Sir Thomas Beecham conducts the LPO in Mozart’s ‘Haffner’ Symphony, recorded on 25 November 1938 (side 1) and 4 July 1939 (sides 2 to 5). The movements are:
00:00 1st movement – Allegro con spirito
05:34 2nd movement – Andante
10:22 3rd movement – Menuetto and Trio
14:18 Fourth movement Finale (Presto)
From Wikipedia: Sir Thomas Beecham, 2nd Baronet, CH (29 April 1879 – 8 March 1961) was an English conductor and impresario best known for his association with the London Philharmonic and the Royal Philharmonic orchestras. He was also closely associated with the Liverpool Philharmonic and Hallé orchestras. From the early 20th century until his death, Beecham was a major influence on the musical life of Britain and, according to the BBC, was Britain’s first international conductor.
Born to a rich industrial family, Beecham began his career as a conductor in 1899. He used his access to the family fortune to finance opera from the 1910s until the start of the Second World War, staging seasons at Covent Garden, Drury Lane and His Majesty’s Theatre with international stars, his own orchestra and a wide repertoire. Among the works he introduced to England were Richard Strauss’s Elektra, Salome and Der Rosenkavalier and three operas by Frederick Delius.
Together with his younger colleague Malcolm Sargent, Beecham founded the London Philharmonic, and he conducted its first performance at the Queen’s Hall in 1932. In the 1940s he worked for three years in the United States where he was music director of the Seattle Symphony and conducted at the Metropolitan Opera. After his return to Britain, he founded the Royal Philharmonic in 1946 and conducted it until his death in 1961.
Beecham’s repertoire was eclectic, sometimes favouring lesser-known composers over famous ones. His specialities included composers whose works were neglected in Britain before he became their advocate, such as Delius and Berlioz. Other composers with whose music he was frequently associated were Haydn, Schubert, Sibelius and the composer he revered above all others, Mozart.
I made the transfer from Australian laminated 78 rpm pressings of Columbia LOX 442/4.
source
A very pleasant performance by Beecham & the LPO. It's graceful playing, with a feeling of poise throughout. Thank you for this!
A long-time favourite which I have on 78, LP and CD – it has never sounded better. Thanks to you and the laminated pressings. Beecham's Mozart was always lively and sinuous. His control of dynamics is second to none.
Mozart의 곡들은 언제 들어도 항상 좋아요. 이 연주를 듣는 동안 Amadeus 라는 영화를 생각했어요. 서너번이나 봤는데도 또 보고싶군요.~^^ 감사합니다.
I think Beecham's pre-War Mozart is exemplary – a benchmark for others to aspire to. Superb playing and brilliant direction from the podium. Of the series [of Mozart Symphonies] Beecham recorded on 78s, my favourite was always the Haffner Symphony, and this transfer has it nailed as a state of the art recording [as recording] of the time. In reality recordings did not really get better than this till at least the mid-1950s as a general rule.
So favourite music in a favourite performance, so well presented.
I had this on CD [EMI] and also since have it on World record Club LPs from the 1970s – as a gift over Christmas 2021. The LPs are rather a good balance of keeping the music alive whilst being a successfully quiet transfer as regards noise. I shall not be parting with them, but the CDs were somewhat worse in having an almost scrawny quality, and slightly noisier surface rustling. Your transfer is even better than the LPs from all those years ago. I used to play this from the 78s at school, but cannot remember the sound quality as such. Just the unforgettable music making.
Bullseye!
Best wishes from George
Crisp sound and performance, with typical Beecham precision. Thanks, as always.