Julian Bream

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 one.

Speaker 10:24

And the presenter was Roy Plumley.

Presenter0:27

How do you do, ladies and gentlemen?

Presenter0:29

Our castaway this week is the brilliant young guitarist Julian Bream.

Presenter0:34

Julian, do you play the gramophone a lot?

Julian Bream0:35

Well, uh every now and then I play it. I have a very

Julian Bream0:39

uh, should we say, antique, and perhaps the technical boys will call it a lo fi machine. But I do every now and then I

Julian Bream0:49

come back from a tour and uh

Julian Bream0:51

um play a record and when I do of course I have a feeling that well I'm back home.

Presenter0:57

How do you feel you could face up to the solitude of a desert island?

Julian Bream1:01

Well, I must say it's a frightening thought.

Julian Bream1:03

I don't think I could phase up to it without

Julian Bream1:06

Some form of music or an instrument or grammophone or

Presenter1:09

Well, you've got your gramophone, you've got eight records. What sort of test did you apply in selecting the eight records?

Julian Bream1:16

I don't know. I I found that it was

Julian Bream1:18

Very difficult because

Julian Bream1:21

There are so many possibilities. But on the other hand, I thought the great thing was to find something that would take me back to the most enjoyable and the most illuminating and exciting experiences of my life in London.

Julian Bream1:38

Yeah.

Presenter1:39

What's the first one you've chosen?

Julian Bream1:40

Well, the first one is the Schubert Quintet in C major.

Julian Bream1:46

To me it is perhaps the greatest piece of music that has ever been written.

Presenter1:51

Yeah.

Julian Bream1:51

Yeah.

Presenter1:51

Which is your favorite section of it?

Julian Bream1:52

Well, I love it all, but

Julian Bream1:55

Um perhaps just near the beginning when the main tune comes.

Presenter2:01

Part of the first movement of Schubert's quintet in C major, played by the Hollywood string quartet with Coert Reher cello.

Presenter2:08

What's your second choice?

Julian Bream2:10

Well, my second choice is uh an operatic area.

Julian Bream2:15

And

Julian Bream2:17

It it was the first.

Julian Bream2:19

Time

Julian Bream2:21

That

Julian Bream2:21

I had ever heard or seen an opera in my life. I think I must have been about fifteen.

Julian Bream2:27

and it was Dido and Aeneas by Purcell.

Julian Bream2:31

and was given in that

Julian Bream2:33

Wonderful old barn

Julian Bream2:35

for sake of a better word, which Bernard Myles had in his back garden in his house at Terhampstead.

Julian Bream2:42

And I believe it was called The Mermaid Theatre. And I remember going along to one of the very first performances and the audience was very distinguished and it was a that was a terrific thrill, but the greatest thrill was hearing for the first time two delightful and wonderful artists, Maggie Tate,

Julian Bream3:02

and Kirsten Flagstadt.

Julian Bream3:04

And I must say that hearing

Julian Bream3:07

Kirsten Flagstad sing Dido's Lament When I am laid in earth.

Julian Bream3:11

has been perhaps one of the most moving

Julian Bream3:15

experiences I've had in music.

Presenter3:19

When I am Laid in Earth from Purcell's Died Own and Ears, sung by Kirsten Flagstadt.

Presenter3:24

You're a Londoner, aren't you, Julian?

Julian Bream3:25

Yes, uh I was born in Pattersey.

Presenter3:27

A real one.

Julian Bream3:28

Well, I believe that sort of makes me so.

Julian Bream3:31

Was there a lot of music in your family? Um, well

Julian Bream3:35

There was some. My father was an amateur musician.

Julian Bream3:39

He played the piano by ear.

Julian Bream3:42

In two keys, G flat and A flat. And he also played um the guitar, jazz style.

Julian Bream3:50

which he took up uh in the war as he was a commercial artist by profession before the war, and then in the war he was in a sort of munitions factory, I believe, and

Julian Bream3:59

In order to make a little extra money, he ran a small dance brand in the neighbouring

Julian Bream4:05

vicinity of um Hampton on Thames, where we moved to just before the outbreak of war.

Presenter4:12

You began taking an interest in music at a very early age, I believe.

Julian Bream4:15

I was intrigued with it, let's say that. And um my father

Julian Bream4:21

put me on the piano, I suppose, about the age of ten.

Julian Bream4:25

And then um he used to have the git an odd guitar round the house, you see it, and when he was away I used to play on it, and I couldn't play any chords, I just played the open strings. But I got a great deal of fun from that.

Speaker 14:35

Uh

Julian Bream4:37

And one day uh he caught me at it, and I thought he was going to be very annoyed, but in actual fact he said, Well, if you're really keen to play it, why n why don't you study it properly?

Julian Bream4:47

And so uh that was my

Julian Bream4:50

real beginning on the instrument, and he started me off on a few r rudimentary techniques for playing.

Speaker 14:57

Play

Julian Bream4:58

And then

Julian Bream4:59

Of course, a few years later I was most fortunate enough to meet Segovia.

Julian Bream5:04

on one of his early post-war visits. He gave you some lessons. Yes, indeed. But the interesting thing is that it was Segovia, not he in person, but a recording, which first convinced me that the guitar was the instrument which I wanted to dedicate my life to, though I never thought about it at such an early age as a sheer dedication. However, my father did bring home a a recording of Segovia as the first.

Julian Bream5:30

And you must remember I never heard any guitar playing in my life before that.

Presenter5:34

Really? You'd only heard jazz guitar.

Julian Bream5:36

Well, yes, a little that just on the radio. And so he brought this recording home and we sort of

Julian Bream5:42

feverishly pour it off its packet and put it on the gramophone turntable and uh

Julian Bream5:48

After two minutes of this, or less than that, I was absolutely convinced that

Julian Bream5:53

The guitar was going to be my life.

Julian Bream5:56

What was the piece? Well, it was a piece uh commonly known as the Tremolo study, but it has a title in Spanish, Recurdos de la Alhambra.

Julian Bream6:06

which is Remembrances of the Alambra, you know that nice old palace down in Granada. And the composer is Tarega.

Presenter6:12

Yeah.

Presenter6:13

Is this something you're leading up to to choose as your next record?

Julian Bream6:16

Well, uh, I'd love that one if you have it.

Presenter6:20

Segovia playing The Tremelo Study, Memories of the Alambra, by Tarega.

Presenter6:26

You had these lessons from Segervia that you were talking about, Julian. You also had a a formal musical education as well.

Julian Bream6:31

Uh yes, I was at the um Royal College of Music, uh the junior Saturday morning classes, and then um that was the age of thirteen and at the age of fifteen I was fortunate enough to uh acquire a scholarship, underage, to

Julian Bream6:48

attend the senior college.

Presenter6:50

Yes. The guitar isn't taught at the Royal Corridor.

Julian Bream6:52

Well, actually it at this particular moment it has just been introduced into into the curriculum. But at that time it wasn't even considered as a a musical instrument. In fact, I never forget the director saying to me, I think in good humour, at least I hope in good humour

Julian Bream7:08

That uh one thing I must never do, that is bring the guitar within the shadows of the Royal College of Music.

Julian Bream7:16

What was your first professional engagement?

Presenter7:17

Yeah.

Julian Bream7:18

I think

Julian Bream7:19

on Saint Cecilia's Day, which is November twenty second, nineteen forty six. Because I remember that there was the most terrible tragedy in the musical world that day. Falia died.

Presenter7:31

Uh

Julian Bream7:31

And um

Presenter7:32

In nineteen forty six he was just a boy.

Julian Bream7:34

Uh

Presenter7:34

Yeah.

Julian Bream7:34

Well, yes, I suppose. I don't know whether it was about twelve or thirteen.

Presenter7:37

Yeah.

Julian Bream7:38

And um

Julian Bream7:39

Somehow this was a terrible tragedy, but on that day I kicked off, as it were where was it?

Presenter7:44

Uh

Julian Bream7:44

Well, I played it uh

Julian Bream7:46

the a very distinguished Russian

Julian Bream7:50

Prince and Princesses party in Knightsbridge. They were throwing a big dinner party and I was asked to supply the music and I was given

Julian Bream7:59

Uh

Julian Bream8:00

What I now consider an an little tiny fee. But at that time I never forget when I received this cheque, I thought I owned the world. And of

Presenter8:10

First full recital.

Julian Bream8:11

Uh my first full recital was in Cheltenham in nineteen forty seven.

Presenter8:15

Uh

Julian Bream8:15

That was a year later. However, I had begun to work on the radio. I must say in those early days the B B C was a most wonderful support, you know, it uh helped me to

Julian Bream8:27

keep alive financially and also to encourage me to learn new pieces and more interesting pieces than I would have otherwise played.

Presenter8:34

Uh

Julian Bream8:35

Well, let's break off here, Julian, and have record number four. What should we have now?

Julian Bream8:39

Well, I have one tremendous weakness in music.

Julian Bream8:42

And it's for perhaps

Julian Bream8:45

the very first instrumentalist I ever heard in my life, even before Segovia, and that is the great

Julian Bream8:51

Jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt, who died some ten years ago.

Julian Bream8:57

This man has been a tremendous inspiration to me.

Julian Bream9:02

in much the same way as Segovia.

Julian Bream9:04

But there's something so

Julian Bream9:06

refreshing about

Julian Bream9:08

Django, and he was a purely spontaneous musician. And also I do like jazz very much, or swing, shall we say. I believe you have even the very first disc of this person that I ever heard. I remember I must have been about nine when I heard it.

Julian Bream9:23

And uh this I would most certainly take along with me to my island.

Julian Bream9:32

which is called Billy Doo. I believe that you can only get it on an old seventy eight, and I h I hope that's the one you've got, because I feel a great affection for the old scratches too.

Presenter9:45

Villa Dou played by the Quintet of the Hot Club of France, featuring Django Reinhardt and Stefan Grappelli.

Presenter9:51

Something about the guitar, now, Julian. How old an instrument is it?

Presenter9:56

Yeah.

Julian Bream9:56

Well the guitar goes back

Julian Bream9:58

Two.

Julian Bream9:59

Possibly, as far as we're concerned, you're up to the ninth century. Does it? When was it introduced over here? Well, uh it was first uh brought over here, as it were, officially in the seventeenth century, when Charles the Second, who was a great lover of music, had several very prominent guitar players in his court.

Julian Bream10:20

The guitar is one of these curious instruments that's that has suffered at the whims of fashion. And so you get periods when the guitar is frightfully popular. I mean, we can witness one now. And then you get these sort of periods when the instrument completely dropped out of favor. But um there have been great sort of European passions for the instruments, for instance, in the early nineteenth century and at this present moment.

Julian Bream10:48

And also in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries there was.

Presenter10:52

You extend the repertoire by arranging a lot of keyboard music, don't you?

Julian Bream10:55

Yes, but they

Presenter10:55

There are some major concert works for the guitar concerto.

Julian Bream10:59

Oh, yes. There are quite a few. In fact, the first one was written in the eighteenth century, in seventeen eighty, to be precise.

Presenter11:06

Yeah.

Julian Bream11:06

Uh

Presenter11:06

The instrument itself does a guitar mellow in the same way that that an old fiddle does.

Presenter11:12

Um, yes.

Julian Bream11:13

Yes. Do you play an old old instrument? No, I play uh a modern instrument, alas, which is uh only five years old. Now you also play the lute? Yes. Where where do you get a lute from?

Speaker 111:20

Yes.

Julian Bream11:22

Well, this is this is always a great problem for anybody aspiring to play the lute, but I was fortunate enough to meet a very fine harpsichord builder in London.

Julian Bream11:32

And he made one of the most beautiful lutes I think there must be in the world, and it's a copy of a sixteenth century Italian instrument.

Julian Bream11:39

Uh

Presenter11:40

Well, let's have another record.

Julian Bream11:41

Rebot number five.

Presenter11:41

Uh

Julian Bream11:42

Since we're talking about loots, I'd like to just have a a l a loot one.

Julian Bream11:47

Uh however, I'd like to combine it with a singer, because on the island I think uh

Julian Bream11:53

One of the things I would like to remember very much w would be my

Julian Bream11:57

acquaintance and work with my colleague

Julian Bream12:01

Uh Peter Pears.

Julian Bream12:02

And I think that for this reason I'd like to have uh that lovely old Elizabethan tune, It Was a Lover and His Last.

Presenter12:14

It was A Lover and His Lass, sung by Peter Pearce with Julian Bream playing the lute.

Presenter12:20

Well, Julian, you you make a lot of overseas tours these days. Do you spend more time playing overseas now than you do in Britain?

Julian Bream12:26

Um, yes, I would say on the whole I do, yes.

Presenter12:29

What's for the future? Where are you off to next?

Julian Bream12:31

Well, I've got quite an exciting uh

Julian Bream12:34

season next season. First I have quite a time in in Russia. Three weeks in Russia. Your first visit. My first visit to Russia, which I think will be very exciting. And then

Julian Bream12:43

It seems now that I fly from Moscow to New York.

Julian Bream12:47

and spend about two months in in America.

Julian Bream12:51

and then I come back for about

Julian Bream12:53

uh fortnight and then I go to Holland and Germany and Switzerland

Julian Bream13:00

And uh Poland. Yes. Have you ever have you explored the Beralika yet? No, but I thought I might uh explore that, you know, particularly in America where they always like uh

Julian Bream13:09

a new sort of gimmick, you know. I thought in perhaps nineteen sixty five I might introduce the electric ballalaika perhaps.

Presenter13:15

Let's have record six.

Julian Bream13:19

Well now this is um something which I would have for sheer

Julian Bream13:24

delight in sound. I find that they

Julian Bream13:28

This particular piece, it's the Bachianus Brasilieris of Villa Lobos, is one of the most exotic.

Julian Bream13:35

pieces of music I know.

Julian Bream13:38

this sort of curious classicism of Bach.

Julian Bream13:41

tainted with a great deal of the atmosphere of the Amazon and the jungle.

Julian Bream13:47

And uh I rather like this mixture.

Presenter13:51

The opening of Bacchiana's Brasilieris, number five, by Villa Lobos, sung by Bidu Saiao, with eight cellos and a double bass.

Presenter14:00

Julian, what kind of classo are you going to be? How good are you with your hand?

Julian Bream14:04

Um well, I'm not so sure that I'm so practical, you see, because I have to

Julian Bream14:11

The pluck the guitar.

Julian Bream14:13

and the loot with the fingernail of the right hand. And this is

Julian Bream14:17

obviously a great drawback when you've got to p try and sort of

Julian Bream14:21

cut down trees or something like that.

Presenter14:22

Ever done any camping out?

Julian Bream14:24

Uh oh yes, I've I used to be very keen on it.

Presenter14:27

Stuff.

Julian Bream14:27

cooking over an old fire and so I'm I think I would enjoy it, providing I didn't have to uh give concerts on the guitar on the island too. No, one thing at a time. Right, let's leave that and get on to record number seven.

Julian Bream14:41

Well, um we've had some Brazilian bach. Now I'd like to have some Italian bach. I'd like to have the Bach Vivaldi concerto for four harpsichords. Delightful thing to have this on the island because to my mind it's one of the happiest pieces I know.

Presenter15:00

The opening of the Vivalde Bach concerto for four harpsichords in A minor.

Presenter15:05

Well now we come to your last one. What's that going to be?

Julian Bream15:08

Well

Presenter15:09

Uh

Julian Bream15:09

Um

Presenter15:09

Yeah.

Julian Bream15:09

The last one draw like the first one. However, if the first is my favorite piece of music that's the Schubert, the Schubert quintet, then surely this next piece is my second best.

Julian Bream15:22

Our second favourite piece of music.

Julian Bream15:25

And it is another quintet, but instead of having two cellos, like in the Schubert, we have two violas, and it's the G minor quintet of Mozart.

Presenter15:36

the opening of the first movement of Mozart's quintet in G minor.

Presenter15:43

Well, there are your eight records, Julian.

Presenter15:45

You are allowed one luxury on the island as well.

Julian Bream15:47

One luxury

Julian Bream15:49

I don't know. I've always wanted to compose a little bit.

Julian Bream15:53

But I've never had time to do it, you know, it's strange, but always travelling and practising.

Julian Bream15:58

And I've never had the sort of repose, and I find that being on this desert island would ensure me of at least that. So I'd need.

Julian Bream16:07

Paper

Julian Bream16:08

to write the music, providing I'd had a pen, too.

Presenter16:11

Oh, well we're supposed to be able to do it.

Julian Bream16:11

Could you buy a pen? Of course, really I would love to have an instrument too.

Presenter16:16

Well, let's assume let's assume that you've got your guitar slung round your neck when you get ashore, because we can't separate you from that.

Julian Bream16:17

Well that was

Presenter16:25

And one book you can have, apart from the Bible and Shakespeare.

Julian Bream16:28

One book

Julian Bream16:30

You know, there's a nice collection of sixteenth and seventeenth century English poems. I think I would take these. For one, I love the poetry.

Julian Bream16:40

For two

Julian Bream16:41

It would take me back to the loot, because I've only got the guitar with me, you see.

Julian Bream16:47

Three, it would give me wonderful inspiration and also opportunities to write songs and to set Elizabethan lyrics.

Julian Bream16:56

to music, which would be one of the things that I really most want to do.

Presenter17:02

We'll look forward to hearing those when you come back. Thank you, Julius Green, for letting us hear your choice of Desert Island Discs.

Julian Bream17:07

Not at all, thank you. Goodbye.

Presenter17:09

Goodbye everyone.