Sir Thomas Beecham caught 'live' often showed the mercurial side of his character, and no performance was the same either in the studio or in the concert hall. 'What Beecham sought at all times was freshness, and his unpredictability was a way to achieve this' (David Patmore). All the performances included here from the Edinburgh Festival, London's Royal Albert Hall, Royal Festival Hall and the BBC Studios are from Beecham's final years, from 1954 when he had fully established the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and himself as central figures in England's musical life, to 1959 when he conducted an extraordinarily memorable account of Brahms's Symphony No.2. Every broadcast is captured here in exemplary sound for the time, and apart from the Liszt and Haydn Symphony No.101, none of the performances in this set have appeared on an album before, which makes it extremely important for all collectors of the conductor.

Tracklist:

Symphony No. 99 In E-Flat Major, Hob. I:99: I. Adagio - Vivace Assai (Live)
Symphony No. 99 In E-Flat Major, Hob. I:99: II. Adagio (Live)
Symphony No. 99 In E-Flat Major, Hob. I:99: III. Menuet. Allegretto (Live)
Symphony No. 99 In E-Flat Major, Hob. I:99: IV. Finale. Vivace (Live)
Symphony No. 101 In D Major, Hob. I:101 "Clock": I. Adagio - Presto (Live)
Symphony No. 101 In D Major, Hob. I:101 "Clock": II. Andante (Live)
Symphony No. 101 In D Major, Hob. I:101 "Clock": III. Menuet. Allegro (Live)
Symphony No. 101 In D Major, Hob. I:101 "Clock": IV. Finale. Vivace (Live)
Symphony In D Major, Op. 43, G. 521 (Live)
A Midsummer Night's Dream Overture, Op. 21, Mwv P3 (Live)
Symphony No. 36 In C Major, K. 425 "Linz": I. Adagio - Allegro Spiritoso (Live)
Symphony No. 36 In C Major, K. 425 "Linz": II. Poco Adagio (Live)
Symphony No. 36 In C Major, K. 425 "Linz": III. Menuetto (Live)
Symphony No. 36 In C Major, K. 425 "Linz": IV. Presto (Live)
Symphony No. 39 In E-Flat Major, K. 543: I. Adagio - Allegro (Live)
Symphony No. 39 In E-Flat Major, K. 543: II. Andante Con Moto (Live)
Symphony No. 39 In E-Flat Major, K. 543: III. Menuetto. Allegretto (Live)
Symphony No. 39 In E-Flat Major, K. 543: IV. Finale. Allegro (Live)
Symphony No. 2 In D Major, Op. 36: I. Adagio Molto - Allegro Molto (Live)
Symphony No. 2 In D Major, Op. 36: II. Larghetto (Live)
Symphony No. 2 In D Major, Op. 36: III. Scherzo (Live)
Symphony No. 2 In D Major, Op. 36: IV. Allegro Molto (Live)
Symphony No. 2 In D Major, Op. 73: I. Allegro Non Troppo (Live)
Symphony No. 2 In D Major, Op. 73: II. Adagio Non Troppo - L'istesso Tempo, Ma Grazioso (Live)
Symphony No. 2 In D Major, Op. 73: III. Allegretto Grazioso Quasi Andantino - Presto Ma Non Assai (Live)
Symphony No. 2 In D Major, Op. 73: IV. Allegro Con Spirito (Live)
Der Fliegende Holländer, Wwv 63: Overture (Live)
Faust Symphony, S. 108: I. Faust (Live)
Faust Symphony, S. 108: II. Gretchen (Live)
Faust Symphony, S. 108: III. Mephistopheles (Live)
Faust Symphony, S. 108: IV. Final Chorus (Live)

UPC: 5060244551480
Label: Ica Classics
Release Date: 4.6.18
Format: CD

Beethoven / Young - Sir Thomas Beecham Live (4 CD)