Barry Wordsworth graduated from the Royal College of Music in 1970 and was taken on as a conductor for the Royal Ballet shortly afterwards. He was principal conductor of the BBC Concert Orchestra up until 2006 (he now holds the title of Conductor Laureate) and, since 1989, has been principal conductor of the Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra.

Do you remember the first record you bought? What was it, and where did you buy it?

Aged about seven, I think, I had heard something on the wireless which I couldn’t get out of my head, but I hadn’t heard the title or the composer. So in desperation, my mum took me to the local record store, where the owner (who sang tenor in the church choir) recognised it from my singing and I became the proud owner of The Grieg Piano Concerto played by Benno Moseiwitch.

Do you have a favourite book?

I don’t read as much as I should. I have so many new scores to learn that when I finish that study, the last thing I think about is opening another book. But the thing I read most recently was The English by Jeremy Paxman. It’s a brilliant survey of what it means to be English, and is a compelling read. It is a very sane explanation of where the English fit in.

Which TV programme couldn’t you live without?

Newsnight, because I don’t always have time to read the newspapers, and it makes me feel informed.

Tell us about any guilty pleasures lurking in your CD or film collections...

I have a wide taste in all forms of entertainment and guilt isn’t something I know much about. Quite simply, I love variety in life and in art, and so nothing is beyond enjoyment. In fact, the challenge and the excitement is to get in contact with as much as possible...

What’s your favourite film?

...Having said that, I am just a bit ashamed of liking Shrek on one hand, and Dad’s Army on the other. They both seem equally fantastical but in quite different ways.

Is there a song or individual piece of music you always come back to?

Not really – it is part of my butterfly character to enjoy and move on. But at the same time, I would be devast-ated if I never heard another composition by Mozart, or Brahms.

Is there a film star/ musician/artist/writer you admire?

I am impressed by the standard of the arts in this country. In every sphere we have the best there is – be it in popular or classical music or in the theatre. It truly is one of our most successful trades, and the standard of each generation just goes on getting more impressive. It is the best hope we have for the future.

Tell me about a live music/ theatre/cinema experience that sticks in your memory...

I recently went to an LPO concert of Mozart and Mahler at the Royal Festival Hall, which was really beautiful. I wish that orchestra would bring such an adventurous repertoire to the Dome, as it would provide a much broader musical diet for the audience in Brighton, and sit well alongside the repertoire which our more modest budget allows.

Is there a book/record/ film/play/person that made you want to do what you do now?

No one person, but I was fortunate to have several teachers who were inspirational, and then conducting heroes such as Sir Adrian Boult, and Bernard Haitink, who helped me form my own ideas about the work a conductor has to do.