Beecham and the Nutcracker Suite

It's always a pleasure to have contributions from our friends, and here's one from anonymousremains. It is a joyful performance of a suite from The Nutcracker by the Royal Philharmonic and its founder, Sir Thomas Beecham.

The recording, a very good one, was made in December 1953 in Walthamstow Town Hall. The transfer, which I have cleaned up a bit, is excellent.

Beecham had a way with this music, and there are few more exhilarating recordings than this version of the Waltz of the Flowers. Even if you have heard this music many dozens of times, you should hear this.

I've been trying to find identifications for the dancers on the cover, without luck. I think the woman may be Alicia Markova.

Thanks again to anonymousremains for his thoughtfulness.

Elgar by Beecham

We've had a British thread underway here for a while without any contribution from the legendary Sir Thomas Beecham, conductor and eccentric. Here's one that combines Beecham's talent with that of an English composer who is not Delius, for once. It's Elgar.

For many years I read that Beecham and Elgar did not mix. Beecham didn't like Elgar's music and seldom performed it.

It's true that he did not perform Elgar that often - but then there were quite a few holes in Beecham's repertoire. Whether he liked it or not I can't say, but I can say that he conducted the Enigma Variations beautifully - and here is the evidence.

When conducting Elgar he did not evoke a unique atmosphere, as he did with Delius. But then this is much different music. What you get is superbly performed, well shaped, and seemingly sincere. You can't ask for much more than that.

This performance is from 1954. Recording venue was Walthamstow Town Hall.