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John Dyson

Michael Berkeley鈥檚 guest is judge and former Master of the Rolls John Dyson. With music by Beethoven, Bach, Schubert and Verdi.

John Dyson spent 23 years as a judge, moving up through the High Court, the Court of Appeal, the Supreme Court and finally becoming Master of the Rolls. He retired as Master of the Rolls three years ago, but he鈥檚 back working on international arbitrations, busier than ever; in fact, he presided over the recent decision that the Saracens rugby team were being overpaid.

Through it all, the great passion that has sustained him is music. He's an accomplished pianist and took lessons from the legendary teacher Dame Fanny Waterman. Piano music is his first love, and so his music choices include Beethoven鈥檚 exuberant first piano concerto; Schubert鈥檚 F Minor Piano Fantasy for Four Hands, and Bach鈥檚 Goldberg Variations. He loves opera too, especially Verdi鈥檚 Otello, an opera written when the composer was in his seventies. Choosing Leonard Bernstein鈥檚 Chichester Psalms becomes an opportunity to talk about his Jewish heritage, and about his grandmother, who escaped from Bergen Belsen. John Dyson talks too about the rise of anti-Semitism now; he says: 鈥渙ur suitcases are packed.鈥

A Loftus production for 成人快手 Radio 3
Produced by Elizabeth Burke

Available now

32 minutes

Last on

Sun 26 Apr 2020 12:00

Music Played

  • Ludwig van Beethoven

    Piano Concerto no.1 in C major (1st mvt: Allegro con brio)

    Performer: Anda G茅za. Orchestra: Salzburg Camerata.
  • Leonard Bernstein

    Chichester Psalms (1st mvt, excerpt)

    Orchestra: Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. Choir: Vienna Youth Choir. Conductor: Leonard Bernstein.
  • Franz Schubert

    Fantasia in F minor, D.940

    Performer: Paul Badura-Skoda. Performer: J枚rg Demus.
  • Johann Sebastian Bach

    Goldberg Variations (opening)

    Performer: Sir Andr谩s Schiff.
  • Giuseppe Verdi

    Otello (Act 1, finale)

    Singer: Margaret Price. Singer: Carlo Cossutta. Orchestra: Vienna Philharmonic. Conductor: Georg Solti.
  • Richard Strauss

    Im Abendrot (Four Last Songs)

    Singer: Karita Mattila. Orchestra: Berliner Philharmoniker. Conductor: Claudio Abbado.
  • Lennon-McCartney

    Hey Jude

    Ensemble: The Beatles.

Broadcast

  • Sun 26 Apr 2020 12:00

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