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John Stefanidis

Kirsty Young's castaway is designer John Stefanidis.

Kirsty Young's castaway this week is one of the world's leading interior designers, John Stefanidis. Described as brilliant and inimitable, his work has blazed a trail since the late 1960s. The homes he designs for a closely-guarded list of loyal customers include palaces in Saudi Arabia and log cabins in Aspen, Colorado. His clients will sometimes ask him to design four or five houses for them. He's also designed commercial properties - the public areas in the Bank of England as well as suites at Claridges and Rocco Forte's Le Richemond Hotel on the shores of Lake Geneva.

He had a cosmopolitan upbringing. The only child of Greek parents he was born in Alexandria but, from the age of eight, he mostly lived with his aunt and uncle in Cairo where he became a frequent visitor to the Cairo Museum. It was growing up among the teeming, richly scented streets and bone dry heat of Egypt that he became enraptured with architecture, artefacts and the transformative power of light.

On coming to England for the first time as a teenager he watched 12 plays in 10 days - and says in spite of the cold rooms and dripping walls of his halls at Oxford, he found the rain and green grass exotic.

[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs]

Favourite track: Vissi d'Arte from Tosca by Giacomo Puccini
Book: Odyssey by Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔr
Luxury: Sketch book with lots of pencils.

Available now

45 minutes

Last on

Sun 20 Jul 2008 11:15
Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4 FM

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Music Played

  • Giuseppe Verdi

    Dies irae (from Requiem Mass)

    Choir: The Vienna Singers Orchestra: The Berlin Philharmonic Conductor: Herbert von Karajan

    • Verdi: Requiem. Bruckner:Te Deum: Herbert von Karajan.
    • Deutsche Grammophon.

  • Umm Kulthum

    El Ahaat

    • El Ahaat.
    • Sono Cairo.

  • Castaway's Favourite

    • Giacomo Puccini

      Vissi d'arte (from Tosca)

      Soloist: Maria Callas

      • Tosca.
      • EMI.

  • Ornella Vanoni

    Senza Fine

    • Ornella Vanoni Vol 2.
    • Vanilla.

  • Richard Strauss

    Ariadne auf Naxos Introduction

    Orchestra: Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra Conductor: Kurt Masur

    • Ariadne Auf Naxos.
    • Philips.

  • Franz Schubert

    An die Musik (To Music), D547

    Soloist: Ian Bostridge

    • Schubert: Lieder Bostridge. Drake.
    • EMI.

  • Johannes Brahms

    Symphony No. 3 in F

    Orchestra: Philharmonia Orchestra Conductor: Arturo Toscanini

    • Brahms. Symphonies Nos 1-4.
    • Testament.

  • CΓ©sar Franck

    Violin Sonata in A major

    Soloist: Jacqueline du Pre and Daniel Barenboim

    • Chopin & Franck: Sonatas Du Pre.
    • EMI.

  • Book Choice

    • Odyssey - Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔr

  • Luxury Choice

    • Sketch book with lots of pencils

Credits

Presenter Kirsty Young
Interviewed Guest John Stefanidis

Broadcast

  • Sun 20 Jul 2008 11:15
    Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4 FM

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