Rowan Williams

Rowan Williams grew up in Swansea and Cardiff. He enjoyed reading, being outdoors and acting in school plays. He remembers attending church every day in Holy week, getting involved cleaning out the store rooms and making a bonfire of the rubbish. In his later teenage years he was inspired by the excellent choir, youth activities and Canon Eddie Hughes, vicar of All Saints, Oystermouth. Rowan went to Cambridge to study theology and for a time he was torn between Roman Catholicism and Anglicanism. He decided on the latter and soon after, when he was 28 years old, he was ordained as a priest. He spent the next few years lecturing and working with students and the local community. He became professor of Divinity at Oxford University.

He left academic work to take up the post of Bishop of Monmouth in 1991 and in 1999 he was elected Archbishop of Wales. Rowan was officially confirmed on 2nd December as the 104th Archbishop of Canterbury. He is also a philosopher, a poet, and a linguist who speaks seven languages. He has written a number of books on the history of theology and spirituality and published collections of articles and sermons as well as two books of poetry.

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

Choices

1.

Ralph Vaughan Williams

Five Variants on Dives & Lazarus - 1st Variant

Orchestra: The Academy of St Martin in the Fields

Others who chose this artist

2.

James Hughes

Calon Lan (Guilesless Heart)

Choir: 5000 Voices at the Royal Albert Hall

Others who chose this artist

3.

The Incredible String Band

The Hedgehog's Song

Others who chose this artist

4.

Claudio Monteverdi

Ave maris stella (from Vespers 1610)

Orchestra: The London Bach Orchestra & Louis Halsey Singers

Others who chose this artist

5.

Castaway's favourite

Johann Sebastian Bach

Suite for Solo Cello No. 1 in G major - 1st movement

Soloist: Yuli Turovsky

Others who chose this artist

6.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

The Magic Flute Act 1, Finale

Orchestra: Philharmonia Orchestra & Choir Conductor: Otto Klempener

Others who chose this artist

7.

Johann Sebastian Bach

Cantata for the Third Day of Christmas

Soloist: Michael Goerge & Catherine Bott Orchestra: New London Consort Conductor: Philip Pickett

Others who chose this artist

8.

Alexander Dmitriyevich Kastalsky

Compline Isiah's prophecy, Znamemy Chant

Choir: Choir of Russian Cathedral in London

Book

Collection of poems by W H Auden

Others who chose this author

Luxury item

A piano

Others who chose a similar luxury