Thomas Beecham
Born to a rich industrial family, Beecham began his career as a conductor in 1899. He used his access to the family fortune to finance opera from the 1910s until the start of the Second World War, staging seasons at Covent Garden, Drury Lane and His Majesty's Theatre with international stars, his own orchestra and a wide repertoire. Among the works he introduced to England were Richard Strauss's Elektra, Salome and Der Rosenkavalier and three operas by Frederick Delius.
Together with his younger colleague Malcolm Sargent, Beecham founded the London Philharmonic, and he conducted its first performance at the Queen's Hall in 1932. In the 1940s he worked for three years in the United States where he was music director of the Seattle Symphony and conducted at the Metropolitan Opera. After his return to Britain, he founded the Royal Philharmonic in 1946 and conducted it until his death in 1961.
Beecham's repertoire was eclectic, sometimes favouring lesser-known composers over famous ones. His specialities included composers whose works were neglected in Britain before he became their advocate, such as Delius and Berlioz. Other composers with whose music he was frequently associated were Haydn, Schubert, Sibelius and the composer he revered above all others, Mozart.
Thomas Beecham
SIBELIUS Violin Concerto
Recorded in 1935
Duration 28:14
Jascha Heifetz, violin
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Conducted by Sir Thomas Beecham
BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, Op. 58
Recorded 1947
Total duration: 30:38
Arthur Rubinstein, piano
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
conducted by Sir Thomas Beecham
STRAVINSKY The Firebird
STRAVINSKY Petrushka
STRAVINSKY The Rite of Spring
STRAVINSKY Piano Music
MOZART Fugue in C minor
Studio recordings, 1916-1938
Total duration: 77:57
Beecham Symphony Orchestra ∙ Sir Thomas Beecham
Royal Albert Hall Orchestra ∙ Sir Eugene Goossens
Berlin State Opera Orchestra ∙ Oskar Fried
The Philadelphia Orchestra ∙ Leopold Stokowski
Igor Stravinsky, piano
Soulima Stravinsky, piano
PROKOFIEV Violin Concerto No. 1
Recorded in 1935
Duration 20:17
Joseph Szigeti, violin
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Conducted by Sir Thomas Beecham
BACH Violin Sonatas 1 & 2
BACH Concerto for Two Violins
HANDEL Violin Sonata No. 4
TARTINI Violin Sonata in G
TARTINI Violin Concerto in D minor
MOZART Violin Sonata No. 21
MOZART Violin Concerto No. 4
short works by BACH, EXAUDET, TARTINI, VERACINI
BEETHOVEN Violin Concerto
WEBER Violin Sonata No. 3
PAGANINI Caprices
SCHUBERT Rondo
MENDELSSOHN Violin Concerto
BRAHMS Violin Concerto
BRAHMS Violin Sonata No. 3
Music by Berlioz, Hubay, Elgar, Kreisler, Dvořák, Chabrier, Rimsky-Korsakov, Falla
WARLOCK Capriol Suite
PROKOFIEV Violin Concerto
BARTÓK Hungarian Folk Tunes
BARTÓK Romanian Folk Dances
IVES Violin Sonata No. 4
BLOCH Violin Concerto
music by Debussy, Ravel, Milhaud, Lie, Szymanowski, Scriabin, Stravinsky
BACH Violin Sonatas 1 & 2
BACH Concerto for Two Violins
HANDEL Violin Sonata No. 4
TARTINI Violin Sonata in G
TARTINI Violin Concerto in D minor
MOZART Violin Sonata No. 21
MOZART Violin Concerto No. 4
short works by BACH, EXAUDET, TARTINI, VERACINI
Studio recordings, 1927-37
Total duration: 2hr 19:10
Joseph Szigeti, violin
Carl Flesch, violin
Nikita Magaloff, piano
Kurt Ruhrseitz, piano
Walter Goehr ∙ Orchestra
Sir Thomas Beecham ∙ London Philharmonic Orchestra