Ralph Koltai

Sue Lawley's castaway this morning is the stage designer Ralph Koltai. He says his work is not about art, but about ideas. His stage sets are a metaphor for the whole play. Thus he thrilled Ken Russell by building him four stages each resembling different parts of a woman's body. His aim? To represent the degradation of women in the 18th century.

[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs]

Favourite track: Violin Concerto No. 1 in G Minor by Max Bruch Book: French dictionary Luxury: Cigars