Dame Sarah Connolly, mezzo-soprano
Dame Sarah Connolly, mezzo-soprano, shares the eight discs, book and luxury item she would want with her if cast away on a desert island. With Lauren Laverne.
The mezzo-soprano Dame Sarah Connolly has sung at the most prestigious venues around the world, including the Royal Opera House, London and the Metropolitan Opera in New York, as well as Glyndebourne, Vienna and Bayreuth. In 2009 she was a soloist at the Last Night of the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Proms, singing Rule Britannia dressed as Admiral Nelson, and she has also made a name for herself taking on male or so-called βtrouser rolesβ in opera, including Handelβs Giulio Cesare (Julius Caesar).
As a child, she was an outstanding pianist with a passion for classical music and jazz. After studying piano and voice at the Royal College of Music, she decided to become a singer. She was a member of the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Singers for five years, before taking the leap and seeking work as a soloist.
She took a break from public performance in 2019 to have treatment for breast cancer, but has now resumed her career.
She was made a DBE in the 2017 Birthday Honours and last year she became an Honorary Member of the Royal Philharmonic Society, recognising her outstanding services to music.
DISC ONE: Stairway to Heaven by Led Zeppelin
DISC TWO: Handel: L'Allegro, Il Penseroso, ed il Moderato, Part III: As steals the morn. Performed by Mark Padmore (tenor), Lucy Crowe (soprano) and The English Concert, conducted by Andrew Manze
DISC THREE: Rebel Rebel by David Bowie
DISC FOUR: Blue In Green by Miles Davis
DISC FIVE: Embroidery in Childhood (Act III, scene 1) Composed and conducted by Benjamin Britten. Performed by Claire Watson (soprano) and Royal Opera House, Covent Garden
DISC SIX: Schubert Winterreise : Das Wirtshaus, performed by Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (baritone) and Gerald Moore (piano)
DISC SEVEN: Wagner - Der Ring : Keilberth, Bayreuth live, 1955. Act 3 Die WalkΓΌre, Denn einer nur freie die Braut. Performed by Hans Hotter (bass-baritone) and Bayreuth Festival Orchestra
DISC EIGHT: Symphony Number 3 in D minor Mahler 3 : Movβt 6, Ruhevoll- Empfunden (what love tells me) Performed by Vienna Philharmonic and conducted by Claudio Abaddo
BOOK CHOICE: The Infernal Desire Machines of Doctor Hoffman by Angela Carter
LUXURY ITEM: A grand piano with a tuning kit
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Wagner - Der Ring : Keilberth, Bayreuth live, 1955. Act 3 Die WalkΓΌre, Denn einer nur freie die Braut. Performed by Hans Hotter (bass-baritone) and Bayreuth Festival Orchestra
Presenter Lauren Laverne
Producer Sarah Taylor
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Music Played
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Led Zeppelin
Stairway To Heaven
- Led Zeppelin IV (Deluxe Remastered).
- Atlantic.
- 4.
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George Frideric Handel
Handel: L'Allegro, Il Penseroso, ed il Moderato, Part III: As steals the morn
Orchestra: The English Concert. Singer: Mark Padmore. Conductor: Andrew Manze.- As Steals the Mornβ¦Handel.
- Harmonia Mundi.
- 18.
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David Bowie
Rebel Rebel
- Changesonebowie.
- Parlophone UK.
- 8.
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Miles Davis
Blue In Green
- Kind Of Blue.
- Sony Music Entertainment UK Ltd.
- 3.
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Benjamin Britten
Embroidery in Childhood (Act III, scene 1)
Singer: Claire Watson.- Britten: Peter Grimes.
- Decca.
- 39.
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Franz Schubert
Schubert Winterreise : Das Wirthaus
Performer: Gerald Moore. Singer: Dietrich FischerβDieskau.- Schubert* - Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Gerald Moore β Winterreise.
- EMI Classics.
- 21.
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Richard Wagner
Wagner - Der Ring : Keilberth, Bayreuth live, 1955. Act 3 Die WalkΓΌre, Denn eine
Singer: Hans Hotter. Orchestra: Bayreuth Festival Orchestra. Conductor: Joseph Keilberth.- Wagner - Die WalkΓΌre.
- Testament.
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Gustav Mahler
Symphony Number 3 in D minor: Langsam. Ruhevoll. Empfunden
Conductor: Claudio Abbado. Orchestra: Vienna Philharmonic.- Mahler: Symphony No.3.
- Deutsche Grammophon.
- 13.
Broadcasts
- Sun 10 Oct 2021 11:00ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4
- Fri 15 Oct 2021 09:00ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4
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