Ralph Kohn

This week Sue's castaway is a man who's made a success of two entirely different careers. Ralph Kohn is a Jewish businessman who has won the Queen's Export Award for his work in the pharmaceutical industry and he's also a renowned Baritone singer .

Originally born into a privileged family in Leipzig, Germany, his family moved to Amsterdam in response to the anti-Semitic laws passed in Hitler's Germany in the 1930s. The Kohns finally settled in Manchester and Ralph excelled at school, eventually choosing to study pharmaceuticals at university, encouraged by the major drug developments of the 1950s. As a doctoral student, he met Alexander Fleming and went on to work with two Nobel prize winners in Italy. It was in Rome that Ralph's love of singing flourished; learning under the renowed teacher Manlio Marcantoni, who introduced him to the great Opera tenor Gigli. In the 1960s and 1970s Ralph worked for numerous major pharmaceutical companies including Smith Kline French and Robapharm before setting up his own company Advisory Services Clinical Ltd in 1969. In music he's appeared at the Wigmore Hall, The Queen Elizabeth and Albert Halls and John Smith Square as well as producing twelve CDs.

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

Choices

1.

Felix Mendelssohn

Violin Concerto in E minor - 2nd movement

Soloist: Yehudi Menuhin Orchestra: Orchestre des Concerts Colonne

Others who chose this artist

2.

Misha Alexandrovich

Lehmain/To Your Health

3.

Sir Edward Elgar

Sea Pictures - Where corals lie

Soloist: Janet Baker Orchestra: London Symphony Orchestra

Others who chose this artist

4.

Raffaello Rontaini

Se Bel Rio / If A Beautiful Brook

Soloist: Ralph Kohn Orchestra: Members of English Chamber Orchestra

5.

Giacomo Puccini

E Lucevan Le Stelle (from Tosca)

Soloist: Beniamino Gigli

Others who chose this artist

6.

Johann Sebastian Bach

Cantata No. 211: Schweigt stille - Hat man nicht mit seinen Kindern

Soloist: Ralph Kohn Orchestra: English Chamber Orchestra

Others who chose this artist

7.

Richard Tauber

Du Liegst Mir Im Herzen

Others who chose this artist

8.

Castaway's favourite

Johann Sebastian Bach

Christmas Oratorio - Sinfonia

Choir: The Monteverdi Choir

Others who chose this artist

Book

The complete works by Bach

Others who chose this author

Luxury item

A magic flute

Others who chose a similar luxury