a farm when I was very little.

Janet Suzman23:24

In Natal

Janet Suzman23:26

Um, great rolling country.

Janet Suzman23:29

It's Zulu country.

Janet Suzman23:31

And I ran around with

Janet Suzman23:33

the bottoms of my feet, hard and horny.

Janet Suzman23:36

when I was a small child.

Janet Suzman23:38

And

Janet Suzman23:40

I'm deeply in love with the landscape of Africa, I must say. So

Speaker 423:42

Yeah.

Janet Suzman23:43

That um space

Janet Suzman23:46

would not worry me.

Janet Suzman23:48

I think what would worry me was

Janet Suzman23:51

eternally thrown back on one's own resources and also discomfort. I don't know what one would do about bugs and things like that.

Presenter23:57

Yes, there would be discomfort. Would you try to escape?

Janet Suzman24:01

Do you know, I don't think I would. I'd rather stay on the land than be frightened of the sea.

Presenter24:05

I think you're very sensible.

Janet Suzman24:05

I think

Janet Suzman24:07

I think I'd stay there.

Presenter24:09

Record number seven.

Janet Suzman24:11

Now, just as a piece of music, something from Africa.

Janet Suzman24:15

That's called in Cossi Sigaleri Africa.

Janet Suzman24:18

It is actually a

Janet Suzman24:20

the African national anthem and it's turned into something

Janet Suzman24:23

very mightily redolent of a freedom song.

Janet Suzman24:27

But I

Janet Suzman24:28

Find it strikes

Janet Suzman24:31

chords in my heart.

Janet Suzman24:33

but the sheer sound of a mass of black voices singing in harmony.

Janet Suzman24:38

Unorchestrated.

Janet Suzman24:40

And from the bottom of their feet upwards, I think it's wonderful.

Speaker 424:44

Also sing a landling of freedom.

Speaker 424:49

Many part of me so fund a lie.

Speaker 424:54

Iva ibitadas o yetum bosi si galela kosi si galela kosi si gali afre.

Presenter25:09

And we are free.

Presenter25:12

Lord bless Africa. Which brings us now to our last record. What's that?

Janet Suzman25:16

A bit of romance on my island.

Janet Suzman25:19

It's uh Joan Sutherland.

Janet Suzman25:21

Singing near madness

Janet Suzman25:24

and declaring that she will

Speaker 425:26

Yeah.

Janet Suzman25:26

be his till the end of time.

Janet Suzman25:29

remarkably tuneful and remarkably sweet and remarkably

Janet Suzman25:33

Even Schmeltze, but it's rather wonderful.

Janet Suzman25:36

From uh Lucia de la Mamour.

Speaker 425:41

Me a song

Speaker 426:26

Yeah.

Presenter26:35

Joan Sutherland has done its set is Lucia de Lammamour.

Presenter26:39

If you could take just one disk of the H you've chosen, which would it be?

Janet Suzman26:43

While I take figura.

Presenter26:44

And one luxury to take with you, any one thing that's purely for the senses.

Janet Suzman26:49

Yes, a hammock, I think, if it could have a detachable mink lining. Would that be allowed?

Presenter26:53

A mink hammock?

Janet Suzman26:54

Well, you see if I've got coal, I thought. It's a nice idea. I I don't know what I'm saying. But the trees, I do need the trees, and if I'm not allowed them I shall think of something else.

Presenter26:58

What the

Presenter27:02

We'll arrange that there are on this island two trees.

Janet Suzman27:05

Yeah.

Presenter27:05

And one book

Presenter27:07

You've got the Bible and Shakespeare already on the island and we've put the bar up on big encyclopedias.

Janet Suzman27:14

Well, um

Janet Suzman27:15

Now, you see, I think Shakespeare and the Bible are quite enough. Um I didn't think I would

Janet Suzman27:20

even get through them. So can I have another luxury? Is that allowed?

Presenter27:25

It's a new one.

Presenter27:27

All right, yes, why not?

Janet Suzman27:28

Yes, why not? Yes, they're all very kind. Well then, to go with the hammock I think I'd have an enormous basket of cosmetics. That would include santine oil and bug repellent.

Presenter27:37

Mm-hmm.

Janet Suzman27:38

And shampoo.

Presenter27:38

Yes.

Janet Suzman27:39

And face cream.

Presenter27:39

Right. You look on that as just one little luxury.

Janet Suzman27:43

Well, it's it's a collective lunch.

Presenter27:44

I've said plenty of that.

Janet Suzman27:44

Thank you.

Presenter27:45

All right, you've got away with it. And thank you, Janet Sussman, for letting us hear your Desert Island Disc. Thank you.

Presenter27:51

Goodbye, everyone.

Speaker 128:02

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