Paul Tortelier

Desert Island Discs

BBC

Society & Culture, Music Commentary, Music, Personal Journals

4.4 • 13.7K Ratings

🗓️ 31 March 1984

⏱️ 35 minutes

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Summary

Paul Tortelier was born in Paris, where his first job at the age of 12 was playing the cello in a cinema orchestra. Although he was a prize-winning student at the Conservatoire in 1930, it was some years before his career took off. In conversation with Roy Plomley, this internationally-famous soloist and teacher talks about his colourful life and chooses the eight records he would take to the mythical island. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Piano Concerto in G, 2nd Movement by Maurice Ravel Book: The Cathedrals of France by Auguste Rodin Luxury: Photograph of wife

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello, I'm Kristi Young and this is a podcast from the Desert Island Discs Archive.
0:05.5	For rights reasons, we've had to shorten the music. The program was originally broadcast
0:10.3	in 1984 and the presenter was Roy Plumley.
0:19.8	Our cast away this week is the eminent French cellist, conductor and composer, Paul
0:34.8	Tortellier. We've put you on this desert island with a miserable
0:39.0	alliance of just eight discs. Would you prefer to have scores rather than discs?
0:45.0	No, I think I would prefer to have records.
0:48.0	You'd have the records.
0:49.0	Oh, yes.
0:50.0	How well could you endure loneliness?
0:53.0	I am prepared for that because most of my life I was alone and I was also when I was very young.
1:02.0	I was alone because my only sister was much older than I.
1:06.0	So I think I could stand pretty well but I would miss my wife.
1:11.0	Now eight records did you find it very difficult to choose?
1:14.0	Not so difficult.
1:16.0	No. No, no, no. There are things which stick out of the literature.
1:22.0	Do you have a big collection to keep a lot of records in your home?
1:25.0	Well, reasonably big but I never listen to any of them. I never have time.
1:32.0	Where is your home not? You still live in Paris?
1:34.0	No, I'm in Nice on this good desert in the sunshine.
1:39.0	Sun is my great passion.
1:44.0	Now your small collection of eight records, what's the first one?
	...

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