Mark-Anthony Turnage: castaway on BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs
Composer Mark-Anthony Turnage shares the eight tracks he would take with him if cast away to a desert island on the BBC Radio 4 classic series.
BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs featured composer Mark-Anthony Turnage as guest castaway on 5 January, interviewed by Lauren Laverne and now available on BBC Sounds. In the hour-long programme, Turnage shares the soundtrack of his life, with the eight tracks, book and luxury item he would take to the desert island.
Turnage describes growing up on the Thames estuary in Essex and his early obsession with becoming a classical composer. He relates how he was encouraged by mentors Oliver Knussen and Hans Werner Henze, and how his composing career led to international commissions which fuse classical music with his love of soul, gospel, jazz - and football.
DISC ONE: Symphony No. 9 in D Minor, Op. 125 II. Molto vivace - Presto - Molto vivace – Presto. Composed by Ludwig Van Beethoven and performed by The Berlin Philharmonic, conducted by Sir Simon Rattle
DISC TWO: St. Matthew Passion, BWV 244 Pt. 1 No. 1, Kommt, ihr Töchter, helft mir klagen. Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach and performed by Bach Collegium Japan, conducted by Masaaki Suzuki
DISC THREE: Two Organa, Op. 27 – 1 “Notre Dame des Jouets”. Composed and conducted by Oliver Knussen and performed by The London Sinfonietta
DISC FOUR: Blue in Green - Miles Davis
DISC FIVE: Living for the City - Stevie Wonder
DISC SIX: Puccini: Madama Butterfly, Act II: Un bel dì vedremo. Composed by Giacomo Puccini and performed by Mirella Freni (Soprano) and Wiener Philharmoniker, conducted by Herbert von Karajan
DISC SEVEN: Symphony of Psalms (1948 Version): III. Alleluja. Laudate Dominum - Psalmus 150 (Vulgata) Composed by Igor Stravinsky and performed by English Bach Festival Choir and The London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Leonard Bernstein
DISC EIGHT: Let’s Say We Did. Composed by John Scofield and Mark-Anthony Turnage and performed by John Scofield, John Patitucci, Peter Erskine, Frankfurt Radio Symphony, hr-Bigband and Hugh Wolf
BOOK CHOICE: The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy
LUXURY ITEM: A grand piano and tuning kit
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: St. Matthew Passion, BWV 244 Pt. 1 No. 1, Kommt, ihr Töchter, helft mir klagen. Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach and performed by Bach Collegium Japan, conducted by Masaaki Suzuki
Turnage highlights over the coming months include Sco, his new guitar concerto for John Scofield, premiered by the London Symphony Orchestra on 12 January. The work was written to celebrate the 70th birthday of Simon Rattle, who also conducts performances of Turnage’s symphonic work Remembering in Munich and Vienna in February. Next month sees the world premiere of the composer’s new opera Festen at the Royal Opera House in London, based on the classic film by Thomas Vinterberg, with six performances between 11 and 27 February.