Sean Scully selects music for BBC Radio 3's Private Passions

16 March 2021

For the latest episode of the BBC Radio 3 series Private Passions, Sean Scully selects music that has brought him joy and sustained him through hard times. In conversation with presenter Michael Berkeley, Scully looks back at his post-war childhood and his path into becoming an artist. He discusses the toughness needed to become an artist, especially in “brutal” New York. He admits that his restlessness now – constantly moving around the world, and buying up property – is a legacy from his traveller childhood, and reveals the power music has over him when he’s painting. His music choices include Brahms’ Cello Sonata No 1; Schubert’s String Quintet; Kodály’s Sonata for Unaccompanied Cello; Beethoven’s "Pastoral" Symphony; and Bartok’s First String Quartet.

Listen to the episode in full via BBC Sounds.