CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE RECORDINGS BY SIR THOMAS
BEECHAM
This is a sad list for a Beecham admirer to have to assemble, some
of the most pleasure-giving recordings ever made, currently withdrawn
from public availability. Most were part of EMI's Beecham
Edition which, during four years or so of existence, presented
nearly all of his stereo and several monaural recordings that had not
seen the light of day for years--a worthy effort, if not as long-lived
as one would like! This is not to say that the Beecham cupboard is even
close to bare, just that any impression of his legacy will, for the time
being, have to be formed without these splendid testaments to his
musicality and joie de vivre. Let us hope that the
companies involved will see fit to restore these recordings to
circulation as new technology makes even better transfers possible--and
within a reasonable period of time. For available recordings, return
to the main list or visit catalog of
discs only obtainable in theUnited Kingdom.
I should point out that record dealers are not always prompt in
returning cutout stock to manufacturers, and it sometimes proves
worthwhile to call around in search of a title that is officially
deleted. Good hunting!
ORCHESTRAS
BBC = BBC Symphony Orchestra
BPO = Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
BSO = Beecham Symphony Orchestra (acoustic recordings)
CGO = Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden
HPO = Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra
LPO = London Philharmonic Orchestra
MET = Metropolitan Opera Orchestra
NYP = New York Philharmonic-Symphony
PO = Philadelphia Orchestra
RTF = Orchestre National de l'ORTF
RCA = RCA Victor Orchestra
RPO = Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
SRO = Suisse Romande Orchestra
Collections
- (RTF, rec. 1959)
- FRANCK: Symphony in d
- LALO: Symphony in g
- EMI CDM 63396
- (RPO, rec. 1958)
- LISZT: Orpheus
- LISZT: Psalm XIII
- R. STRAUSS: Ein Heldenleben
- EMI CDM 63229
- OVERTURES (RPO, 1957-59)
- ROSSINI: La gazza ladra: Overture
- MENDELSSOHN: The Fair Melusina Overture, Op. 32
- MENDELSSOHN: A Midsummer Night's Dream: Overture, Op. 21
- ROSSINI: La cambiale di matrimonio: Overture
- BERLIOZ: Le Corsaire, Overture
- SUPPÉ: Poet and Peasant Overture
- ROSSINI: Semiramide: Overture
- WAGNER: Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg: Overture
- EMI CDM 7 63407 2
- [Some of the contents of this disc have been re-used in various
other compilations.]
- [monaural recordings]
- (RPO, rec. 1951-52)
- SCHUBERT: Sym. No. 8
- BEETHOVEN: Sym. No. 8
- MENDELSSOHN: Sym. No. 4
- EMI CDM 63398
- SIBELIUS: Sym. No. 2 (BBC, rec. 1954)
- DVORAK: Sym. No. 8 (RPO, rec. 1959)
- EMI CDM 7 63399 2
- BANTOCK, BAX AND BERNERS: MINIATURES
- BANTOCK: Fifine at the Fair (RPO, rec. 1949)
- BAX: The Garden of Fand (RPO, rec. 1947)
- BERNERS: The Triumph of Neptune (LPO, rec. 1937)
- EMI CDM 7 63405 2
Composers
- BALAKIREV
- [monaural recording]
- (RPO, rec. 1956 and 1954)
- Symphony No. 1, Tamara
- EMI CDM 7 63375 2
- BEETHOVEN
- (RPO, rec. 1958 and 1957)
- Symphony No. 7
- The Ruins of Athens, incidental music (w. Beecham Choral
Society)
- EMI CDM 7 69871 2
- BRAHMS
- (RPO, rec. 1958-9 and 1956)
- Symphony No. 2
- The Song of Destiny (Schicksalied) (w. Beecham Choral Society)
- Academic Festival Overture
- EMI CDM 7 63221 2
- DELIUS
- [monaural recording]
- (RPO, rec. 1946-52)
- Dance Rhapsody No. 1
- Violin Concerto (w. Jean Pougnet)
- Song of the High Hills
- On the Mountains (Paa vidderne)
- EMI CDM 7 64054 2
- HANDEL-BEECHAM
- [monaural recordings]
- (RPO, rec. 1951-59)
- Love in Bath
- The Gods Go a'Begging
- Amaryliss Suite
- The Great Elopement: Serenade
- EMI CDM 7 63374 2
- [A collection of Beecham arrangements of music by one of his
favorite composers.]
- LISZT
- A Faust Symphony (RPO, rec. 1958)
- EMI CDM 63371
- [How EMI could discontinue this disc demands an answer. The field
is not exactly crowded and this is a striking recording.]
- SIBELIUS
- [monaural recordings]
- (RPO, rec. 1955)
- Symphony No. 7
- music from Pelleas et Melisande
- The Tempest, exceprts
- The Oceanides
- Tapiola
- EMI CHM 7 63400 2
- SIR THOMAS BEECHAM CONDUCTS SIBELIUS
- (LPO, rec. 1932-39)
- En Saga
- Lemminkainen's Return
- The Bard
- In Memoriam
- Valse Triste
- Symphony No. 4
- KOCH LEGACY 3-7061-2 H1
- R. STRAUSS
- [monaural recording]
- (RPO, rec. 1947-48)
- Don Quixote (w. Paul Tortelier, cello)
- Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme, excerpts
- EMI CDH 7 63106 2
- TCHAIKOVSKY
- [monaural recordings]
- (RPO, rec. 1957 and 1953)
- Symphony No. 4
- Nutcracker Suite
- EMI CDM 7 63380 2
- (LPO, rec. 1940 and 1939)
- Symphony No. 5
- Francesca da Rimini
- EMI CDM 7 64053 2
Concert Recordings
Collections
- BEECHAM IN REHEARSAL
- (RPO, rec. 1951-58)
- EMI CDM 7 64465 2
- [This compilation, reissued several times on LP and expanded for
this CD, offers a charming look at the renouwned wit and rehersal wisdom
of Sir Thomas. Part of the material on this disc was reused in "The Art
of Conducting", EMI 5 65915 2.]
- LEGENDARY PUBLIC PERFORMANCES (RPO, rec. 1959)
- BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 7
- MENDELSSOHN: Fair Melusina Overture
- DELIUS: North Country Sketches
- MUSIC & ARTS CD-281
- [While it causes regret that this and the following discs of concert
air-checks have been deleted, they were available for a long time. The
shame of the matter is that the holder of the actual tapes, the British
Broadcasting Corporation, has chosen recordings from their vaults by
nearly everybody but Beecham for reissue on the official
BBC Radio Classics series. Why the B.B.C. should continue to slight the
memory of England's best conductor makes little sense. Let us hope that
they will see the error of their ways.]
- SIR THOMAS BEECHAM DIRETTORE
- (RPO, rec. 1957)
- BEETHOVEN: Sym. No. 7
- HANDEL-BEECHAM: Love in Bath, excerpts
- DELIUS: The Walk to the Paradise Garden
- SIBELIUS: Karelia suite: Alla marcia
- ERMITAGE ERM 132
- SIR THOMAS BEECHAM CONDUCTS THE RPO - CONCERT PERFORMANCES
- (RPO, rec. 1954, 1958-59)
- MOZART: Sym. No. 35
- TCHAIKOVSKY: Nutcracker Suite
- WAGNER: Die Meistersinger: Overture
- MUSIC & ARTS CD-631
- [monaural recordings]
- DELIUS: Paris (RPO, rec. 1955);
- ARNELL: Punch and the Child (RPO, rec. 1950)
- BERNERS: The Triumph of Neptune (PO, rec. 1952) {m}
- SONY Masterworks Portait SMK 46683
Composers
- [monaural recordings]
- GOUNOD
- Faust (MET, rec. 1943)
- ENTERPRISE RY 23 [2 discs]
- OFFENBACH
- The Tales of Hoffmann (MET, rec. 1944)
- MELODRAM 27514 [2 discs]
ENTERPRISE RY 19 [2 discs]
- [I have been told that the Metropolitan opera took legal action to
have the above two sets removed from the U.S. market. It would be nice
if this organization would offer the recordings officially, at a
reasonable price, but that isn't likely.]
- WAGNER
- Tristan und Isolde (CGO, rec. 1937)
- MELODRAM MEL 37029 [3 discs]
- [It is unfortunate that Melodram has withdrawn this set, since it
is all Beecham, but the Grammophono 2000 set remains in the catalog and
will have to do until better comes along.]
Return to my Beecham discography
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