Private Passions - 18/11/2007

Michael Berkeley's guest is Prof Chris Higgins, the new vice-chancellor of Durham University and a distinguished scientist in the fields of cell biology and genetics. He began his career as a violin student at the Royal College of Music before switching to botany, and his profound love of music has continued to inform his life. A passionate opera lover, his choices include excerpts from Wagner's Ring Cycle and Monteverdi's Coronation of Poppea, as well as a Bach partita for solo violin, chamber music for strings by Beethoven, Mendelssohn and Shostakovich, Britten's Suite for solo harp, and a new piece by Jon Lord written specially for Durham.