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William Kentridge

Michael Berkeley鈥檚 guest is South African artist William Kentridge, who chooses Berlioz, Wagner, Monteverdi and Elizabeth Cotten.

It鈥檚 hard to think of an artist with a more striking and ambitious range than William Kentridge; his work spans etching, drawing, collage, huge tapestries - as well as film, theatre, dance and opera. He was born in Johannesburg and brought up during the apartheid regime; his art is highly politically charged. His parents, both lawyers, were notable figures in the anti-apartheid movement 鈥 his father being Sir Sydney Kentridge, who represented Nelson Mandela. For forty years now William Kentridge has used his art to explore the legacy of colonialism, and the barbarity of war. He鈥檚 probably best known for his charcoal sketches, which become stop-go animations, preserving almost every change and rubbing-out. But he has a keen eye for the absurdity of life too, so we watch typewriters turn into trees, birds flying off the pages of dictionaries, or a film titled 鈥淧ortrait of the artist as a coffee pot鈥.

In conversation with Michael Berkeley, William Kentridge talks about the importance of music in his work, and brings a playlist that reflects a lifetime of listening. We hear a famous 1937 recording of a Monteverdi madrigal; Janet Baker singing one of the songs from 鈥淟es Nuits d鈥檈te鈥 by Berlioz; a duet from The Magic Flute; a rare recording of the American guitarist Elizabeth Cotten; and a collaboration between the Kronos Quartet and a trio of musicians from Mali.

He looks back to his childhood in South Africa, and what it was like to grow up under the cruel system of apartheid; and he reveals how important early failures were in enabling him to see the way forward.

A Loftus Media production for 大象传媒 Radio 3
Produced by Elizabeth Burke

Available now

36 minutes

Last on

Sun 23 Oct 2022 12:00

Music Played

  • Trio Da Kali and Kronos Quartet

    God Shall Wipe All Tears Away

  • Claudio Monteverdi

    Chiome d'oro

    Singer: Hugues Cu茅nod. Singer: Paul Derenne.
  • Elizabeth Cotten

    I'm Going Away

  • Hector Berlioz

    Le Spectre de la Rose (Nuits d'Ete)

    Singer: Janet Baker. Orchestra: New Philharmonia Orchestra. Conductor: John Barbirolli.
  • Richard Wagner

    Tannhauser - concert paraphrase

    Performer: Mikhail Rudy. Music Arranger: Franz Liszt.
  • Dmitry Shostakovich

    Symphony No.10 (2nd mvt: Allegro)

    Orchestra: Boston Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Andris Nelsons.
  • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

    Bei Mannern... (Die Zauberflote)

    Singer: Evelyn Lear. Singer: Dietrich Fischer鈥怐ieskau. Orchestra: Berliner Philharmoniker. Conductor: Karl Bohm.

Broadcast

  • Sun 23 Oct 2022 12:00

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