Tuning in…
Tuning in…
Castaway
1 appearance
A celebrated instrumentalist best known as the foremost French horn player in the world, with many fine recordings.
On the island
Eight records
Guitar Muskowski (arr. Jascha Heifetz)
This is a Heifetz arrangement of Boulanger's 'Guitar Muskowski' (a stylised Spanish piece). The transcript says 'Guitar Muskowski' and 'Hifetz playing guitar'. ASR mangled the composer (Boulanger) and track title; the canonical title is 'Guitar Muskowski' and the performer is Heifetz. No separate composer is given by the guest.
The Dance of the Gnomes (Gnomenreigen)Favourite
Guest says 'Dance of the Gnomes' by Liszt played by Rachmaninoff. Canonical: 'Gnomenreigen' S.145, played by Rachmaninoff.
Ein Heldenleben (A Hero's Life), Battle Scene
New York Philharmonic Orchestra
Guest says 'New York Philharmonic Orchestra' in 'A Hero's Life, The Battle Scene' conducted by Mengelberg. Canonical: Ein Heldenleben, Op. 40. The conductor is Willem Mengelberg.
Guest says 'horn belt boogie' recorded by Mitch Miller. Likely a novelty piece; the title is transcribed as 'horn belt boogie', which is plausible as a 1950s Mitch Miller recording.
Guest says 'Sally Gardens' arranged by Benjamin Britten, sung by Peter Peirce (Pears), accompanied by Britten. Canonical: 'The Sally Gardens' (folk song arr. Britten).
Tommy Dorsey and his Orchestra
Guest says 'Well Get It' by Tommy Dorsey's band, with Ziggy Ellman (Elman) and Carl Peterson. Canonical: 'Well, Get It!' (1939), featuring Ziggy Elman (trumpet) and Gene Krupa (drums).
Guest says 'A West Finnish Dance' by Palmgren played by Mazevich. Canonical: 'West Finnish Dance' Op. 31 No. 3 by Palmgren, played by Benno Moiseiwitsch. 'Mazevich' is an ASR error for Moiseiwitsch.
In conversation
Presenter asks
0:46How have you set about choosing this music for your desert island exile? What have been the basic principles you've worked on?
I've chosen pieces of work that I'm not likely to have played or could possibly have played... Um pieces by uh pianists, violinists, singers, and, I regret perhaps, only one orchestral.
Presenter asks
2:28Coming from a musical family as you do, with your father the foremost horn player in the country of his day, was it a foregone conclusion that you would be a musician?
Yes, it seemed to be accepted in my family that, um at a suitable age I would just take up a horn, perhaps, and and become a horn player.
Presenter asks
2:46When did you begin your musical training?
I started when I was about seven or eight. My mother was wise enough not to teach me the piano herself, but sent me to the local piano teacher who was very good. And when I was about fourteen my father thought, I suppose, that perhaps it's about time he did something with the instrument and very tactfully came up to me one day and said, um I found an old instrument, would you like just to see what you can do on it? And so I did and uh I've been going ever since.
The keepsakes
The book
Not recorded.
The luxury
Because I'm not a very good correspondent. I don't like writing letters, and whenever I would wake up in the morning and see it I should be able to look straight at it without getting a guilty conscience.
Presenter asks
6:17Being a musical ignoramus, I'd like to know something about this instrument, the French horn. How long would it be if it was all straightened out?
That's a question I do get asked, yeah. It would be anything from about six feet to sixteen or perhaps a little more. or less according to the type of instrument. It was originally a hunting horn without any vowels, on which you could only play a certain series of notes, rather like the bugle. Then of course valves were added which gave you a complete chromatic range, and now of course we even get five or six valved instruments.
Presenter asks
7:25As a soloist, you've recorded a number of horn concertos. Is there a large repertoire for the French horn?
The repertoire, fortunately, is rather small compared with that of the violin or the piano. There are four Mozart, two Haydn, two Strass concertos and one or two others. And it's rather a sad thought that if I go on playing at a concert where I play with the violin and piano for the next thirty or forty years, assuming one goes on that time, I shall always have to play the same work, which is the Brahmshorn trio.
Presenter asks
9:30How well do you think you're equipped for a desert island existence? Are you a handyman?
Well, I suppose I'm as handy as most people around the house, mending fuses, painting and cooking and so on. No, but uh providing I have flour and so on, I can make some pancakes.
“I've chosen pieces of work that I'm not likely to have played or could possibly have played... um pieces by uh pianists, violinists, singers, and, I regret perhaps, only one orchestral.”
“My father thought, I suppose, that perhaps it's about time he did something with the instrument and very tactfully came up to me one day and said, um I found an old instrument, would you like just to see what you can do on it?”
“The repertoire, fortunately, is rather small compared with that of the violin or the piano. There are four Mozart, two Haydn, two Strass concertos and one or two others. And it's rather a sad thought that if I go on playing at a concert where I play with the violin and piano for the next thirty or forty years, assuming one goes on that time, I shall always have to play the same work, which is the Brahmshorn trio.”
“And he looked me straight in the face with that impassive countenance and said 'Why, wasn't the other one any good?'”
“I think I should plump for an inexhaustible supply of motor magazines.”