Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Archive
BERLIOZ: Requiem – Richard Lewis/ Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/ Sir Thomas Beecham – Pristine Audio
A superb renovation of Beecham’s rendering of Requiem by Berlioz
Sir Thomas Beecham: Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Live in the Royal Festival Hall, 1954-1959 = Symphonic Works by HAYDN; BOCCHERINI; MENDELSSOHN; MOZART; BEETHOVEN; BRAHMS; WAGNER; LISZT – ICA Classics
ICA restores a series of Beecham broadcasts and performances that testify to his artistic discipline and “mercurial” spirit.
“Remembering Jacqueline Du Pre” = Cello Concertos by HAYDN; DELIUS; ELGAR – Jacqueline Du Pre, cello – Praga Digitals
Terrific remastering of essential recording by a unique and irreplaceable artist. “Remembering Jacqueline Du Pre” = HAYDN: Cello Concerto in C, Hob. VIIb:1; DELIUS: Cello Concerto, RT VII/7; ELGAR: Cello Concerto in e, Op. 65 – Jacqueline Du Pre, cello/ English Chamber Orchestra, Daniel Barenboim/ Royal Phil. Orch./ Malcolm Sargent/ London Sym. Orch./ John Baribirolli – Praga Digitals PRD 250 380, 80:09 [Distr. by Harmonia mundi/PIAS] *****: Those who love the late great cellist Jacqueline Du Pre do so with a jealousy that borders on the obsessive—count me among them. There has certainly never been another cellist—ever—that to my sensibilities equals her startling and innate musicality, coupled with a love of music so deep as to be almost impenetrable. She was one of a kind, who, like so many others with gifts far beyond mere mortals and rarely deserving of them, left this world far too soon. In this very welcome collection by Praga, which I had hoped would be subjected to the Super Audio treatment but still sound fantastic, we are given two concertos that she virtually defined, and one that is slightly esoteric to the general public, but still remarkable. The latter is the concerto by Delius, once […]
Beecham at the Royal Festival Hall, Volume 3 = ADDISON: Carte Blanche; BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 7; GOUNOD: Juliet’s Dream; SAINT-SAENS: Dance of the Priestesses – Royal Phil. Orch. / Sir Thomas Beecham – Pristine
Beecham at the Royal Festival Hall, Volume 3 = ADDISON: Carte Blanche; BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op. 92; GOUNOD: Juliet’s Dream; SAINT-SAENS: Dance of the Priestesses from Samson et Dalilah, Op. 47 – Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/ Sir Thomas Beecham – Pristine Audio PASC 507, 56:49 [www.pristineclassical.com] ****: The third of the Royal Festival Hall concerts by Sir Thomas Beecham communicates his potent magic in Beethoven and Addison. The third of the series of appearances by Sir Thomas Beecham at Royal Festival Hall (8 November 1959) sets a tone of enthusiastic mirth from the first, with composer John Addison’s most popular classical score, Carte blanche, conceived for Sadler’s Wells. Addison (1920-1998) gleaned considerable note for his diverse film music, including such main-stream classics as Tom Jones, Torn Curtain, and A Bridge Too Far. Addison’s interest in theater and ballet scores often led him to conceive music for chamber ensembles, but Carte blanche enjoys a vivacious, blustery score, rife with percussive effects and brilliant riffs for individual wind and brass instruments, some of whose blaring and honking lead to resonant guffaws from the Royal Festival Hall audience. The five-movement suite includes two slower, more romantic sections, “Interlude” and “Romanza,” […]
Beecham at the Royal Festival Hall, Vol. I = HAYDN: Symphony No. 101; LALO: Symphony in G Minor; DEBUSSY: Cortege et Air de Danse – Royal Phil. Orch./ Sir Thomas Beecham – Pristine Audio
Beecham at the Royal Festival Hall, Vol. I = HAYDN: Symphony No. 101 in D Major “Clock”; LALO: Symphony in G Minor; DEBUSSY: Cortege et Air de Danse from L’enfant prodigue – Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/ Sir Thomas Beecham – Pristine Audio PASC 502, 58:42 [www.pristineclassical.com] ****: The first of the Beecham concerts from Royal Festival Hall displays the conductor’s brio in his chosen repertory. The “inimitable” Sir Thomas Beecham (1897-1962) appears in the first of three volumes dedicated by engineer Andrew Rose to the two concerts of 25 October and 8 November 1959 at the Royal Festival Hall. Typical of the “Beecham effect,” the spirits of these concerts remain thoroughly gracious and accessible, since before an audience – as opposed to his meticulous rehearsal methods – Beecham never took himself too seriously. The conductor’s geniality derives mainly from his thorough knowledge of his repertory, combined with his ensemble’s total technical control and nuanced response to their conductor’s wishes. While some commentators bemoan Beecham’s use of what now scholarship considers corrupt editions of Haydn, his measured, affectionate d minor Adagio of Symphony No. 101 spreads forth a luxuriant carpet that soon erupts into a festive 6/8 Presto that gallops and sachets […]
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