Tastes have changed over the decades and pieces that were once quite popular and consistently programmed have not always maintained their status. Take, for example, such erstwhile concert fare as the Overture to Emmanuel Chabrier's obscure opera Gwendoline or his Joyeuse Marche; Gabriel Fauré's Dolly Suite (in the orchestral arrangement by Henri Rabaud); or Georges Bizet's Patrie Overture and the "Carnaval" movement from his Roma Symphony -- all fading now into unfamiliarity, if not outright obscurity for some classical listeners. And even
Camille Saint-Saëns' evocative tone poem Le Rouet d'Omphale, once regularly played, has become something of a rarity. This compilation of
Thomas Beecham's recordings with the French National Radio Orchestra, the
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and the
London Symphony Orchestra gives us a fair idea of the staples on the conductor's light music concerts and examples of French Romantic works that were quite popular in the 1940s, '50s, and early '60s. While the Suite No. 1 from Bizet's Carmen and Chabrier's España are still fashionable today, the rest of this album seems directed toward fans of
Beecham's conducting, rather than to new listeners. Indeed, those who aren't interested in the recordings' historical aspects or
Beecham's repertoire will find that the performances are a little dull in tone and expression, and that the sound quality is quite variable and at times unpleasant. This is in part due to EMI's recording methods, which were not always cutting edge and sometimes less than adequate; but most of the fogginess of the orchestral sound comes from
Beecham's tendency to over-blend instrumental sections and emphasize smoothness of tone over crispness of detail. If this disc is appreciated for its historical interest instead of its musical content, then it will attract a small cadre of
Beecham buffs, but not a much wider audience.