An outstanding collection of previously unissued recordings by Thomas Beecham and the Royal Philharmonic, this disc will cheer the distinguished English conductor's many loyal fans both at home and abroad. The repertoire is surprisingly varied -- Brahms' Haydn Variations, Bax's The Garden of Fand and Strauss' Don Quixote -- and the performances are consistently splendid. Generally, Beecham's tempos are tighter and quicker than has become standard nowadays and his grip on the rhapsodic opening of Don Quixote is formidable; ...
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An outstanding collection of previously unissued recordings by Thomas Beecham and the Royal Philharmonic, this disc will cheer the distinguished English conductor's many loyal fans both at home and abroad. The repertoire is surprisingly varied -- Brahms' Haydn Variations, Bax's The Garden of Fand and Strauss' Don Quixote -- and the performances are consistently splendid. Generally, Beecham's tempos are tighter and quicker than has become standard nowadays and his grip on the rhapsodic opening of Don Quixote is formidable; his speed in the impressionistic Garden of Fand is breathtaking. Even in these well-scrubbed remasterings of exceedingly antique-sounding monaural originals, the colorful and dramatic performances Beecham elicits from the Royal Philharmonic come through loud and clear. Bax's signature tone poem shines here in a performance of tremendous energy and conviction, and Brahms' Variations gleam as they seldom do for other conductors. Cellist John Kennedy and violist Frederick Riddle make...
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