Hello, I'm Christy Young, and this is a podcast from the Desert Island Discs Archive.

For rights reasons, we've had to shorten the music.

This is a recording as it was being broadcast, rather than the studio recording.

And for that reason, you may hear some interference and some degradation in the sound quality.

The program was originally broadcast in 1971.

Desert Island Discs.

As usual, the castaway is introduced by Roy Plumley.

On a Desert Island this week is the international concert pianist who's career has spanned

seven decades at a Rubenstein.

Mr. Rubenstein, could you endure prolonged lengthiness?

I would like only to survive in the same condition as I'm living now, and I must say I'm

grateful to Providence or to all the gods, whatever they are, above us, to have reached

my age in the condition I feel to be, you see, I can still run, even I can run.

Is there any one thing you would be particularly happy to have got away from?

Yes, you see, I am used by now to be asked by interviewers and charming people to ask

me questions, always to limit myself.

They always want to take something away from me, and I object to that very, very seriously.

But to take away something unpleasant?

Well, if I must, you know, I mean, of course, if I'm going to prison, I know that they

are going to take away from me, freedom, and then might be the good food and all sort

of things and so on, but then I do feel condemned, you see, yes.

Do you listen to records?

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