Sir Thomas Armstrong
Sue Lawley's castaway is conductor Sir Thomas Armstrong.
This week's castaway is Sir Thomas Armstrong, formerly Principal of the Royal Academy of Music, and now 91 years old. He'll be talking to Sue Lawley about his many years of teaching and performing music, judging music competitions and carrying out the almost impossible task of choosing just eight records to take to the mythical island from a lifetime filled with music from an early age.
Favourite track: Brigg Fair by Frederick Delius
Luxury: Clavichord
Last on
Music Played
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George Frideric Handel
Comfort ye my people (from Messiah)
- Messiah.
- HMV.
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Claude Debussy
L'Isle Joyeuse
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Franz Schubert
Ganymed, D544
- Lieder.
- Deutsche Grammophon.
Castaway's Favourite
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Frederick Delius
Brigg Fair
- Brigg Fair.
- HMV.
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Ralph Vaughan Williams
Fantasia On A Theme By Thomas Tallis
- Vaughan Williams.
- Telarc.
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St Michaels Singers & Hallé Orchestra
The Rio Grande
- Constant Lambert Conducts.
- HMV.
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Choir of St John’s College, Cambridge
The Wilderness
- English Cathedral Music.
- Argo.
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Johann Sebastian Bach
Mass in B minor - Sanctus
- JS Bach: Mass in B Minor.
- HMV.
Luxury Choice
Clavichord
BOOK CHOICE
Francois Couperin’s four books of Les Ordres de Clavecin (as edited by Brahms)
Credits
| Role | Contributor |
|---|---|
| Presenter | Sue Lawley |
| Interviewed Guest | Thomas Armstrong |
Broadcasts
- Sun 16 Jul 198912:15BBC Radio 4
- Fri 21 Jul 198909:05BBC Radio 4
Featured in...
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Archive 1986-1991—Desert Island Discs
Guests are invited to choose the eight records they would take to a desert island
Podcast
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Desert Island Discs
Castaway guests share the soundtrack of their lives.






