Main content

Lucian Msamati

Michael Berkeley's guest is the actor Lucian Msasmati, whose acclaimed performances include Salieri in Amadeus at the National Theatre and Iago in Othello for the RSC.

Lucian Msamati has played leading roles on our most famous stages: Salieri in Peter Shaffer’s Amadeus at the National Theatre, Iago in Othello at the Royal Shakespeare Company and Estragon opposite Ben Whishaw in Waiting for Godot at the Theatre Royal Haymarket in London.

He started out performing – in his words – ‘for farmers sitting on beer crates in rural Africa, with tables for a stage’. And when he decided to leave Zimbabwe, where he began his career, to see if he could make it in the UK, he had to work as a cleaner to pay the bills. His perseverance paid off: as well as success on stage, he's appeared in high-profile TV shows, including Game of Thrones and the Number One Ladies Detective Agency.

After his role in Amadeus, it’s no surprise to find Mozart among his musical passions, which also include Satie, Tchaikovsky and an unusual track by Stevie Wonder.

Presenter Michael Berkeley
Producer Clare Walker

Available now

47 minutes

Last on

Sun 29 Sep 2024 12:00

Music Played

  • Erik Satie

    Gymnopédie no.1 in D major

    Performer: Joanna MacGregor.
    • The Music of Erik Satie; Joanna MacGregor.
    • Collins Classics.
    • 6.
  • Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

    Piano Concerto No 1 in B flat minor (1st mvt)

    Performer: Evgeny Kissin. Orchestra: Berliner Philharmoniker. Conductor: Herbert von Karajan.
    • Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No.1.
    • Deutsche Grammophon (DG).
    • 1.
  • Jean Sibelius

    Symphony No 7 in C major, Op 105 (1st mvt)

    Orchestra: ´óÏó´«Ã½ Philharmonic. Conductor: John StorgÃ¥rds.
    • Sibelius: Complete Symphonies/Three Late Fragments.
    • CHANDOS.
    • 8.
  • Gabriel Yared

    The Cave Of Swimmers (The English Patient)

    Orchestra: Academy of St Martin in the Fields. Conductor: Harry Rabinowitz.
    • The English Patient (Original Soundtrack Recording).
    • Fantasy.
    • 23.
  • Franz Schubert

    Ave Maria

    Music Arranger: S. Wonder. Singer: Stevie Wonder.
    • Someday At Christmas (Expanded Edition).
    • UNI/MOTOWN.
    • 3.
  • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

    Serenade for 13 wind instruments in B flat major, K 361 (3rd mvt, Adagio)

    Orchestra: Orpheus Chamber Orchestra.
    • The Wind Concertos - Serenades - Divertimenti.
    • DG.
    • 3.
  • Frédéric Chopin

    Piano Sonata No 2 in B flat minor (2nd mvt)

    Performer: Leif Ove Andsnes.
    • Musiques pour un adieu.
    • Parlophone France.
    • 12.
  • Benjamin Clementine

    St-Clementine-On-Tea-And-Croissants

    Singer: Benjamin Clementine.
    • At Least For Now (Deluxe).
    • Universal Music Division Barclay.
    • 5.

Broadcast

  • Sun 29 Sep 2024 12:00

What makes Boogie-woogie piano legend Jools Holland tick?

What makes Boogie-woogie piano legend Jools Holland tick?

For Private Passions, Jools Holland revealed his piano history to Michael Berkeley.

11 things we learned from Harry Enfield’s Private Passions

11 things we learned from Harry Enfield’s Private Passions

Harry doesn't usually give interviews – but he couldn't say no to Michael Berkeley.

Archive Unlocked: Two Decades of Private Passions

Michael Berkeley introduces memorable interviews from Private Passions' archives.

Podcast