DORSET ISLAND DISCS
(Warning) Don’t listen while driving A piece of music, scientifically established as the most relaxing ever written, reducing heart-rate, and inducing sleep to the extent that it is not advisable to listen to it while driving, is chosen by the head teacher of Sherborne school, Dr Dominic Luckett
Dr Luckett, headteacher of Sherborne School, is our first ‘Dorset Island Discs’ guest, choosing the eight pieces of music he could not live without.
One of the joys of working at surpassingly beautiful Sherborne Sherborne is the sheer quality Abbey. of the music. The school has an Being cast away on a desert outstanding musical reputation island would be hard in many and we are triply ways but being “...specialist blessed by having a starved of live classical record music would be wonderful team of music teachers, led shop on London’s high on the list by our inspirational deprivations. Cheapside where of and utterly fabulous Music has the days were Director of Music, always been mostly spent in important James Henderson; exceptional talent conversation with to me and in among our boys, who gap year people far more my regularly gain grade 8 between my knowledgeable undergraduate distinctions, ATCL and LTCL diplomas; and degree and than me” superb performing doctorate, I venues including our own Music worked in a (now sadly defunct) School and Chapel, Cheap Street specialist classical record shop Church and, of course, the on London’s Cheapside where
the days were mostly spent in conversation with people far more knowledgeable than me who would analyse and debate the relative merits of the latest recordings. It was a great education and, since then, music has continued to be a central part of my life, whether attending choral evensong whilst at Oxford, concert-going in London or listening to recordings at home and at work (Penny, my longsuffering PA, is immensely tolerant of the constant disturbance). Choosing just eight records is no easy task but, in anticipation of the day when my ship goes down, I have selected the following.
Maurice Ravel – Le Tombeau de Couperin Ravel is a much-underrated composer and I could easily choose nothing but his music to while away the long hours on the island. If I had to select just one piece it would be the orchestral version of Le Tombeau de Couperin whichhe adapted from his original piano score. It was written during World War One in memory of friends who had died and is a work that is both poignant and joyful. However many times I listen to it, it is never anything other
than fresh and life-affirming. The recording by Pierre Boulez and the New York Philharmonic is especially brilliant. Ernest Moeran – Serenade in G Major A neglected genius of English music is Ernest Moeran. Born in 1894, he endured the horrors of World War One and was seriously wounded on the Western Front. After the war, he worked as a composer and was particularly influenced by the English folk-song tradition. Although his productivity was limited by the effects of alcoholism and the significant mental health issues from which he suffered, he wrote some achingly beautiful music of which the Serenade in G, with its moments of quiet reflection tempered by passages of great wit and verve, is a prime example. Gustav Mahler – Symphony No. 2 All Mahler’s symphonies are magnificent but none more so than the second. A colossal work, it
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