Sue Lawley's castaway this week is the British bass John Tomlinson. He is most famous as Wotan - ruler of the gods in Wagner's Ring Cycle. In fact, it's a role he has made so much his own that the composer's grandson says it could almost have been written with him in mind. Growing up in a Methodist family music was a natural part of life, yet he studied to be an engineer until the urge to sing became too powerful to ignore.
[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs]
Favourite track: Concerto For Violin And Strings In D Minor Largo by Johann Sebastian Bach
Book: Flora and Fauna of a Tropical Desert Island
Luxury: A box of lenses
Published on Sunday, 18th January 1998.
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