Recorded in 1958 and 1959,
Thomas Beecham's recordings of
Haydn's last six symphonies are still as good as it gets. It doesn't matter what is known about historically informed performance practice and it doesn't matter how many great performances there have been since 1959, the wit, the charm, the sophistication, the drama, the logic, and the sheer joy and deep passion of
Beecham's
Haydn symphonies cannot be beat.
Beecham makes the symphonies everybody knows -- the "Clock," the "Military," the "Drum Roll," and, of course, the "London" -- delightfully fresh and wholly new and he makes the symphonies not everybody knows -- the E flat and the B flat -- brilliantly effective and profoundly moving.
Beecham's own orchestra, the
Royal Philharmonic, plays with bright colors, sparkling rhythms, superb ensemble, and wonderful musicality. EMI's early stereo sound is still as real and vivid as it was in 1959. Anyone who loves
Haydn, the Viennese High Classical Style, or just great orchestral performances in superb sound will love these discs.