Beecham Conducts Delius (Box Set) [Box set]

I have to admit I took a bit of a punt buying this set of recordings from 1927-1934, partly because I do not like all of Delius - he can be over-indulgent and rambling- but principally because I was not at all sure how the remastering of these very early 78s would turn out technically.
I will level with you, the sound quality on these discs is well below what would be acceptable nowadays. The treble and reverb sound strange and the bass muffled, at times little better than a rumble - and it is worst on the first two tracks, including the gorgeous "On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring", where there is also a quite noticeable hiss, so that was a disappointing start. The castanets in "Paris - a Night Piece", one of several I had never heard before, sounded like someone tut-tutting! It has to be remembered, however, that this is what early recordings were like - it's not hi-fi. But, if you have ever listened to any of the original 78s you will realise what a technical miracle these remasterings are, especially when, as on the third track, "Eventyr", the fog lifts and you're back in the old 1930s cinema real time! Yes, it's a little hammy, a little stagey, like so many films of the period, but it's also a true "performance" in every sense of word and riveting from the first bar, especially if, like me, you've still a bit of the kid in you and don't mind shedding a tear once in a while. And if you ever do feel a little jaded by "samey" or over-directed modern recordings, I guarantee you'll feel different after this and you'll never listen out for flaws in the recording again either! There's one big, half-a-second blip in "Hassan" but by that stage you're willing to forgive anything......

Beecham's early recordings are something else. He did not have a regular orchestra at this period - he went through several* - but because of his personal charisma and fame he could simply pull together 20 of the best soloists of his day, then add a few - almost a "scratch"! True, it says in the notes "Royal Philharmonic Orchestra" but this was only an embryo, a more accurate description might be "Orchestra of the Royal Philharmonic Society" that being what today we might call the "sponsor" of the project. The RPS as we know it today did not come into existence until after WWII.
On disks 2 and 3 I would single out.... "Brigg Fair", partly because I think it is Delius' finest piece - it's certainly one of the best structured - and "Intermezzo from Fennimore and Gerda." and "In a Summer Garden" - best sound quality here, clear as a bell, especially the bass. I do admit to a certain bias in favor of Brigg Fair, having lived for many years only a few miles from the village. The "Fair" still exists.

This is not the place to decide whether Beecham was a great conductor. He was certainly a "one-off". It's hard today to contemplate, considering his phenomenal output, both before and during the recording era, that he was largely self-taught. One thing I will say: these discs are like nothing else I own. Nor is the experience of listening to them the same. For all their faults, they are utterly unique and absolutely unmissable. Delius heard several of Beecham's early recordings and pronounced them good - one of the few occasions on which a major composer was able to do this. Must count for something.

* His management style is most kindly described as Victorian, though he is certainly the funniest and most often quoted of all the famous conductors, but he was nevertheless still very much the son of one of Britain's best known 19th century industrialists, Sir Joseph Beecham (Beecham's Pills).