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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
It seems appropriate to refer firstly to the recording quality because by definition these recordings where made over 50 years ago. Presumably, nobody who demanded up-to-the-minute, state-of-the-art, recording quality to demonstrate his equipment to the neighbours would be bothering to read this but for anybody who just wants to listen to the music, do not fear. Thanks to the magic dust of remastering, most of the recordings sound vital and fresh. Generally these recordings hail from the end of Beecham's recording career; indeed, some of the recordings are in (early) stereo and come up better than many recordings made in the '80's. One recording goes back the the '30's, reminding me rather of that EMI icon of a dog listening at a horn gramophone, but even so was still acceptable listening. Two recordings are from the '40's and are a bit constrained but not intrusively so. In my long-winded fashion, I am trying to convey that recording quality is not an issue if you are primarily interested in the music rather than simply the sound it makes! These recordings may be 'historical' but you don't have to make any conscious allowance for the sound quality; just sit back and enjoy.
Over 6 discs there are so too many works for it to be practical for me to list them here. They cover a wide range of Beecham's 'lollipops' but as French repertoire tends not to be mainstream today, there is probably not too much danger of duplication in the average collection. Relatively mainstream works like Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique and Franck's Symphony in D minor benefit not only from (fortuitously) particularly vivid and spacious recording but are some of the finest versions ever put to disc. To ramble on about each work would be unimaginably tedious but to pick on the Fantastique as an outstanding example, Beecham conducts a French Orchestra and generates a very different and very exciting sound world, far removed from the rather polished and sanitized style that we tend to hear today. This was from an era when French orchestras still sounded French (which Beecham highly approved of) and presumably that cannot be entirely wrong when performing Berlioz. However, when I listened initially to the work on this disc, on hearing the edgy strings and rasping wind and brass, I wondered whether the recording was at fault. Careful listening convinced me otherwise and revelling in this unfamiliar acoustic brought rewards aplenty. Perhaps I was experiencing some of that awe and astonishment that those aerly French audiences must have felt when they first encountered Berlioz? Although have several fine modern versions, this is the one that gives me greatest pleasure, warts an' all.
Don't be discouraged by my reference to 'lollipops'(Beecham's term, and not intended by me to be dismissive). The many other works played here (virtually a roll call of significant 19th Century French Composers) are played with style and consummate sweetness. This set of discs is a delight from end to end, a cornucopia of musical self-indulgence.
This is a priceless set at a bargain price. Snap it up!
Over 6 discs there are so too many works for it to be practical for me to list them here. They cover a wide range of Beecham's 'lollipops' but as French repertoire tends not to be mainstream today, there is probably not too much danger of duplication in the average collection. Relatively mainstream works like Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique and Franck's Symphony in D minor benefit not only from (fortuitously) particularly vivid and spacious recording but are some of the finest versions ever put to disc. To ramble on about each work would be unimaginably tedious but to pick on the Fantastique as an outstanding example, Beecham conducts a French Orchestra and generates a very different and very exciting sound world, far removed from the rather polished and sanitized style that we tend to hear today. This was from an era when French orchestras still sounded French (which Beecham highly approved of) and presumably that cannot be entirely wrong when performing Berlioz. However, when I listened initially to the work on this disc, on hearing the edgy strings and rasping wind and brass, I wondered whether the recording was at fault. Careful listening convinced me otherwise and revelling in this unfamiliar acoustic brought rewards aplenty. Perhaps I was experiencing some of that awe and astonishment that those aerly French audiences must have felt when they first encountered Berlioz? Although have several fine modern versions, this is the one that gives me greatest pleasure, warts an' all.
Don't be discouraged by my reference to 'lollipops'(Beecham's term, and not intended by me to be dismissive). The many other works played here (virtually a roll call of significant 19th Century French Composers) are played with style and consummate sweetness. This set of discs is a delight from end to end, a cornucopia of musical self-indulgence.
This is a priceless set at a bargain price. Snap it up!
10 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
As a child in the late 1960s, I first heard the recordings of the Bizet Carmen and L'Arlesienne suites when they were issued by EMI on a stereo LP as the first volume of "The Beecham Legacy". There are many more treasures to discover here; you will find classic performances that stand the test of time, some played with tremendous energy, others with exquisite tenderness.
The EMI engineers have done a fine job with the remastering - most of the recordings are in stereo, and unless you are listening on headphones, you may not really notice that a few of the earlier ones are in mono; these are still very worthy of inclusion in this set.
This is great value for money and I can't recommend it too highly.
The EMI engineers have done a fine job with the remastering - most of the recordings are in stereo, and unless you are listening on headphones, you may not really notice that a few of the earlier ones are in mono; these are still very worthy of inclusion in this set.
This is great value for money and I can't recommend it too highly.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
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4 reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Beecham captured in his best repertoire, a must-listen
18 April 2011
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Charmer that he was, Beecham coaxed the British musical public to welcome French music, especially that of Berlioz, who is under-represented here. These recordings from the Fifties find the conductor in his last decade, and he didn't commercially remake major Berlioz works like the Requiem. In fact, Beecham conducted exactly what he liked, and on these 6 CDs we get a great deal of occasional music and semi-fluff, while only two major symphonic works, the Franck Symphony in D minor and Symphonie fantastique, appear. No matter. These sparkling performances give us Beecham at a high water mark. He loved every work, however obscure or old-fashioned, and that love is felt in the music-making.
Although a number of these recordings are considered classics,particularly the Berlioz and Bizet selections, when the venue was Paris, EMI came up with shrill, thin sound. If only it could be improved. This box set uses the most recent remastering of each work, but they are a mixed lot, and the company didn't do enough to refurbish the faulty originals that came from sessions with the French National Radio Orchestra. That's a pity, because Beecham's work in Paris was ebullient in a way that seems lost to modern conductors of Bizet and Berlioz.
Grumbling aside, this is a perfect introduction to the Beecham magic for those who haven't experienced it yet or who wonder if it ever really existed.
Here's the complete program listing:
Berlioz:
Symphonie fantastique, Op. 14
Le Corsaire Overture, Op. 21
Marche troyenne (from Les Troyens)
Chasse royale et Orage (from Les Troyens)
La Damnation de Faust, Op. 24 - Ballet des Sylphes, Menuet des Follets
Le carnaval romain Overture, Op. 9
King Lear Overture, Op. 4
Bizet:
Symphony in C
L'Arlesienne Suites 1 & 2
Carmen - Prelude to Act 1
Carmen - Entr'actes
Patrie Overture, Op. 19
Roma: Carnaval
Chabrier:
Gwendoline Overture
Joyeuse Marche
España
Debussy:
Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune
L'Enfant prodigue: Cortege et Air de danse
Delibes:
Le Roi s'amuse: Incidental Music
Fauré, G:
Dolly Suite, Op. 56
Pavane, Op. 50
Franck, C:
Symphony in D minor
Gounod:
Faust - Ballet Music
Roméo et Juliette: Le Sommeil de Juliette
Gretry:
Ballet Suite Zémire et Azor
Lalo:
Symphony in G minor
Massenet:
Cendrillon Valse
La Vierge: Le Dernier Sommeil de la vierge (Légende sacrée)
Saint-Saëns:
Danse des pretresses
Bacchanale from Samson et Dalila
Le Rouet d'Omphale, Op. 31
Vidal, P-A:
Zino-zina: gavotte
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Although a number of these recordings are considered classics,particularly the Berlioz and Bizet selections, when the venue was Paris, EMI came up with shrill, thin sound. If only it could be improved. This box set uses the most recent remastering of each work, but they are a mixed lot, and the company didn't do enough to refurbish the faulty originals that came from sessions with the French National Radio Orchestra. That's a pity, because Beecham's work in Paris was ebullient in a way that seems lost to modern conductors of Bizet and Berlioz.
Grumbling aside, this is a perfect introduction to the Beecham magic for those who haven't experienced it yet or who wonder if it ever really existed.
Here's the complete program listing:
Berlioz:
Symphonie fantastique, Op. 14
Le Corsaire Overture, Op. 21
Marche troyenne (from Les Troyens)
Chasse royale et Orage (from Les Troyens)
La Damnation de Faust, Op. 24 - Ballet des Sylphes, Menuet des Follets
Le carnaval romain Overture, Op. 9
King Lear Overture, Op. 4
Bizet:
Symphony in C
L'Arlesienne Suites 1 & 2
Carmen - Prelude to Act 1
Carmen - Entr'actes
Patrie Overture, Op. 19
Roma: Carnaval
Chabrier:
Gwendoline Overture
Joyeuse Marche
España
Debussy:
Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune
L'Enfant prodigue: Cortege et Air de danse
Delibes:
Le Roi s'amuse: Incidental Music
Fauré, G:
Dolly Suite, Op. 56
Pavane, Op. 50
Franck, C:
Symphony in D minor
Gounod:
Faust - Ballet Music
Roméo et Juliette: Le Sommeil de Juliette
Gretry:
Ballet Suite Zémire et Azor
Lalo:
Symphony in G minor
Massenet:
Cendrillon Valse
La Vierge: Le Dernier Sommeil de la vierge (Légende sacrée)
Saint-Saëns:
Danse des pretresses
Bacchanale from Samson et Dalila
Le Rouet d'Omphale, Op. 31
Vidal, P-A:
Zino-zina: gavotte
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Makes you love Beecham more, and love EMI less
12 Aug 2011
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Whatever musical stone Thomas Beecham touched, he transformed into a jewel. The words delicacy, good taste, charm and expression come to mind. He made any orchestra phrase as such, and you notice it primarily in comparison, not even knowing where exactly the magic lied. As a young explorer of music, once I heard Beecham's version of Faure's 'Pavane', there was no other that could come close to it (I still remember the day, and that old Seraphim LP).
I would recommend this issue wholeheartedly and in spite of EMI. It is such a pity that with a vault of master recordings, their booklets are so superficial and "summarized". And this is not only in reissues; new releases as well. Perhaps we, collectors, are spoiled by the independents who give us music and history, but it is not only that. In this case, I clearly notice that some tracks are in MONO and there is absolutely no mention of it anywehere (I spent a long time searching). Still, the sound is EMI-clean but bass shy, worse when it comes from France (I found the sound in Gwendoline Overture, which I think is MONO, quite bad, the melodic lines blurred when orchestration was heavy). As all the big ones, EMI has the syndrome of a "corporation", no doubt. Ultimately, big overhead makes the consumer pay.
My last thought is, how wonderful would have been if Beecham recorded one of those 1950s Decca ffrr!
I would recommend this issue wholeheartedly and in spite of EMI. It is such a pity that with a vault of master recordings, their booklets are so superficial and "summarized". And this is not only in reissues; new releases as well. Perhaps we, collectors, are spoiled by the independents who give us music and history, but it is not only that. In this case, I clearly notice that some tracks are in MONO and there is absolutely no mention of it anywehere (I spent a long time searching). Still, the sound is EMI-clean but bass shy, worse when it comes from France (I found the sound in Gwendoline Overture, which I think is MONO, quite bad, the melodic lines blurred when orchestration was heavy). As all the big ones, EMI has the syndrome of a "corporation", no doubt. Ultimately, big overhead makes the consumer pay.
My last thought is, how wonderful would have been if Beecham recorded one of those 1950s Decca ffrr!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Beecham, the greatest entertainer
19 Feb 2012
Format:Audio CD
There are many arguments as to who was, or is, the greatest musical conductor. About who was the greatest entertainer there are none.Sir Thomas Beecham's musical wit and sarcasm ( principally about other conductors) is legendary*, as was his taste in music. Part of his popularity, in Britain anyway, lay in his notorious dislike of "German" music, though he did cherry pick Wagner to good effect and paid grudging respect to Brahms with a few sparse performances. His principal philosphy was that music should "sound good". "I don't give a damn about the metaphysics or what the composer REALLY meant". This made him and French music of the 19th and early 20th century a perfect match, for the sake of argument we'll also include Delius, who was more than half French, though too keep things strictly national, not in this set. Beecham's approach to conducting can best be described as uncomplicated. He once said, "I let the orchestra play. They will make mistakes of course, but then we will play it again. I know what they will do, but they do not know what I will do. That makes for a good performance. It keeps people on their toes." This collection is a perfect illustration. As always Beecham baffles, however. Why no Ravel? Inexplicable.
*If you would like to know more about Beecham, do look up the play by Ned Sherrin and Caryl Brahms. It is on YouTube. Beecham is played by the late Timothy West. Nearly all the aphorisms are there, as well as some good orchestral snippets.
*If you would like to know more about Beecham, do look up the play by Ned Sherrin and Caryl Brahms. It is on YouTube. Beecham is played by the late Timothy West. Nearly all the aphorisms are there, as well as some good orchestral snippets.
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