Tuning in…
Tuning in…
Castaway
1 appearance
Architect best known for designing the Pompidou Centre in Paris and the Lloyds Building in London.
On the island
Eight records
Piano Concerto No. 24 in C minor, K. 491Favourite
Vladimir Ashkenazy, Philharmonia Orchestra, Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt
transcript says 'Vladimir Ashkenazi' and 'Hans Schmidt Isserstett' — corrected to canonical spellings
Polonaise in A-flat major, Op. 53
transcript says 'Polonais in a flat' and 'Artur Rubinstein' — corrected to title and spelling
transcript says 'The Midnight Hour' — corrected to title
Luciano Pavarotti and Joan Sutherland, London Symphony Orchestra, Richard Bonynge
tracks/performance specified in transcript as 'Southern Pavarotti's duets' — corrected; conductor transcript 'Richard Bonning' corrected to 'Bonynge'
They Can't Take That Away from Me
Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong
arranger/lyricist Ira Gershwin, but composer field is for George Gershwin
Trumpet Concerto in E-flat major
Maurice André, Philharmonia Orchestra, Riccardo Muti
transcript says 'Riccardo Mutti' — corrected to 'Muti'
London Sinfonietta, George Benjamin
transcript says 'London Sinfonetta' — corrected to 'Sinfonietta'
In conversation
Presenter asks
1:11Do you feel sometimes that you're under constant siege [as an architect]?
We have much to be blamed for, of course, and therefore in one sense I accept it. At the same time, no one likes to be under siege, as you call it. And it is a problem of today that architecture is in a very critical state, while cities are in a very critical state. So I have a divided feeling about it.
Presenter asks
5:02Do you blame the British public, bearing in mind the ugly legacy of the past few decades?
No, I don't blame them at all. I think that our cities are disastrous really. But I'm not sure that it's the … I feel that the architect is the messenger, and shooting the messenger is not going to cure the problem.
Presenter asks
6:03How does an architect set about designing a building?
It's a very, very slow process. If I suddenly get an idea in the bath, usually it's wrong.
The keepsakes
The book
Homer
maybe as it's all about islands and travelling and it's over two thousand years old, and yet it's very, very modern, maybe that would enthrall me enough to keep me going
The luxury
Not recorded.
Presenter asks
You came to this country at age five, and then were sent off to boarding school where you were difficult, dyslexic and foreign — which did you suffer from most?
I don't think I knew I was dyslexic … I think that sort of dyslexia and being difficult and being downright stupid, I think were all pretty well mixed up. I think also being foreign, though, I don't think I realised what it was about … going to boarding school … leaving sort of the warmth of the family was extremely difficult. I hated it. I was tremendously unhappy. I became disorientated. I was unable to read anyhow because of my dyslexia. I learned to read when I was about 11. Everything went wrong, and I really, therefore, disliked that whole period of my life.
Presenter asks
25:25Given a free hand, what would you do to London?
The most unique thing in London are the parks, the greenery, the way of living in small houses with gardens … what is very sad today is that I can't think of a single green square built I think this century … what I'd like to do is to see it strengthened. I did put some proposals … along the embankment between let's say the houses of parliament and the city … that road should actually be put underground and that we would have the most wonderful linear park … the Thames is a great, great river. But we just can't get to it … the sadness to me again about London … is that London no longer has a controlling body.
Presenter asks
27:50[The Prince of Wales] sees you as wanting to ignore the past and move into the future — and says if you ignore the past you lose your soul.
You should never ignore the past, and I very much hope I build on the past. I just don't think … if you want to belittle the past, you copy it. It's only when we lost our confidence in the nineteenth century that we started to copy the past. It's antihistorical.
“I feel that the architect is the messenger, and shooting the messenger is not going to cure the problem.”
“It's a very, very slow process. If I suddenly get an idea in the bath, usually it's wrong.”
“What I found very difficult was the sort of physical punishment, for instance. It was … school in those days where you were beaten if you didn't learn your lines. Well, actually, I can't remember lines. I still can't remember lines.”
“One of the things I always feel about having dyslexia for me is that because of all the backing I got from my parents, I never knew the word impossible, because people used to say it's impossible you'll never go to university, it's impossible you'll never be an architect … I've never believed it, and that's given me a certain strength, I guess.”
“The problem is we [have to face] the public realm.”
“I couldn't exist without taking Ruth with me. I know that's not really allowed, but that's the way I've always had it.”