Sir Christopher Leaver

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 1982, and the presenter was Roy Plumley.

Presenter0:31

Our castaway this week is the Lord Mayor of London, Sir Christopher Lever.

Presenter0:36

Lord Mayor, could you endure loneliness for a long time?

Sir Christopher Leaver0:40

For a long time, perhaps not. But I would welcome it for a period, and I think it would not be too difficult. What would you be happiest to have left behind?

Presenter0:50

Telephone

Presenter0:51

Without a doubt. And you have just a little music, eight records. Music is an interest of yours, isn't it? Indeed, yes. In fact, you you are an executant.

Sir Christopher Leaver1:02

I once learnt the piano and played the organ in chapel at school, but I don't play now.

Sir Christopher Leaver1:08

How did you set about choosing just eight disks?

Sir Christopher Leaver1:12

Well, I'm sure that most people who appear on this programme would say what a murderous task it is. But I did set about it by

Presenter1:17

But I

Sir Christopher Leaver1:20

Writing down over Christmas

Sir Christopher Leaver1:23

a number of records that I would love to take.

Sir Christopher Leaver1:26

And quite extraordinarily, they added up to one hundred and eight. And so I did it by a process of elimination.

Speaker 11:30

So I did it by

Sir Christopher Leaver1:35

The first Survivor is the Grand Fantasy on Polish Airs by Chopin for piano and orchestra, and particularly I wanted it played by Weissenberg.

Presenter2:46

Chopin's Grand Fantasy on Polish Airs, opus thirteen, played by Alexis Weisenberg with the Paris Conservatoire Orchestra. Sir Christopher, are you a Londoner by birth?

Sir Christopher Leaver2:56

Yes, I am. Yes, I was born in London, and then evacuated during the war to the United States. Your father was a Wimpole Street doctor. He was. And he was called up almost immediately in the war.

Presenter3:09

How old were you when you were evacuated? Two and a half years old. You don't remember the voyage at all, of course?

Sir Christopher Leaver3:15

Well, I do, in an extraordinary way. In fact, I claim my first memories at at two and a half.

Sir Christopher Leaver3:21

Because uh I have a for a long time a memory of lying in a cabin in a ship

Sir Christopher Leaver3:28

with the water level rising up the cabin floor. And one might have thought this was a dream, but funnily enough a book was written about this evacuation of I think there were fourteen children altogether in the party. And in the book is the story of someone who left the taps on in a basin because they hadn't run when the ship was in port, but as soon as we went to sea, on they came, and indeed the cabin was flooded. It's fairly unusual, I believe.

Presenter3:55

to remember as early as two and a half.

Sir Christopher Leaver3:57

Well, I don't have many memories after that, in fact, for some years.

Presenter3:59

That's not

Presenter4:01

Uh

Sir Christopher Leaver4:02

Uh

Presenter4:02

You go in the United States.

Sir Christopher Leaver4:03

Wait.

Presenter4:03

Yeah.

Sir Christopher Leaver4:03

He went to Virginia to a house in Warrenton.

Presenter4:06

And then to the West Indies. I should think that was a pretty good

Sir Christopher Leaver4:08

place to be during a war. Well, marvellous, of course, and as a child of, what, five to nearly eight, I had no idea there was a war on at all. Why did you go to the West Indies? Well, my father was eventually posted to the West Indies as a medical officer in the RNVR.

Sir Christopher Leaver4:25

And so my mother decided the time had come to try and get the family back together again. So she came out to America in very difficult circumstances.

Presenter4:32

Hmm.

Sir Christopher Leaver4:35

and uh rescued my sister.

Sir Christopher Leaver4:38

Me, and took us to the West Indies, and we all joined up as a family. Yes. I believe I shook my father's hand and said, How do you do, sir?

Presenter4:43

Uh That is

Presenter4:49

You learned very good manners in the United States. Or was that in the West Indies? And you came back to England to an English school. Yes. Eastbourne College was born.

Sir Christopher Leaver4:50

The United States.

Sir Christopher Leaver4:58

Well, I came back to a prep school in Eastbourne called Ascombe.

Sir Christopher Leaver5:02

And I then went on to Eastbourne College. I believe you did some broadcasting as a boy. Yes, I did. I appeared on a.

Sir Christopher Leaver5:11

program called Peacock Pie.

Sir Christopher Leaver5:13

with Lionel Gamblin and Billy Mayle at the piano. How old were you then? I was uh eleven, twelve then, I think. How did that come about? Well, my father, uh, when he came back to Wimpole Street after the war, was in fact doctor to a number of people from the B B C.

Sir Christopher Leaver5:31

And uh in those days I dare say you know more about this than I do, but the Bolivar was rather a meeting place.

Presenter5:37

Oh, indeed, we mourn it

Sir Christopher Leaver5:39

Yes. And uh I was in there meeting my father to be taken out to lunch.

Sir Christopher Leaver5:45

And uh he was talking to Lionel Gamblin and I think Lionel Gamblin said, Well, why don't you come and help compare this show? And I was thrilled, even more so when they sent me a pound with on my first broadcast as a fee. It's the first money I'd ever earned. How many did you do? Oh, two or three only.

Presenter6:03

Yeah. Did you know what you wanted to be at that time? I had no idea.

Presenter6:07

Well, the decision was postponed because you were called up for national service. That was in the army? Yes, that was in the army.

Presenter6:13

Well, let's break off at that point for your second record. What next?

Sir Christopher Leaver6:17

Well

Sir Christopher Leaver6:18

You asked me earlier about the difficulty of getting my choices down to as few as eight, and I'm very sorry that I'm down to only one voice, and as it is only one voice, it has to be for me, Kathleen Ferrier. And as my favourite opera is Orfeo Ed Juridici, then there can only be one piece possible, and that's K. Faro.

Speaker 26:42

Close and far more real.

Speaker 26:47

Oh your glasses are faith.

Speaker 27:24

Yeah.

Speaker 27:28

Four deep.

Speaker 27:31

Please for

Presenter7:38

Kathleen Ferriero singing Glux K Faro with the Orchestra of the Netherlands Opera.

Presenter7:44

So you were doing your national service in the army. You took a commission. You weren't attracted by the army as a career. Yes, I was.

Sir Christopher Leaver7:51

In fact, because even at that late stage in my life I hadn't really made up my mind what I wanted to do.

Sir Christopher Leaver7:59

But I think I must have been rather vulgar in those days. I was extremely ambitious. And I think when I very rapidly learned that I hadn't got a field marshal's baton in my knapsack, I perhaps felt that the army wasn't for me. So what did you do when you came up? I went back to Bristol for a short period. I'd been there for three months before I went into the army.

Speaker 18:09

So

Sir Christopher Leaver8:20

to a printing firm.

Sir Christopher Leaver8:21

who were the only people who were good enough to offer me a job before National Service with the prospect of going back to something.

Sir Christopher Leaver8:28

But it wasn't successful. I wasn't happy there.

Sir Christopher Leaver8:31

And uh I left and came to London.

Speaker 18:33

It came to land.

Sir Christopher Leaver8:35

with not much in mind.

Sir Christopher Leaver8:37

And publicity people have had a field day since I became Lord Mayor, because I in fact did go on a milk round in Chelsea. Why did you choose to do that? It paid very well, you know. And uh I r was, I think, probably somewhat unsettled after the army and still not knowing precisely in which direction to turn. You were a very good milkman. You managed to fit in a double round.

Sir Christopher Leaver9:02

Well, yes. I think we're back to ambition. I wanted to do the milk round better than anybody else. And so I used to go out at uh half past four in the morning, uh delivering all the milk to the front doors. Then I'd go off to breakfast. Then I'd go back to the yard, fill up with eggs and butter and cheese and bread and cakes and anything I could sell, because I used to get commission on it. So I then did a second round, knocking on all all the doors. Were your employers impressed?

Sir Christopher Leaver9:30

Yes, I think they must have been, because after a year they came and took me away.

Sir Christopher Leaver9:35

and promoted me.

Presenter9:36

Yes. You became a sales manager, I believe, at only twenty three. Yes, I tried. And were sent abroad to study milk distribution in other countries?

Sir Christopher Leaver9:45

Yes, and supermarketing in particular, which took me to America for periods which was very interesting. Well, let's have your third record.

Presenter9:51

Well let's have your

Sir Christopher Leaver9:52

Well, the third one is the triple concerto, Beethoven's Triple Concerto, uh with Oistrak, Rostropovich and Richter, and conducted by Carahan.

Presenter11:04

The beginning of the last movement of Beethoven's Triple Concerto, in C major, opus fifty six, with Oestrack, Rostropovich, and Richter, conducted by Karijan.

Presenter11:15

You began to take an interest in politics, Sir Christopher.

Sir Christopher Leaver11:18

Yes, I did.

Presenter11:19

Yeah.

Sir Christopher Leaver11:19

It was during the period, in fact, when I was on the milk round.

Sir Christopher Leaver11:23

when I was asked by a friend to go and canvas in uh Hampstead, I think it was.

Sir Christopher Leaver11:29

and he wanted me to canvass for the Liberals, and I wasn't a Liberal supporter.

Sir Christopher Leaver11:33

And so I decided that perhaps it would be nice to canvas, but for the party which I did support. Of course. And I in fact went to Finchley.

Sir Christopher Leaver11:41

and uh canvassed there. And the Conservative candidate in Finchley in those days was was a very new young lady to politics, fairly new to politics. And uh yes, I did canvass for her.

Presenter11:54

Mrs. Thatcher got in thanks partly to your efforts.

Sir Christopher Leaver11:57

Thanks partly to your efforts.

Presenter12:00

Now, you were doing very well. You decided to broaden your interest and you began to deal in another commodity apart from milk.

Sir Christopher Leaver12:08

Yes my father had died at quite a young age.

Sir Christopher Leaver12:12

Although the uh

Sir Christopher Leaver12:14

Job in the dairy and supermarket business was very satisfactory and showed

Sir Christopher Leaver12:20

A promising future, I think.

Sir Christopher Leaver12:22

I felt that with no money and no prospects of any capital other than the money that I might be able to save, and that's not very easily done these days, that uh I'd really like to do something myself, and uh

Sir Christopher Leaver12:37

It meant, in effect, that I really wanted a business where I had some shares.

Sir Christopher Leaver12:42

and there was a small wine merchant's business in the square mile.

Sir Christopher Leaver12:48

A family business? Yes, in the square mile of the city. Of the city, yes.

Presenter12:49

In the

Sir Christopher Leaver12:52

and there was a third generation due to take his part in the firm, and he decided that he wanted to go off and write books, and it left a vacancy, and I took the opportunity.

Sir Christopher Leaver13:03

Having gone around on my hands and knees trying to raise funds, of course, to buy my way in, but I succeeded in that. It's on record that you increased the turnover tenfold. How? Oh, I think it's even more than that now. Well, I worked very hard. I used to start very early in the morning, probably goes back to the milk round, I suspect. And um I was buying, selling, typing the orders, ringing up customers. I did everything, literally, with the help of one other chap who was there. There were two of us and a a girl who came in half a day every day.

Speaker 113:29

Yeah.

Presenter13:29

I did everything

Speaker 113:29

Uh

Presenter13:36

The firm was in the city, but you were living in Chelsea, I believe, and and taking an interest in in local government there.

Sir Christopher Leaver13:42

Yes, I was. I don't know whether it was Finchley gave me the taste for politics, but certainly I did become increasingly interested, and uh I eventually stood as a candidate in the local elections in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.

Presenter13:58

But I was successful.

Presenter13:59

And then you changed your allegiance, your activities, from Chelsea to the city?

Presenter14:06

Yeah. Record number four.

Sir Christopher Leaver14:07

Uh

Sir Christopher Leaver14:07

Well, there must be a

Sir Christopher Leaver14:09

Piano music always for me, and so I've chosen another piano piece, that's Mozart's Concerto No. 25. It's a very deeply expressive piece of music, and I love it dearly.

Presenter15:22

Part of the first movement of Mozart Piano Concerto No. 25 in C major, Kirkel five oh three,

Presenter15:29

Alfred Brendel, with the Academy of St. Martin in the fields conducted by Neville Mariner.

Presenter15:35

What's the ladder of progress in the city? You were a member of the corporation first. Yes. Is that right?

Sir Christopher Leaver15:39

Yes, right. Yes. I in fact uh fought an election in the ward of Dowgade.

Sir Christopher Leaver15:46

which I lost on the first occasion.

Sir Christopher Leaver15:49

And then by this time I was just leaving the Royal Borough of Kensington Chelsea Council. So in fact, if I had won that first election, I would have probably been in a rather embarrassed position of being on two local authorities at once, albeit for a short period.

Sir Christopher Leaver16:04

Then the opportunity came four months later, in fact, to uh fight again, which I did.

Sir Christopher Leaver16:10

And I won on that occasion. And four months after that, in the same ward, a vacancy came up for the alderman. How many aldermen are there? There are twenty-five, including the Lord Mayor. You were a very young alderman, I believe. Yes, I was. Yes. In fact, when I arrived at the Court of Alderman, the Lord Mayor at the time welcomed me with the words, I am pleased to accept you into this honourable court. You have effectively reduced the average age by at least ten years.

Presenter16:44

We have to remember that the City of London once constituted the whole of the capital city and it was once the most densely populated square mile in the country. So its method of self-government is unique and ancient.

Sir Christopher Leaver16:58

Yes, very ancient. We uh claim to be the mother of the mother of parliaments, and indeed I think that's a justified claim.

Presenter17:05

What's the next step from Alderman?

Sir Christopher Leaver17:07

Sheriff? Sheriff, next. If you are going to continue on the path to the mayoralty and everybody who joins the Court of Alderman is expected.

Sir Christopher Leaver17:17

To uh

Sir Christopher Leaver17:19

go there with the idea that uh the Marity is the ultimate.

Sir Christopher Leaver17:23

But we do in fact uh lose quite a few people on the way for all sorts of reasons.

Presenter17:29

Now the mayoralty, is that a matter of seniority or election?

Sir Christopher Leaver17:33

Well, both in the sense that you do.

Sir Christopher Leaver17:36

progress one year after the other, you certainly progress towards the year of sheriff, which is an election by the liverymen.

Sir Christopher Leaver17:46

And then after that you continue that progression for a further election and in the further election the liverymen elect two people who are aldermen and who have been sheriff and the final choice then is is made by the court of aldermen.

Presenter18:04

Between those two. Well, you were chosen last year. Your term of office is for a single year.

Sir Christopher Leaver18:09

Yes, I think that's quite enough for anyone.

Presenter18:12

How many Lord Mayors have

Sir Christopher Leaver18:13

That beat. Well, I'm the six hundred and fifty fourth. Really? The office is rather older, but in the earlier days uh a Lord Mayor would serve more than one year. Nowadays that really wouldn't be possible.

Presenter18:26

Any engagement

Sir Christopher Leaver18:26

But

Presenter18:27

Once a day.

Sir Christopher Leaver18:27

Yeah. Yeah. I think at the moment

Presenter18:28

I think at the moment they're averaging about six or seven The city of course is changing. I mean the Barbican scheme is is bringing residents into the area and the arts.

Sir Christopher Leaver18:36

And the art. Yes. Well, I'm particularly thrilled about this because in my year as Lord Mayor, the Barbican Centre for Arts and Conferences will open. In fact, it's to open in the spring.

Sir Christopher Leaver18:49

And I'm very keen to support.

Sir Christopher Leaver18:52

the art side very much indeed, or the conference and exhibition halls as well, but the art side appealed to me tremendously.

Presenter18:57

Yeah.

Presenter19:00

So you're going to get the Royal Shakespeare Company with you and uh the London Symphony Orchestra? Yes, indeed.

Presenter19:06

We got to record number five.

Presenter19:08

Uh

Sir Christopher Leaver19:08

Uh

Presenter19:09

Yeah.

Sir Christopher Leaver19:09

It was now a rather compelling and powerful piece of music, uh rather dramatic.

Sir Christopher Leaver19:15

The overture Les Franjourge by Berlioz. Why do you choose that? Oh, I love this drama and uh it's it's very exciting. There's a great succession of ideas in it.

Presenter20:17

The Berlioz overture Les Franjourge, played by the London Symphony Orchestra, who are so soon going to join them in the city, conducted by Colin Davies. Now, Lord Mayor, you inhabit the mansion house. Are you required to live within the bounds of the city? More than that, I'm required to live in the mansion house. That is that's essential. Well, from the outside it looks a gracious and and beautiful building.

Sir Christopher Leaver20:40

Building. How old is it?

Sir Christopher Leaver20:42

It was finished in seventeen fifty two.

Sir Christopher Leaver20:46

It uh is a gracious building, it's a lovely building, but you'd be probably surprised to know that it's smaller than one imagines inside. There's not the space required for the number of people who live and work there.

Presenter20:59

Are your living quarters separate from the what one might call the State Apartment?

Sir Christopher Leaver21:04

Yes, they are in a in a sense. Of course we've gone there in rather unusual circumstances because we've taken two very young children with us and a nanny and uh so we require rather more room than perhaps others have.

Sir Christopher Leaver21:18

Yes, it's very

Presenter21:18

Yes, it's very unusual, of course, to have um young children in the mansion house. You are s a surprisingly young Lord Mayor. I believe you're forty-four. May I mention? Yes, I am.

Sir Christopher Leaver21:27

Guess I'm forty five

Presenter21:27

So and your children are?

Sir Christopher Leaver21:28

Well, Tara's nearly four, and Anna, the little one, is seven months.

Presenter21:34

And

Presenter21:36

Of course, the mansion house is also a court of justice, isn't it?

Sir Christopher Leaver21:40

Yes, there is a justice room there very small one, but it works and works very well, every day. I believe it's also a prison. There are some cells down below. Are they in use? Only during the time the court's in session, but not overnight, I'm glad to say.

Presenter21:57

Now the incoming Lord Mayor has his show, the Lord Mayor's show, which is a great event, of course, in London and each show has a theme. Does the Lord Mayor choose the theme?

Sir Christopher Leaver22:06

Yes, he does. The show is entirely his. What was yours? And my theme was transport, which in fact uh arose out of my interest in transport, firstly through my livery company, which is the worshipful company of Carmen, and we're very associated with transport in all forms. And secondly, I'm chairman of a group of garages that distributes motor cars and uh so I have an active interest in the field anyway.

Presenter22:33

Now in the show you were driven along in your golden coach, which looks, I must say, hideously uncomfortable, pitching and swaying. Did did you find it? Yeah.

Sir Christopher Leaver22:42

No, I found it surprisingly nice. The the wheels pick up every hole in the road, or whatever, every piece of gravel. But uh no, it was very nice. It didn't sway nearly as much as I myself anticipated.

Presenter22:55

Drawn by six horses. Does that mean that the Lord Mayor keeps a stable?

Sir Christopher Leaver22:57

Does that ma

Sir Christopher Leaver23:00

No. In fact, uh one of the uh major brewery companies very kindly houses the horses and uses them to pull their brewers' drays.

Presenter23:00

No.

Presenter23:10

Yes. Does that mean that your coachman is is in private life, a a brewer's drayman? Yes.

Sir Christopher Leaver23:10

Yeah.

Presenter23:16

Now you instituted or revived a river procession.

Sir Christopher Leaver23:19

Yes. I'd had this idea in the back of my mind for some time.

Sir Christopher Leaver23:23

I live on the river in Chelsea, and I work on the river in the city at Billingsgate.

Sir Christopher Leaver23:29

and my ward of Dowgate, to which I referred earlier, is also on the river.

Sir Christopher Leaver23:35

And I am very, very fond of the river, and regret that it's so greatly underused.

Sir Christopher Leaver23:40

and as my theme was transport, it seemed sensible to me to travel from my home to the city by river, and I enjoyed it thoroughly.

Presenter23:48

Well, I hope that tradition continues.

Sir Christopher Leaver23:50

Yeah.

Presenter23:50

This seems an excellent one. So do I. And we partner to your sixth record.

Sir Christopher Leaver23:56

Well, I'm naturally very nostalgic about all sorts of things, and uh I therefore thought the concerto for cello and orchestra of Elgar was a must, and I've had the pleasure of meeting Jacqueline Dupre on some occasions, and therefore I like it played by her.

Presenter25:15

Jacqueline Dupre is soloist in the beginning of the third movement of Elgar's cello concerto.

Presenter25:21

I presume the office of Lord Mayor is is a full-time job for your year. Oh, absolutely.

Sir Christopher Leaver25:26

I've uh withdrawn from my various commercial interests for the year.

Presenter25:33

For a stipend.

Sir Christopher Leaver25:34

No, there isn't.

Presenter25:36

No, there is the Lord Mayor's banquet. A vastly expensive

Sir Christopher Leaver25:37

There is

Presenter25:42

Uh a fair. Who pays for that?

Sir Christopher Leaver25:44

Well, the Lord Mayor and the two sheriffs share it. The Lord Mayor pays half and the two sheriffs pay

Presenter25:47

Yeah.

Presenter25:50

And there's a summer banquet, too, isn't it?

Sir Christopher Leaver25:52

There are other banquets in the year. This year I shall be giving a banquet to the bishops and archbishops, probably to foreign visitors, and so on.

Sir Christopher Leaver26:01

Uh

Presenter26:01

And there's a children's party by to do

Sir Christopher Leaver26:03

Yeah.

Presenter26:03

Yeah.

Sir Christopher Leaver26:03

Yes, that was uh only the other day, and uh very successful it was too, in some three hundred and fifty children working their way through mansion house, ice cream, cakes, everything.

Presenter26:12

Yeah.

Presenter26:15

Oh, that must have been marvellous. And your elder daughter acting as hostess at this time.

Sir Christopher Leaver26:18

Yes, she she came as a little Miss Maffitt.

Presenter26:21

Uh

Sir Christopher Leaver26:21

Yeah. Yeah.

Presenter26:21

Uh

Presenter26:22

During his year of office does the Lord Mayor remain aloof from politics?

Sir Christopher Leaver26:26

Yes. In fact, uh I left the party of which I was a member before taking on the office of sheriff and I haven't rejoined, but I don't commit myself not to do so at a later date.

Presenter26:41

Yes. And during my researches I noted that four Lord Mayors have ended up in the Tower, so there's a certain risk in the office.

Sir Christopher Leaver26:48

Yes, indeed.

Presenter26:50

I shall try to avoid it. You're enjoying your year. Very much indeed. Very much.

Sir Christopher Leaver26:54

Your seventh record we've got to.

Presenter26:57

Yeah.

Sir Christopher Leaver26:58

My favourite composer is Mozart. I am very fond of church music, and have been ever since I attempted to play the organ in chapel at school.

Sir Christopher Leaver27:08

and I've therefore chosen the Ave Verum Corpus. On this occasion, sung by Saint Paul's Cathedral Choir.

Sir Christopher Leaver27:16

because, as you may imagine, over the eight years which I have been an alderman, I've spent many, many hours in that magnificent cathedral, which I love, and the music there is truly beautiful.

Presenter28:30

Mozart's Ave Verum, sung by the choir of Saint Paul's Cathedral. I mentioned that the London Symphony Orchestra was coming into your sphere of influence. You are already chairman of another orchestra of a different, slightly different category.

Sir Christopher Leaver28:45

Yes, I'm chairman of the Young Musician Symphony Orchestra, which is made up of students from the various London colleges who get an opportunity with us to play very often before rather a larger audience than they might otherwise have the opportunity to play before. And also, of course, we give them an opportunity to play as a larger orchestra. We very often play 120 strong.

Presenter29:11

Yeah.

Sir Christopher Leaver29:11

Yeah.

Presenter29:11

Have you

Sir Christopher Leaver29:11

Yeah.

Presenter29:12

Any interests which involve handicraft. Are you anything of a handyman?

Presenter29:17

I'm reasonably handy about the house, but I'm not very creative actually.

Sir Christopher Leaver29:19

I'm not very sure.

Presenter29:21

What we're getting to is could you rig up a shelter on this desert island? Could you look after yourself?

Sir Christopher Leaver29:25

Yes, I think I could.

Sir Christopher Leaver29:27

I think I'd rather enjoy it, in fact.

Presenter29:29

Or did you remember in the West Indies watching people putting up huts?

Sir Christopher Leaver29:32

Yes, yes, and if I have a few banana trees, it would help a lot.

Sir Christopher Leaver29:38

The leaves are extremely useful.

Presenter29:38

Right.

Sir Christopher Leaver29:41

Uh no, I've never fished. I don't think I had the patience for it. Do you know anything about small boats or navigation? Would you try to escape? I would try and escape, but I think I'd like to have a sabbatical, so I'd like to wait a year before I left.

Presenter29:55

Right, think it out. Don't rush into it. Record number eight to listen to while you're waiting.

Sir Christopher Leaver30:01

Well, strangely enough, talking of the Young Musician Symphony Orchestra, I first heard them play the Bruckner Symphony No. four barely five years ago, I think.

Sir Christopher Leaver30:11

and I was greatly moved.

Sir Christopher Leaver30:13

Really touched by it, and so I've chosen that as my last record. And which orchestra is playing it on this occasion? Well, the Berlin Philharmonic, because it's carrion again.

Presenter31:21

The closing passage of the third movement of Bruckner's fourth symphony in E-flat major, the Romantic, played by the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Herbert von Calligan. If you could take only one disc of the H you've played us, which would it be? Oh, without a shadow of doubt, the triple concerto. The triple concerto of Beethoven. And one luxury to take to the island with you, something of no practical use that would give you pleasure.

Sir Christopher Leaver31:47

Well, I have chosen something which I think would have great practical use to me anyway. I would like to take the entire contents of my wine cellar with me. Is that allowed? Well, it seems

Presenter31:58

Very good sense. Yes, indeed you can.

Presenter32:01

And one book, The Bible and Shakespeare, are already there.

Sir Christopher Leaver32:04

Yes, I'd like to cheat a bit and have the entire new set of I think it's seventeen volumes, is it of Grove? Grove's dictionary.

Presenter32:13

Oh yes, it it's one work, that's all. It's one work. Yes, it's yours. And thank you, Sir Christopher Lever, Lord Mayor of London, for letting us hear your Desert Island discs.

Sir Christopher Leaver32:15

Yeah.

Sir Christopher Leaver32:16

Yeah.

Sir Christopher Leaver32:23

Thank you very much for allowing me to do so. I've enjoyed it enormously. Goodbye, everyone.

Speaker 132:35

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