Beecham in Rehearsal

Track Listings

1. Symphony No. 100: Rehearsal Excerpts - Franz Joseph Haydn

2. Symphony No. 104: Rehearsal Excerpts - Franz Joseph Haydn

3. Die Entführung Aus Dem Serail: O! Wie Will Ich Triumphieren (Rehearsal

4. Die Entführung Aus Dem Serail: Verwünscht Seist du Samt Deinem Liede (R

5. Die Entführung Aus Dem Serail: Solche Hergelauf'ne Laffen (Rehearsal Ex

6. Die Entführung Aus Dem Serail: Accompaniment to Chorus of Janissaries (

7. Die Entführung Aus Dem Serail: Accompaniment to Chorus of Janissaries (

8. Die Entführung Aus Dem Serail: Accompainment to "Ach Ich Liebte" (Rehea

9. Die Entführung Aus Dem Serail: Welcher Wechsel Herrscht in Meiner Seele

10. Die Entführung Aus Dem Serail: Vaudeville (Rehearsal Excerpt)

Tracks:

Symphony No. 100: Rehearsal Excerpts - Franz Joseph Haydn
Symphony No. 104: Rehearsal Excerpts - Franz Joseph Haydn
Die Entf Aus Dem Serail: O! Wie Will Ich Triumphieren (Rehearsal
Die Entf Aus Dem Serail: Verw Seist du Samt Deinem ...
Die Entf Aus Dem Serail: Solche Hergelauf'ne Laffen ...
Die Entf Aus Dem Serail: Accompaniment to Chorus of ...
Die Entf Aus Dem Serail: Accompaniment to Chorus of ...
Die Entf Aus Dem Serail: Accompainment to "Ach Ich Liebte" ...
Die Entf Aus Dem Serail: Welcher Wechsel Herrscht in Meiner ...
Die Entf Aus Dem Serail: Vaudeville (Rehearsal Excerpt)

Customer Reviews:

Glimpses of Sir Thomas Beecham.......2006-04-04

Sir Thomas Beecham (1879-1961) was a very gifted conductor who, in the words of several musicians, had an "inner vision" of the music he conducted. He was born into wealth (his father was the founder of a very successful pharmaceutical company in Great Britain) and, given his love for music, was able to found several orchestras in the United Kingdom and conduct them. He was knighted for his extensive work in opera at London's Covent Garden.

Sir Thomas began making recordings, for Columbia, in 1910, making him one of the first major conductors to record. He continued recording with various orchestras until December 1959, when he was 80 years old! He died in March 1961.

EMI engineers were responsible for most (if not all) of Beecham's recordings in Europe. The recordings on this CD were made in London and Paris. Beginning in late 1955, Sir Thomas' recordings were taped both in mono and stereo. During rehearsals for these recordings, as engineers adjusted microphones and balances, the engineers frequently taped Sir Thomas as he rehearsed and talked to the orchestra.

Some of his conversations are VERY funny. He had a good memory for events which had occurred many years ago and the musicians clearly enjoyed listening to his fascinating tales. Among them was the account of meeting someone who had, years earlier, been at a Beecham rehearsal for Richard Strauss' opera "Salome." The man said at one point Sir Thomas asked, "Where's the prophet?" "I've always wondered," the man said, "if you were referring to someone in the cast or the financial condition of the company." Beecham replied: "Both."

During the rehearsal for Mozart's "Abduction from the Seraglio," Beecham asks, "Where's the piccolo? Who's going to play the d--n piccolo?" It soon becomes apparent that the piccolo player is late and, when he shows up, Sir Thomas demands that the musician come and stand in front of the orchestra and play his solo.

Yes, Sir Thomas could be a martinet as he sought perfection, but he also admitted he was not about to lecture a group of musicians such as the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra on how to play a piece of music. He clearly admired the talented musicians in his orchestras. At the time these recordings were made he was conducting the Royal Philharmonic, an orchestra he had founded near the end of World War II (after he returned from a self-imposed exile in the United States).

There's the famous story, which Sir Thomas tells, of conducting Beethoven's "Leonore Overture No. 3," with its famous offstage trumpet solo. At the crucial moment when the trumpeter was expected to play, Sir Thomas gave a cue and heard nothing. He continued conducting the piece and wondering what had happened. After the concert, Sir Thomas found the perplexed trumpeter and asked him what had happened. "I was about to play my solo," the musician, "and had raised my trumpet when a policeman said, 'You can't play that now. There's a concert going on inside.'"

During one of the rehearsals, in Paris in April 1958, a thunderstorm interrupts the recording. This leads Sir Thomas to recall a recording session years earlier when he was conducting Sibelius' incidental music to Shakespeare's "The Tempest" that was also affected by a thunderstorm; on that occasion the recording engineers decided to continue recording and to release with the extra percussion. At this point the producer comes on the intercom and announces, "We pay extra money for thunderstorms."

These excerpts from Beecham's rehearsals give us rare, fascinating glimpses of how he worked and also a chance to hear some of those memorable stories. While the sound quality varies considerably, it is a wonderful opportunity to HEAR Sir Thomas and appreciate his wonderful musical talents and legendary wit.

Music Review:

Music Review

music review

Recommended Music:

Je Suis Trop Content: A Goddess Micropilot Tour [Live]

Respighi: Piano Concerto in A minor; Concerto in Modo Misolidio

Sages of Chelm

Music: Fornever Laid to Rest

Much Dance 2000 [Import]

Esperando en Ti

Parabola [Import]

On Point [Explicit Lyrics]

Return to Forever

Nepomuceno: Piano Works

Pleasant Dreams

No Boundaries [Import]

Paper Chase

Musica Alhambra

"Ray Charles - Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 [DCC]"

1. Symphony No. 100: Rehearsal Excerpts - Franz Joseph Haydn
2. Symphony No. 104: Rehearsal Excerpts - Franz Joseph Haydn
3. Die Entführung Aus Dem Serail: O! Wie Will Ich Triumphieren (Rehearsal
4. Die Entführung Aus Dem Serail: Verwünscht Seist du Samt Deinem Liede (R
5. Die Entführung Aus Dem Serail: Solche Hergelauf'ne Laffen (Rehearsal Ex
6. Die Entführung Aus Dem Serail: Accompaniment to Chorus of Janissaries (
7. Die Entführung Aus Dem Serail: Accompaniment to Chorus of Janissaries (
8. Die Entführung Aus Dem Serail: Accompainment to "Ach Ich Liebte" (Rehea
9. Die Entführung Aus Dem Serail: Welcher Wechsel Herrscht in Meiner Seele
10. Die Entführung Aus Dem Serail: Vaudeville (Rehearsal Excerpt)