Search - Beecham, Rpo :: Lollipops

Charm and wit are in abundance here.

Alan Majeska | Bad Axe, MI, USA | 04/18/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Charm and wit, both hallmarks of Thomas Beecham (1879-1961) in conversation, rehearsal, concert and recorded music, are in abundance here.



These are short, light excerpts from operas by such composers as Mozart, Gounod, Vidal, Saint-Saens, Berlioz, Tchaikovsky, Sibelius and Debussy. Sometimes the upper frequencies are more brilliant than need be in balance with mid and bass, but this is a minor concern.



There isn't much to say, but get this recording, either in this, or other couplings now available on EMI.



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Lollipops Courtesy of Beecham

Mark L. Ayala | Los Angeles, CA | 12/03/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Excellent album of his short and sweet classic pieces ranging from Tchaikovsky, Berlioz, Mozart, and others.



For it's price you can not go wrong. All the pieces are beautifully handled by Beecham. Even the short linear notes by Beecham make this a great deal.



I'd imagine if you are farely new to the art of classical music, this CD can make an excellent introduction. Beecham, being the excellent conductor he is, handles all the pieces beautifully."

NOT THE SAME AS THE EMI COLLECTION

Andrew R. Weiss | Raleigh, NC USA | 01/30/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Amazon has pulled the other two reviews of this CD from reviews of another CD released by EMI. That one, featuring the Royal Philharmonic, duplicates some of the same pieces but was recorded in stereo in the late 50's to early 60's. This CD is made up of older recordings, mostly from the 1930's, with Beecham's earlier orchestra, the London Philharmonic.



The plaudits from the other reviews stand well here as far as the performances go. Beecham was a delightful, vibrant, sophisticated, sometimes in-your-face musical personality with undeniable talent and a real gift for orchestral color, phrasing and dynamics. These are lovely performances, but don't expect the sound to be of modern quality. These are old, mono recordings, and Pearl probably has not done the best possible job of rescuing all the sound in those originals. I would encourage you to find the EMI CDs if you want something easy to listen to. If you are fine with older mono sound (and I am, for one), there is much to delight in here. For most beginners, however, I would discourage you from purchasing this, despite the quality of the performances themselves.

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