Sir Thomas Beecham: Episode I

British conductor and impresario Sir Thomas Beecham (1879-1961) was one of the world’s greatest conductors. He brought music to life in ways that very few conductors could. Adored by the musicians who played for him and by his audiences, he pretended in interviews that he was very casual but, in fact, he was intensely devoted to music. In this first program, we’ll hear some of his specialties with music by Berlioz, Delius, Gounod, Massenet and Handel.