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Thomas Beecham
Sir Thomas Beecham, 2nd Baronet, CH (29 April 1879 – 8 March 1961) was an English conductor and impresario best known for his association with the London Philharmonic and the Royal Philharmonic orchestras. He was also closely associated with the Liverpool Philharmonic and Hallé orchestras. From the early 20th century until his death, Beecham was a major influence on the musical life of Britain and, according to the BBC, was Britain's first international conductor. Born to a rich industrial family, Beecham began his career as a conductor in 1899. He used his access to the family fortune to finance opera from the 1910s until the start of the Second World War, staging seasons at Covent Garden, Drury Lane and His Majesty's Theatre with international stars, his own orchestra and a wide repertoire. Among the works he introduced to England were Richard Strauss's Elektra, Salome and Der Rosenkavalier and three operas by Frederick Delius. Together with his younger colleague Malcolm Sargent, Beecham founded the London Philharmonic, and he conducted its first performance at the Queen's Hall in 1932. In the 1940s he worked for three years in the United States where he was music director of the Seattle Symphony and conducted at the Metropolitan Opera. After his return to Britain, he founded the Royal Philharmonic in 1946 and conducted it until his death in 1961. Beecham's repertoire was eclectic, sometimes favouring lesser-known composers over famous ones. His specialities included composers whose works were neglected in Britain before he became their advocate, such as Delius and Berlioz. Other composers with whose music he was frequently associated were Haydn, Schubert, Sibelius and the composer he revered above all others, Mozart. |
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 1-25 of 52 records)
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Victor | CSHQ-71658 | 12-in. | 4/7/1932 | Don Quixote | Thomas Beecham ; Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra of New York ; Mishel Piastro ; Alfred Wallenstein | Orchestra, with violin and cello solos | conductor | |
Victor | CSHQ-71659 | 12-in. | 4/7/1932 | Don Quixote | Thomas Beecham ; New York Philharmonic ; René Pollain | Orchestra, with viola solo | conductor | |
Victor | LCSHQ-71660 | 12-in. (33-1/3 rpm) | 4/7/1932 | Don Quixote | Thomas Beecham ; New York Philharmonic | Orchestra, with violin, viola, and cello solos | conductor | |
Victor | CSHQ-71661 | 12-in. | 4/7/1932 | Don Quixote | Thomas Beecham ; New York Philharmonic | Orchestra | conductor | |
Victor | CSHQ-71663 | 12-in. | 4/7/1932 | Don Quixote | Thomas Beecham ; New York Philharmonic | Orchestra | conductor | |
Victor | LCSHQ-71664 | 12-in. (33-1/3 rpm) | 4/7/1932 | Don Quixote | Thomas Beecham ; New York Philharmonic | Orchestra | conductor | |
Victor | CSHQ-71665 | 12-in. | 4/7/1932 | Don Quixote | Thomas Beecham ; New York Philharmonic | Orchestra | conductor | |
Victor | CSHQ-71666 | 12-in. | 4/7/1932 | Don Quixote | Thomas Beecham ; New York Philharmonic | Orchestra | conductor | |
Victor | LCSHQ-71667 | 12-in. (33-1/3 rpm) | 4/7/1932 | Don Quixote | Thomas Beecham ; New York Philharmonic | Orchestra | conductor | |
Victor | CSHQ-71668 | 12-in. | 4/7/1932 | Don Quixote | Thomas Beecham ; New York Philharmonic | Orchestra | conductor | |
Victor | CSHQ-71669 | 12-in. | 4/7/1932 | Don Quixote | Thomas Beecham ; New York Philharmonic | Orchestra | conductor | |
Victor | LCSHQ-71670 | 12-in. (33-1/3 rpm) | 4/7/1932 | Don Quixote | Thomas Beecham ; New York Philharmonic | Orchestra | conductor | |
Victor | CSHQ-71671 | 12-in. | 4/7/1932 | Don Quixote | Thomas Beecham ; New York Philharmonic | Orchestra | conductor | |
Victor | CSHQ-71672 | 12-in. | 4/7/1932 | Don Quixote | Thomas Beecham ; New York Philharmonic | Orchestra | conductor | |
Victor | LCSHQ-71673 | 12-in. (33-1/3 rpm) | 4/7/1932 | Don Quixote | Thomas Beecham ; New York Philharmonic | Orchestra | conductor | |
Columbia | 6559 | 12-in. | approximately 1915 | The magic flute overture | Beecham Symphony Orchestra ; Thomas Beecham | Orchestra | conductor | |
Columbia | 6560 | 12-in. | approximately 1915 | The magic flute overture | Beecham Symphony Orchestra ; Thomas Beecham | Orchestra | conductor | |
Columbia | 6563 | 12-in. | approximately 1915 | Manon: Menuet | Beecham Symphony Orchestra ; Thomas Beecham | Orchestra | conductor | |
Columbia | 6564 | 12-in. | approximately 1915 | Der Rosenkavalier waltzes, act 2 | Beecham Symphony Orchestra ; Thomas Beecham | Orchestra | conductor | |
Columbia | 6601 | 12-in. | approximately 1915 | Prince Igor | Beecham Symphony Orchestra ; Thomas Beecham | Orchestra | conductor | |
Columbia | 6602 | 12-in. | approximately 1915 | Symphony no. 2, 2nd movement, abbreviated | Beecham Symphony Orchestra ; Thomas Beecham | Orchestra | conductor | |
Columbia | 6603 | 12-in. | approximately 1915 | Symphony no. 2, 3nd movement, abbreviated | Beecham Symphony Orchestra ; Thomas Beecham | Orchestra | conductor | |
Columbia | 6604 | 12-in. | approximately 1915 | Symphony no. 2 - Antar | Beecham Symphony Orchestra ; Thomas Beecham | Orchestra | conductor | |
Columbia | 6797 | 12-in. | approximately 1916 | Firebird suite from ballet, part 1 | Beecham Symphony Orchestra ; Thomas Beecham | Orchestra | conductor | |
Columbia | 6799 | 12-in. | approximately 1916 | Firebird suite from ballet, part 2 | Beecham Symphony Orchestra ; Thomas Beecham | Orchestra | conductor |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Beecham, Thomas," accessed September 3, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/101895.
Beecham, Thomas. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved September 3, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/101895.
"Beecham, Thomas." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 3 September 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Sir Thomas Beecham
Discogs: Thomas Beecham
Allmusic: Thomas Beecham
Grove: Thomas Beecham
IMSLP: Thomas Beecham
RISM: Thomas Beecham
IMDb: Thomas Beecham
Britannica: Thomas Beecham
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Beecham, Thomas, 1879-1961 - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n50007900
Wikidata: Sir Thomas Beecham - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q313714
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/27251130
MusicBrainz: Sir Thomas Beecham - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/0e6ccc63-41cb-4903-8b7d-60846aca6d58
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