During Februrary 2023, a Goddard family initiative was launched to keep in touch using ‘Zoom’, including each sibling presenting their own ‘Desert Island Discs’ selections. Roughly following the time-honoured Radio 4 programme, we each, in turn, chose eight pieces of music to represent our lives to date.
Watch the YouTube Video (20 minutes)
It’s been a terrific exercise and I found it particularly difficult to choose just eight favourite pieces. So hard to simply discard so many ‘old and trusted friends’ that I’ve grown to love on this long journey through life, particularly having chosen music as a career.
At first, I thought about presenting eight soppy tunes, each paying tribute to the people I love most in life… Tunes that have strong associations, starting with our parents, (sisters, obviously[!]), Pat and the children — Tess, George and Rose. But this wouldn’t necessarily be MY desert island choices.
Next, it occurred to me that it was an opportunity to present eight pieces of music that I’d composed. An unadulterated display of egotism! But then, thinking sensitively about my beloved audience, (my sisters) I ultimately felt that I just couldn’t do it to them! Perhaps there will be another occasion.
So, in the end, it occurred to me that Lauren Laverne would want me to work chronologically through the decades. And she’d insist on some variety too, which is a good thing. And having been born rather conveniently at the beginning of a decade in 1960 — it makes the decade plan rather neat!
No. 1
Hubert Parry’s Hymn tune ‘Repton’: ‘Dear Lord and Father of Mankind’
No.2
Robert Farnon’s Colditz theme
No. 3
Cole Porter’s “Let’s Do It”, in a version by Noel Coward
No. 4
Igor Stravinsky’s “The Rite of Spring”
No. 5
Mark Goddard’s “The Heat of the Sun — a Dream Cycle for Strings”
No.6
Bernstein/Sondheim: West Side Story (Anita/Maria duet) “A Boy Like That”
No. 7
J. S. Bach: Magnificat — The “Gloria”
No. 8
Mark Goddard: ‘Theseus’ from ‘About Gods’