Berlioz: Le Corsair Overture;

This splendid issue allows you to hear him conducting Berlioz at concerts given between 1951 and 1956. Like the writer of the excellent booklet, Graham Meville-Mason, I was present at one of these concerts. As a very young man, I was fascinated to see how the trombone players coped with the slides on their instruments at the sizzling pace with which Beecham directed the final section of the overture "Le Corsair".

"So what is the sound quality like, and how do these performances compare with Beecham's studio recordings of these works?" I hear you ask. I can report that the sound quality ranges from good to outstanding. All credit to the original radio engineers, and those responsible for the remastering! The timpani might be a little too obtrusive in "Le Corsair" and the overall sound a little "dry" in the "Marche troyenne", but there are no other defects. Indeed, the sound quality of the string playing (always reputed to be unique in a Beecham orchestra) is beautifully realized. Yes, there are audience coughs to be heard here and there. Somehow, they too sound so realistic and well recorded that a sense of an actual performance is enhanced.

"Harold en Italie" poses problems in recording a live performance. There are long passages requiring the solo viola player to provide soft broken chords to accompany wind soloists from the orchestra, and microphoning tends to give undue prominence to the viola. This problem has been better solved here than it was in a studio recording Beecham directed in 1951, five years before the broadcast performance found here.

I have compared all these performances with studio recordings Beecham directed, and all but the "Marche troyenne" are much to be preferred. All of which adds up to a very strong recommendation for this five star issue.

This splendid issue allows you to hear him conducting Berlioz at concerts given between 1951 and 1956. Like the writer of the excellent booklet, Graham Meville-Mason, I was present at one of these concerts. As a very young man, I was fascinated to see how the trombone players coped with the slides on their instruments at the sizzling pace with which Beecham directed the final section of the overture "Le Corsair".

"So what is the sound quality like, and how do these performances compare with Beecham's studio recordings of these works?" I hear you ask. I can report that the sound quality ranges from good to outstanding. All credit to the original radio engineers, and those responsible for the remastering! The timpani might be a little too obtrusive in "Le Corsair" and the overall sound a little "dry" in the "Marche troyenne", but there are no other defects. Indeed, the sound quality of the string playing (always reputed to be unique in a Beecham orchestra) is beautifully realized. Yes, there are audience coughs to be heard here and there. Somehow, they too sound so realistic and well recorded that a sense of an actual performance is enhanced.

"Harold en Italie" poses problems in recording a live performance. There are long passages requiring the solo viola player to provide soft broken chords to accompany wind soloists from the orchestra, and microphoning tends to give undue prominence to the viola. This problem has been better solved here than it was in a studio recording Beecham directed in 1951, five years before the broadcast performance found here.

I have compared all these performances with studio recordings Beecham directed, and all but the "Marche troyenne" are much to be preferred. All of which adds up to a very strong recommendation for this five star issue.