Hector BERLIOZ (1803-1869)
Le Corsaire Overture, Op. 21 [8:09]
Edvard GRIEG (1843-1907)
An Old Norwegian Romance with Variations, Op. 51 (1890) [17:53]
Vincent d’INDY (1851-1931)
La Forêt Enchantée. Symphonic legend after Uhland, Op. 8
(1878) [13:42]*
Camille SAINT-SAËNS (1835-1921)
Symphony No 3 in C minor, Op.78 (1886) [36:07]**
Denis Vaughan (organ), Tom McCall and Douglas Gamley (pianos)**
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/Sir Thomas Beecham
BBC Symphony Orchestra/Sir Thomas Beecham*
rec. 7 March 1951, Royal Albert Hall (Berlioz); 27 November 1955, Royal Festival
Hall (Grieg); 21 October 1951, BBC Maida Vale Studios, London (d’Indy);
20 October 1954, Royal Festival Hall (Saint-Saëns). ADD
SOMM-BEECHAM 32 [76:11]
More riches from Somm’s Beecham archive, which means more novelties
to add to Beecham’s discography, more excitement, and more brio.
The disc begins with a performance of Berlioz’s Le Corsaire overture
from 1951, neatly bisecting the three commercial recordings he made of it,
which were set down in 1947, 1954 and 1958. It exudes by turn, wit, lyricism
and dynamism. The electricity generated, as well as the warmth in the central
panel, encourages the Royal Albert Hall audience to admiring applause. There’s
a small typo, of which Somm is aware, in that the jewel box and track-listing
proclaim Grieg’sAn Old Norwegian Folksong with Variations but
Robert Matthew-Walker knows better and correctly calls it An Old Norwegian
Romance with Variations in his notes. Beecham had first conducted it a
week or so before recording it in the studio. This Royal Festival Hall performance
follows that studio recording, though Beecham’s allegiance to it didn’t
last much longer and he dropped it from his repertory. What must have appealed
to him, an acknowledged Grieg exponent, was its freshness and verdant lyricism,
qualities he was able fully to extract via the alluring string phrasing of
his fiddles and the tactile, warm contributions of his RPO famous wind players.
What may ultimately have counted against the work is a perceived diffuseness
for all its geniality and approachability; and though he certainly did programme
relatively long works such as this - it’s nearly 18 minutes long in
his performance - it’s not altogether easy to fit into a coherent concert
shape.
D’Indy’s La Forêt Enchantée is a live broadcast
taped in the BBC’s Maida Vale studios in October 1951. He had first
conducted it back in 1907 and performed it eleven times altogether, though
this was the last such occasion. The orchestra is the BBC Symphony, and the
interpretative stance is evocative, insightful, and shows a convincing grasp
of its legendary ethos. There’s a touch of overload, but it’s
not at all bad. This was one work here that escaped Beecham’s attention
in the recording studio, as opposed to the broadcasting studio. Another such
was Saint-Saëns’ Third Symphony. It was recorded live in the Festival
Hall in October 1954. He had first conducted it in 1913 - the composer was
present, and had jousted with the conductor at rehearsals concerning tempi
- and was to do so 11 more times up to this concert. It’s a thoroughly
spirited traversal though not overwhelmingly so; certainly you need to put
out of your mind any comparison with sonic spectacular stereo LP versions
of slightly later. The sound remains perfectly reasonable for the time, though
the percussion sound is rather boomy. Beecham is thoroughly au fait
with the idiom - you’d have thought he might have recorded it in the
late 1950s in Paris, but he didn’t - and the results extend still further
our appreciation of his repertoire in general and the Franco-Belgian part
of it, as perpetuated in this excellent disc.
Jonathan Woolf
More riches from Somm’s Beecham archive, more novelties, more
excitement, and more brio.
see also review by John
Quinn
Masterwork Index: Saint-Saëns Symphony 3