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Bryan Ferry

Michael Berkeley's guest is the singer and songwriter Bryan Ferry, co-founder of the band Roxy Music.

Bryan Ferry has been a very familiar voice for more than 50 years, as the co-founder of Roxy Music and as a solo artist and songwriter.

When Roxy Music first appeared on Top of the Pops in 1972, millions of viewers suddenly saw something new: an extravagantly dressed band, featuring an early synthesizer, an oboe, and Bryan leading from an upright piano, wearing a sparkling black and green jacket. 'This one definitely arrived from Planet Mars', according to one critic. It was a performance which helped to propel Bryan to stardom, and a career which has produced two dozen studio albums, and numerous international hits, as well as explorations of jazz and the songs of Bob Dylan: his most recent release, Retrospective, includes a new version of Dylan’s 1965 song She Belongs to Me.

In conversation with Michael Berkeley, Bryan reflects on his early days in County Durham, the role of his art school education and his approach to song writing. His musical choices include works by Prokofiev, Elgar, Mahler and Charlie Parker.

Presenter Michael Berkeley
Producer Clare Walker

27 days left to listen

1 hour, 26 minutes

Last on

Sunday 12:00
Â鶹Éç Radio 3

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Music Played

  • Giovanni Battista Pergolesi

    Stabat Mater

    Singer: Emma Kirkby. Singer: James Bowman. Conductor: Christopher Hogwood. Orchestra: Academy of Ancient Music.
    • Pergolesi: Stabat Mater.
    • Decca Music Group Ltd..
    • 1.

  • Arthur Schwartz

    Dancing In The Dark

    Orchestra: MGM Studio Orch..
    • The Band Wagon - OST.
    • Snapper Music.
    • 7.

  • John Klenner

    Just Friends

    Performer: Charlie Parker. Conductor: Jimmy Carroll.
    • Charlie Parker with Strings - April In Paris: The Genius Of Charlie Parker #2.
    • Verve Reissues.
    • 6.

  • Richard Strauss

    Fruhling (4 Last Songs)

    Singer: Elisabeth Schwarzkopf. Orchestra: German Symphony Orchestra Berlin. Conductor: George Szell.
    • Richard Strauss: Vier Letzte Lieder [2011 - Remaster].
    • Warner Classics.
    • 1.

  • Sergey Prokofiev

    Romeo and Juliet, Op. 64, Act 1, Scene 2: Dance of the Knights

    Conductor: André Previn. Orchestra: London Symphony Orchestra.
    • Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet.
    • Warner Classics.
    • 113.

  • Guy Wood

    My One And Only Love

    Composer: Robert Mellin. Performer: John Coltrane. Singer: Johnny Hartman.
    • A John Coltrane Retrospective: The Impulse Years.
    • Verve Reissues.
    • 6.

  • Edward Elgar

    Cello Concerto in E minor (1st mvt)

    Performer: Jacqueline du Pré. Orchestra: London Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: John Barbirolli.
    • EMI.

  • Ken Coyler

    Goin' Home

    Ensemble: Ken Colyer's Jazzmen.
    • Ken Colyer's Jazzmen and Skiffle Group.
    • Documents.
    • 1.

  • Kurt Weill

    September Song (from Knickerbocker Holiday)

    Singer: Walter Huston.
    • Showbusiness Classics - Songs from the Big Screen.
    • Music Today Records.
    • 9.

  • Gustav Mahler

    Nun will die Sonn (Kindertotenlieder)

    Lyricist: Friedrich Rückert. Singer: Janet Baker. Orchestra: Hallé. Conductor: John Barbirolli.
    • Icon: Dame Janet Baker.
    • EMI Classics.
    • 3.

Broadcast

  • Sunday 12:00
    Â鶹Éç Radio 3

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Podcast

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    Guests from all walks of life discuss their musical loves and hates