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

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

The program was originally broadcast in 1991, and the presenter was Sue Lawley. My castaway this week is a conductor. He was born 65 years ago in what became East Germany

and after a career which saw him conducting most of that country's leading orchestras,

he defected to the West. He was 45. Three years later he was acclaimed as an international

maestro in a performance with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. He went on to conduct most of the

world's top orchestras and became the principal conductor of the London Philharmonic.

But with success came personal sadness.

Six years ago he developed cancer of the and physical energy, the balance between heart and intellect, which he brings to his performances.

He is Klaus Tengstett.

It's a very physical performance you give from the podium.

I presume the last thing you think about when you're

there is what you look like. This is a mixture between physical things and things

with the heart. You must have to balance between heart and technique and so I hope I have the balance and my audience they have the same feeling.

One of your critics have said before now, although very fondly I'm sure that you look like a kind of agitated crane when you're on the podium is that have you seen yourself I mean have you ever seen yourself on

Oh yeah I've seen me in video maybe I do a little bit too much physically.

And when you finished conducting, do you feel completely, both physically and emotionally drained?

Yes, maybe like a sports man I lose four or five pounds.

In one performance? Yes. Yes. Yes. And what? Like work, like it mother or six mother. So the great works.

So what's the first record that you put on your gramophone?

There is a word in German.

This means stearmstund.

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