Main content
Sorry, this episode is not currently available

Longing for ±«Óãtv

Starting from the experiences of Sergei Rachmaninov, the pianist Lucy Parham reflects on the yearning of those in exile.

The pianist Lucy Parham reflects on the yearning of those in exile.

"Losing my country, I lost also myself." The words of Russian emigre composer Sergei Rachmaninov. Far from home, he "left behind the very desire to compose". As a pianist herself, Lucy Parham has always been drawn to the music of Rachmaninov, widely revered as 'the pianist's pianist'.

Starting from the great composer's experience, Lucy considers the nature of exile. The words of other exiles and an interview with Nicholas Stadlen about South Africans exiled during apartheid are woven into a sequence of Rachmaninov's music.

Sir Nicholas Stadlen is a former High Court judge. He is a Visiting Fellow at St Antony's College, Oxford where he is working on a book about the defendants and lawyers who took part in the Rivonia Trial at which Nelson Mandela was sentenced to life in prison. He is also working on a documentary film on the same topic.

Produced by Alan Hall
A Falling Tree production for ±«Óãtv Radio 4.

30 minutes

Last on

Sun 6 Dec 2015 23:30
±«Óãtv Radio 4

More episodes

Previous

The Court of Public Opinion

Next

The Myth of Christmas

See all episodes from Something Understood

Music Played

  • Sergey Rachmaninov

    Second Piano Concerto

    Performer: Vladimir Ashkenazy.
    • Rachmaninov: The Piano Concertos.
    • Decca.

  • Sergey Rachmaninov

    Prelude in F sharp minor, Op. 23 No. 1

    Performer: Vladimir Ashkenazy.
    • Rachmaninov: The Piano Concertos.
    • Decca.

  • Frédéric Chopin

    Nocturne in C minor, Op. 48 No. 1

    Performer: Lucy Parham.
    • Nocturne: The Romantic Life of Frederic Chopin.
    • Deux-Elles DXL 1152.

  • Frédéric Chopin

    Funeral March (from Sonata in B flat minor)

    Performer: Martha Argerich.
    • Fifty Greatest Works of Chopin.
    • DG.

  • Ludwig van Beethoven

    Symphony No. 5 – 1st movement

    Performer: West-Eastern Divan Orchestra conducted by Daniel Barenboim.
    • Beethoven For All.
    • Decca.

  • Sergey Rachmaninov

    Symphony No. 2 – 2nd movement

    Performer: London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Valery Gergiev.
    • Rachmaninov.
    • LSO Live.

Readings

Title: Letter (from Sergei Rachmaninov: A Lifetime in Music)Ìý
Author: Sergei Bertensson
Publisher: Indiana University Press


Title: I Am From Here
Author: Mahmoud Darwish
Publisher: Al-Nasher


Title: ±«Óãtvsickness (from Selected Poems)
Author: Marina Tsvetaeva
Publisher: Bloodaxe


Title: Letter (from A Winter in Mallorca)
Author: Frederic Chopin
Publisher: Classic Collection Carolina


Title: Letter (from A Winter in Mallorca)
Author: George Sand
Publisher:ÌýClassic Collection Carolina


Title: Who Am I, Without Exile? (from The Butterfly’s Burden)
Author: Mahmoud Darwish
Publisher: Copper Canyon Press


Title: Reflections on ExileÌý
Author: Edward SaidÌý
Publisher: Granta Books


Today’s programme was presented by Lucy Parham.The readers were Joanna David and Henry Goodman.The interviewee was Nicholas Stadlen.The producer was Alan Hall.
Sir Nicholas Stadlen is a former High Court judge. He is a Visiting Fellow at St Antony's College, Oxford where he is working on a book about the defendants and lawyers who took part in the Rivonia Trial at which Nelson Mandela was sentenced to life in prison. He is also working on a documentary film on the same topic.


Broadcasts

  • Sun 6 Dec 2015 06:05
    ±«Óãtv Radio 4
  • Sun 6 Dec 2015 23:30
    ±«Óãtv Radio 4