Synopsis

Michael Berkeley's guest is Polish-born illustrator Jan Pienkowski, creator with Helen Nicoll of the much-loved Meg and Mog series of children's books and a pioneer of the modern pop-up book. His most recent publication is an illustrated version of the Christmas story The Nutcracker.

His musical choices, which all have strong personal resonances, reflect his Polish background as well as his love of both Italy and England. They include works by Chopin, Tchaikovsky, Verdi, Rachmaninov and The Beatles.

1 Sig M Berkeley: The Wakeful Poet (from Music from Chaucer)
(Berkeley/OUP)
Beaux Arts Brass Quintet 0’26

2 Infant holy, Infant lowly
Carols from Kings COLLINS CLASSICS 13352 – Track 12 The Choir of King’s College Cambridge/Stephen Cleobury, Director
(words trans Reed – Polish tune arr Willcocks)
2’00

3 Chopin : Polonaise in A Major Op 40 no 1 ‘Military’ Polonaises RCA RD89814 – Track 3
Artur Rubenstein (piano)
4’06

4 Verdi : ‘Rivedrai le foreste imbalsamate’ from ‘Aida’, Act III EMI CMS7693002 – CD3 track 6
Mirella Freni (Aida), Piero Cappuccilli (Amanosro)
Vienna Philharmonic/Herbert von Karajan
4’44

5 Rachmaninov : Vocalise op 34 no 14 Cello Sonata etc DECCA 4143402 – Track 9
Lynn Harrell (cello), Vladimir Ashkenazy (piano)
6’51

6 Tchaikovsky : Mazurka from Eugene Onegin (Act II) PHILLIPS 438 237-2 – CD2 - Track 4
Hervé Hennequin (Captain), Dmitri Hvorostovsky (Onegin), Neil Shicoff (Lenski), Sarah Walker (Larina) St Petersburg Chamber Choir, Orchestre de Paris/Semyon Bychkov
4’32

7 ‘Warszawski dzień’ Przeboje Socjalizmo. Zbudujemy nowa polske AN102 – Track 2
Song & Dance Company of Warsaw/dir. Tadeusza Sygietyńskiego
T Sygietyński /S R Dobrowolski
3’08

8 The Beatles: Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band PARLOPHONE CDP7464422 – Track 3
John Lennon/ Northern Songs Ltd
3’25

9 Tchaikovsky : Chinese Dance from ‘The Nutcracker Suite’
PHILIPS 4427352 – CD 1 Track 9
London Philharmonic Orchestra/Leopold Stokowski
1’00

10 The Magnificat Sunday Vespers HERALD HAVPCD131 – Track 3 Out > 3’09
The Monks & organist of Quarr Abbey
3’09