Tuning in…
Tuning in…
Castaway
1 appearance
A violinist known for her BBC Proms debut at 25, emotional performances, and championing lesser-known composers.
On the island
Eight records
Christa Ludwig, Philharmonia Orchestra, Otto Klemperer
It takes me back to school when we used to sing a great deal. And what I would like to have is this absolutely sublime piece.
I've been buried in my world of classical music, and if it hadn't have been for her, I think I would have been ignorant of a lot of other kinds of music. This track is just great, this guitar solo, I love it.
Daphnis et ChloéFavourite
Montreal Symphony Orchestra and Choir, Charles Dutoit
I love it. I love Ravel's orchestration. Whenever the rumble starts at the beginning, I feel an excitement inside me and I know that I've got fifty minutes of pure bliss ahead.
Aeolian String Quartet, Bruno Schrecker
I love this performance of it. I think that the violin playing on it is exquisite, and I'm rather fussy about my violinists. So it it's got to be this this performance, which is just magical.
Quando m'en vo' (from La bohème)
I decided I'd love to have an opera. Again, something to keep me entertained for hours and hours. And my perfect opera is Putini la Bohemme. I do love this aria that Musetta sings, where she's telling everybody how completely gorgeous she is, and how really all the men look at her and admire her. And isn't she marvellous?
Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 47
Tasmin Little, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Vernon Handley
I thought, if I take my own recording of the Sebalius, then I can have the Brahms as well, because it's on the same disc, you see. Is that a terrible cheat?
Malcolm Stewart, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Libor Pešek
I would like to have Strauss ein Helden Leibn, because it makes me laugh so much. And I just think it's such a hilarious piece of music. He's so clever with the way that he, for instance, portrays his critics...
Prelude and Fugue in B major, Op. 7, No. 1
My final recording is going to be a C D that I actually have of my wedding service. My husband is a recording engineer, and when we got married, we asked all our friends if they would come and play for us at the wedding. And best of all, I've got Wayne Marshall, his inimitable organ playing, and this fantastic piece of Dupray that always makes me smile.
In conversation
Presenter asks
2:09Did you choose [the violin] or did it choose you?
I actually hadn't initially thought to play the violin because my sister Sharon had tried it… What happened was that I was ill with chicken pox at the age of six and I was very bored at home in bed… I asked [my mother] if I would please be able to play the recorder… I'd basically I'd taught myself to read the treble clef and play the recorder and wanted to continue to try other instruments.
Presenter asks
3:16How did you know [the violin was the instrument for you]?
It was just an instinctive thing. I loved touching it. I loved trying to create the sound.
Presenter asks
11:14Why didn't you go the competition route?
I don't think that I'm the kind of player that wins competitions because I think that competition winners are often the players who haven't offended any of the judges… I rapidly realised that my playing was the kind of playing that people would either like very, very much or not like at all.
Presenter asks
The keepsakes
The luxury
No violin, no, no coffee. You see, the thing is that I've got all this marvellous music in my head, so if I want to have a particular piece of music for violin, I'll play it in my head. But I just I'm I'm going to need something to rem you know, remind me of creature home comforts and so it's the coffee.
How did you know you had [what it takes to be a soloist]?
I didn't know that I was different and I didn't know that I had it, but I knew that I wanted it. And that was the driving force. You've got to really love walking on stage. When you walk on stage, people have got to want to look at you and listen to what you're playing. And actually, that's something that you're born with.
Presenter asks
14:11Did you move seamlessly from being a student to earning your living on the concert platform?
Oh, it was not easy at all. The first couple of years were really very lean indeed… Probably about maybe fifteen concerts a year. So I definitely was not earning a a decent living.
Presenter asks
23:38How do you prepare for something like [the Ligeti Violin Concerto]?
Yes, very slowly. It's quite daunting when you look at a piece like The Ligerty and think, right, where am I going to start with this?… I was very disciplined. I got up in the morning… and proceeded to do three hours of work, and then I would have my lunch, and then I'd do another two or three hours of work in the afternoon…
“I think that the violin can almost recreate the same expression as the voice, and I think that's probably one of the reasons why I was so immediately drawn to it.”
“I think that competition winners are often the players who haven't offended any of the judges. Judges have all got their own separate opinions and they're quite notorious at not managing to agree on anything.”
“I really do feel that it's important to bring neglected composers to people's attention. And if we as performers are not going to do it, then nobody's going to do it.”
“I've got all this marvellous music in my head, so if I want to have a particular piece of music for violin, I'll play it in my head.”