Summary
Beecham conducts Sibelius & Dvorak (BBC Legends) 4/5 stars
HERE is something rather extraordinary. Half a century ago, as is common knowledge today, the music of Sibelius mystified music lovers, as well as many conductors, around the globe - it still does in a few countries. A handful of far-seeing champions, none more than Sir Thomas Beecham, knew what this highly-individual music was all about. The degree to which that was true is incandescently clear on a new, historic recording of the composer's Second Symphony, released from BBC archives on the BBC Legends label. It's taken from a live performance in the Royal Festival Hall in 1954, and features the BBC Symphony Orchestra in a volcanic account of the symphony in which Beecham's understanding of the great Finn's inspiration and thought processes governs every moment of an organic, hair-raising interpretation that grips from first bar to last. Absolutely essential for all Sibelians, notwithstanding the more four-square version of Dvorak's Eighth Symphony with which it is coupled.See the full content of this document
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Michael Tumelty Wreckless Eric Bungalow Hi (Southern Domestic) 5/ 5 stars
WHEN the seminal Whole Wide World was his first release on...See the full content of this document
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