BEECHAM, THOMAS

Puccini is not a composer with whom one would readily associate the quintessentially English conductor Sir Thomas Beecham (1879-1961) but he had known the composer personally and had discussed La Bohème in great detail with him in London in the 1920s. The conductor had spent a huge amount of time (and money) in the opera house in the years leading up to the First World War and immediately afterwards. He was in overall control of the International Seasons at Covent Garden from 1933 until 1939 and during his years in the United States between 1941 and 1944 had conducted opera at the Metropolitan in New York. His post-war operatic operations were confined to a series of BBC studio broadcasts, Strauss’s first version of Ariadne auf Naxos at the 1950 Edinburgh Festival, two operas at Covent Garden (Die Meistersinger and Balfe’s The Bohemian Girl in 1951), Delius’s Irmelin at Oxford in 1953, and a memorable season at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires in 1958. He also made commercial studio recordings of Gounod’s Faust (Naxos 8.110117-18) in 1948 and Bizet’s Carmen in 1958-59 in addition to this celebrated and much loved version of La Bohème in 1956.

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A TO Z OF CONDUCTORS	8.558087-90
ARNELL, R.: Punch and the Child / BERNERS, L.: The Triumph of Neptune Suite (Royal Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Beecham) (1950, 1952)	9.80798
BANTOCK, G.: Fifine at the Fair / RAWSTHORNE, A.: Practical Cats (Beecham, Rawsthorne) (1949, 1955)	9.80133
BEETHOVEN / MOZART: Violin Concertos (Szigeti) (1932, 1934)	8.110946
BEETHOVEN, L.: Symphony No. 8 / SCHUBERT, F.: Symphony No. 8, "Unfinished" (Beecham) (1951)	9.80558
BERGER, Erna: A Vocal Portrait (1934-1949)	8.110733
BERLIOZ, H.: Overtures (Royal Philharmonic, Beecham) (1954)	9.80711
BRAHMS / MENDELSSOHN: Violin Concertos (Szigeti) (1928, 1933)	8.110948
CHARPENTIER: Louise (Moore, Pinza, Beecham) (1943)	8.110102-04
DELIUS: Orchestral Works, Vol. 1 (Beecham) (1927-1934)	8.110904
DELIUS: Orchestral Works, Vol. 2 (Beecham) (1927-1936)	8.110905
DELIUS: Orchestral Works, Vol. 3 (Beecham) (1928, 1938)	8.110906
DELIUS: Orchestral Works, Vol. 4 (Beecham) (1946-1952)	8.110984
DELIUS: Sea Drift / The Song of a Great City (Boyce / BBC Chorus / Royal Philharmonic / Beecham) (1956)	9.80097
DELIUS: Village Romeo and Juliet (A) (Beecham) (1946-1952)	8.110982-83
DELIUS: Violin Concerto / Piano Concerto / Eventyr / A Song before Sunrise (Beecham)	8.111006
ELGAR, E.: Enigma Variations / Cockaigne / Serenade in E minor (Royal Philharmonic, Beecham) (1954)	9.80611
GOUNOD: Faust (Beecham) (1947-1948)	8.110117-18
GREAT VIOLINISTS	8.110980-81
HANDEL, G.F.: Faithful Shepherd Suite (The) (arr. T. Beecham) / HAYDN, J.: Symphony No. 93 (Beecham) (1950)	9.80491
HANDEL: Solomon (Cameron, Morison / Beecham Choral Society / Royal Philharmonic / Beecham) (1956)	9.80087-88
HAYDN, J.: Symphonies Nos. 94 and 103 (Beecham) (1951)	9.80165
MOZART / MENDELSSOHN: Violin Concertos (Heifetz) (1934-1949)	8.110941
MOZART: Symphonies Nos. 39 and 40 (Royal Philharmonic / Beecham) (1956)	9.80098
MOZART: Zauberflote (Die) (The Magic Flute) (Beecham) (1937-1938)	8.110127-28
Orchestral Music - MEHUL, E.-N. / GRETRY, A.-E.-M. / BOCCHERINI, L. / BEETHOVEN, L. / BRAHMS, J. (Beecham) (1953)	9.80450
PROKOFIEV / BLOCH: Violin Concertos (Szigeti) (1935, 1939)	8.110973
PUCCINI, G.: Opera excerpts	Phoenix150
PUCCINI: Boheme (La) (Bjorling, de los Angeles, Beecham) (1956)	8.111249-50
SCHUBERT: Symphonies Nos. 1 and 2 (Beecham) (1953-1954)	9.80277
SCHUMANN, R.: Manfred (Sung in English) (Beecham) (1954, 1956)	9.80394-95
SIBELIUS, J.: Violin Concerto / Scenes historiques II (Stern, Beecham) (1950-1952)	9.80167
SIBELIUS, J.: Violin Concerto in D minor / Tapiola / Symphony No. 7 (1954) (Oistrakh)	ODE809-2
SIBELIUS: Symphony No. 4 / En Saga (Beecham) (1935-1939)	8.110867
TCHAIKOVSKY / WIENIAWSKI / SIBELIUS: Violin Concertos (Heifetz) (1935-1937)	8.110938