13 Jan 2013

The Fog and the Island

From Letters to Sibelius, 12:00 pm on 13 January 2013

This audio is not downloadable due to copyright restrictions.

A wee Marshall with his new glasses

A wee Marshall with his new glasses Photo: Marshall Walker

Marshall Walker grew up in Glasgow and was hooked by the music of Sibelius at a very early age.

It became a lifelong passion. He started to call him 'The Big Man'.

These programmes, written in the form of letters, pay tribute to the Finnish composer's genius and give thanks to him  for a life's enrichment from a self-confessed "junky".

In this second programme, Walker tells of his early encounters with the music of Sibelius and how it helped him confront and overcome the ordeals of his childhood - poor eyesight and bullying - in wartime Glasgow.

'The Fog and the Island' was a finalist in the Best Music Feature category at the 2004 NZ Radio Awards. First broadcast 29 July 2003.

Get the RNZ app

for easy access to all your favourite programmes