Dame Judi Dench has Classic FM on in every room and goes as far as to describe the station as her “friend, neighbour… lover”. Zeb Soanes is delighted at this, which forms part of an amusing, wideranging conversation at Dame Judi’s home home about her favourite pieces of classical music. In an exclusive programme for Classic FM, Judi tells Zeb how she has treasured this music, connected to her long and celebrated career.
Illustrating her love of Scotland, Dame Judi chooses Peter Maxwell Davies’ Farewell to Stromness, describing to Zeb why, although she’s not Scottish, she feels it’s her spiritual home. Later, she selects part of an ‘unforgettable’ Mozart opera she saw whilst at drama school, and Judi also chooses the favourite piece of her late husband Michael Williams: The Lark Ascending by Ralph Vaughan Williams.
Zeb says, “It was such a wonderful morning. Judi found narrowing her choice of favourites an impossible task but there was a lot of laughter!”
“I need a three hour programme as I forgot so many people! I never mentioned Brahms once, I don’t know what came over me, my favourite composer!”
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