Introduction and Allegro for Strings (Elgar) BBC Symphony Orchestra Sir Adrian Boult

[1401JSC]

Beecham was not the man to spend three months trying to decypher a faint leand pencil score of Delius, a little the worse for wear having traversed the channel stuffed in the composer's pants as Henry Wood did.

I have no favourites, just trying to get more facts into the limelight :)

Delius significant? In what sense? As an orchestrator? as a late impressionist? Because he was blind?

Where's his influence?

[stuarthants]

Well done - Boult was an under-rated conductor (think of Hoffnung's cartoon of him poised with a cob-web!). But I think he was almost the best English conductor of the period, with more scope than Beecham or Sargeant, and with a more attractive personality too. This is a great work, though, that carries-off many interpretations.

[1401JSC]

@stuarthants

Scope?

[stuarthants]

@1401JSC I meant a larger repertoire and the ability to tackle a wider range of styles (than those conductors)

[1401JSC]

@stuarthants

Beecham : La Bohème, Carmen, Ein Heldenleben, Prokofiev Vln Co,

why restrict him to Mozart?

I certainly have more difficulty to justify sargant's repertoire in the light of modern thinking, but he made stalwart efforts during the war to popularise classical music: children's concerts, workers' concerts, narrations etc. I doubt that Boult would have his flair for Gilbert & Sullivan.

All three were great conductors. I don't think that their "scope" is a critical criterion

[stuarthants]

@1401JSC Beecham's main interest was the music of Delius, which is certainly significant to C20 music. That means he was perceived as a specialist, to some extent, and specialists are not eclectic - wouldn't you agree? Also, your bench-mark seems to be opera, rather than what they came to call 'absolute music' - a seriously doubt Sir Adrian was too bothered about G & S! I agree with you about Henry Wood

[1401JSC]

@stuarthants

Well, Beecham wrote a book about Delius, which leaves me thirsty for more. He played and recoreded quite a lot of his compositions, but so did Malcolm Sargant (La Calinda for the film "Battle of the orchestras" leaps to mind) and Boult!

It's not because a rich man with a big mouth persuades the Delius Society to help him finance recordings that he becomes a "specialist".

For me it is an evident feature of "wide scope" to conduct lyrical as well as "absolute" repertoire!

[1401JSC]

@stuarthants

the real giant of twentieth century conductors for presenting an IMMENSE amount of contemporary works must be Sir Henry Wood. There's a man of "scope"!

[hphgrw317]

I like this version of it most ;3

[leitfie3579]

This fiery, driving performance is full of life - very enjoyable!