Thomas Quasthoff

Desert Island Discs: Archive 2005-2010

BBC

Personal Journals, Society & Culture

4.4 • 804 Ratings

🗓️ 1 February 2009

⏱️ 37 minutes

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Summary

Kirsty Young's castaway this week is the bass-baritone Thomas Quasthoff. He has performed in concert halls the world over under the batons of the finest conductors and, while he made his name as a Lieder singer, he's equally popular for his jazz, spiritual and gospel recordings.

Music critics say he is "one of the great singers of our time and one of the most remarkable of any time." That his life has been remarkable is a reference to his disability: he was born suffering the effects of Thalidomide and although his early musical talent was spotted, his inability to play the piano meant he was not allowed to take up a place at a conservatoire.

In this candid and moving interview, though, he describes how, with his family's support, he went on to build a highly successful career. Now, living contentedly with his wife and daughter, he says his life is a full and satisfying one. He adds that when he sees how readily people become consumed by envy and resentment, he questions whether that too isn't a kind of disability.

[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs]

Favourite track: The Adagietto from 5th symphony by Gustav Mahler Book: Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela Luxury: Good wine.

Transcript

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0:00.0	You're about to listen to a BBC podcast, but this is about something else you might enjoy.
0:05.4	My name's Katie Lecky and I'm an assistant commissioner for on demand music on BBC Sounds.
0:10.7	The BBC has an incredible musical heritage and culture and as a music lover, I love being part of that.
0:17.4	With music on sounds, we offer collections and mixes for everything, from workouts to helping
0:22.7	you nod off, boogie in your kitchen, or even just a moment of calm. And they're all put together
0:28.7	by people who know their stuff. So if you want some expertly curated music in your life,
0:34.9	check out BBC Sounds. Hello, I'm Krista Young, and this is a podcast from the Desert Island Discs Archive.
0:41.9	For rights reasons, we've had to shorten the music.
0:45.1	The program was originally broadcast in 2009.
1:08.0	Music My castaway this week is the singer Thomas Kostov.
1:12.2	He has won three Grammy Awards and has performed in concert halls the whirled over under the batons of the finest conductors. Sir Simon Rattle describes him as one of the
1:18.8	most natural, expressive human beings I have ever met. He made his name as a classical performer,
1:24.6	but he also sings jazz, gospel and spiritual songs, and counts
1:28.9	Tony and Cherie Blair among his singing buddies, more of which in a moment. According to the Los Angeles
1:34.1	Times, he is one of the great singers of our time, and certainly one of the most remarkable of any
1:40.0	time. That his life has been remarkable is a reference to not just his renowned talent, but also
1:45.7	the fact that he was born one of the many thalidomide babies. For a good while, it seemed that
1:50.2	might stop him from pursuing music as a career. We'll come on to that later on, Thomas
1:55.3	Kostov. But first of all, let's go back to the Tony and Cherie connection. Where on earth did
2:00.2	you sing with them?
2:01.1	How did it come about?
2:02.6	It was the G8 meeting at Cologne.
	...

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