How do you listen to music most often?
I mostly listen to CDs when I’m in the car, driving to my concerts. It’s a great time, as I know I’m not likely to be disturbed and can really get into a piece of music.
What was the last piece of music you bought?
I bought two very different CDs recently. The first was Jan Garbarek and the Hilliard Ensemble, a marvellous fusion of styles called Mnemosyne. Good, late-night music. And also the music of John Foulds which I heard on Radio 3, loved and immediately bought the CD.
What’s your musical guilty pleasure?
Listening to a very old Level 42 CD, World Machine, that I’ve had since the early 1990s. I always use it to motivate me to tidy up my office, so it’s a double guilt trip! I think Mark King is a great musician and the band’s lyrics are often very thought-provoking.
If you found yourself with six months free to learn a new instrument, what would you choose?
The bandoneon – it’s such a gorgeous sound and I love that style of music, smoky, sultry and sensual.
Is applauding between movements acceptable?
In an ideal world, I prefer to hear or play a piece of music without the interruption of applause. However, I really don’t agree with musicians who give filthy looks to the audience if they happen to clap between movements. When an audience applauds, it is their gift of thanks, and it is rude and churlish to respond with a scowl.
What single thing would improve the format of the classical concert?
People are becoming more creative about using visual effects, such as lighting and sometimes images, in order to bring a certain aspect of the music to life. I did a performance in Australia recently where the music went hand in hand with the life story of the composer, narrated by an actor. It made for a compelling piece of drama.
What’s been your most memorable live music experience as an audience member?
I will never forget hearing the LSO and André Previn do Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring when I was very young – I sat in the choir seats of the Festival Hall, immediately behind the timpanist. It was a pretty powerful experience!
What was the first ever record you bought?
I don’t remember the very first, but one of the first was Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé, with Charles Dutoit and the Montreal Symphony Orchestra. Initially I chose it because I liked the cover! But, as it turns out, it has become my all-time favourite Desert Island Disc.
Do you enjoy musicals?
Absolutely. My father is an actor and so musicals were a major part of my childhood. He was in Fiddler on the Roof, Oliver and The Rocky Horror Show, to name but a few. I love all of those, but my favourite is South Pacific. The music is so beautiful and atmospheric and the orchestration is stunning.
Do you have a favourite recording of the Beethoven symphonies?
I own the complete set of Beethoven symphonies with Harnoncourt and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe – the dynamic contrast they achieve is just wonderful, particularly the opening of the slow movement of symphony No 7 – which is my favourite. The performances feel so spontaneous too, just like they are all weaving the music as they play.
Which conductor of yesteryear do you most wish you could have worked with?
I would have like to have worked with Sir Thomas Beecham – he adored British music and was so sensitive to colour and style. It would have been fun to hear some of his famous and hilarious comments in person, too.
Which non-classical musician would you love to work with?
Kate Bush. I saw her recently in an incredible tour de force of a show lasting over two hours – what an astonishing performer she is, and so versatile.
Imagine you’re a festival director here in London with unlimited resources. What would you programme - or commission - for your opening concert?
It would probably be a terribly long event with way too much music, as I wouldn’t be able to make up my mind. I’d have to have Daphnis et Chloé, something operatic, probably by Puccini, a Rachmaninov piano concerto, a Bach aria, the Elgar Violin Concerto and end with something everyone could all join in and sing along with. And now, after admitting to all that, I now know for sure that no-one will ever invite me to be a festival director!
What do you sing in the shower?
Nothing – I love the sound of running water.
Tasmin Little performs at the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Hall on 14 and 15 January and with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra on 11 and 12 February.
