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Not the best of Beecham's Schubert, but very genial and appealing nonetheless Feb 18, 2009
This is some of Beecham's lesser known recordings, dating from 1951 (the "Unfinished") and 1953-54 (Sym. #1 and #2). I don't know why the reviews here are so oddball, but I think the complaints about sound are fairly justified -- the Gramophone, which regards Sir Tommy as a household deity, groused majorly about the sonics of the two early symphonies, describing them as distant and blurry. One can add to that the deteriorated state, apparently, of the master for Sym. 2. It sounds as pinched as a 78 rpm from the Thirties. The peculiarity of the "Unfinished," which has decent ordinary mono sound for that era, is that Beecham took five sessions to record it, spanning from January to July. Very odd.
As far as interpretation goes, Beecham's way with Haydn, Mozart, and Schubert had the same buoyancy and delightfulness that shines through here. Compared with the "Unfinished," which he performed forty times, beginning in 1909, or the Fifth, which was such a favorite that it figured in his last concerts in April, 1960, Beecham only touched the Fourth once (never rcorded) and approached the First and Second only in 1953, in preparation for these sessions. So it can't be said that the two earliest symphonies were close to his heart, and he gives them a genial and generalized treatment, which is good enough for me. The Minuets, by the way, are taken more slowly than Schubert's markings, while the singing slow movements are full of charm.
The masterpiece here is the "Unfinished," and although I bow to Jeff Lipscomb's historical expertise, Beecham's reading isn't that superior t various rivals. His approach is gentle, rather uniform (don't expect the dynamic contrasts heard from Carlos Kleiber), and lyrical, perhaps to a fault. There's more dramatic tension in the first movement than Beecham finds in it, and the honeyed flow of the Andante could use a bit of variety, frankly. Of course, you may simply be hypnotized by this reading, in which case it has no faults.
I'm a lover of Beecham's music-making, but I think newcomers would get more out of his famous accounts of Sym. #3, #5, and #6 on EMI, which were all signature pieces for him. Historical buffs can seek out the earlier mono versions of the same works.
6 of 7 found the following review helpful:
 Great performances - an essential disc Mar 18, 2007
Sir Thomas Beecham's Schubert recordings demonstrate his superb understanding of this music. On this disc, we hear his very fine performances of symphonies nos. 1, 2 and 8. The interpretations of two first symphonies are probably the best available. The "Unfinished", however, is better served elsewhere (e.g., Abendroth, Furtwängler, Munch, Szell), but Beecham's understanding is again very illuminating and moving as well.
The mono sound is excellent - don't let the previous review prevent you from grabbing this disc for technical reasons. The sound is full-bodied, reasonably clear and detailed.
9 of 13 found the following review helpful:
 Great performance, problematic sound issues Jan 16, 2006
It IS possible to get a clean mono sound onto a CD. The Karel Ancerl Gold series proves that it can be done -- sound so well remastered and de-hissed, so vividly captured and richly detailed, you hardly notice it's mono you're listening to.
This is NOT the case here. There is moderately strong hiss and background noise throughout. The music is well-captured (remarkably so), but it's held back in having its full effect by the distractions in which it's embedded. It becomes a strain trying to appreciate Beecham's achievement. I think it's worth the strain and effort, but prospective buyers should be mindful of this circumstance.
In all other particulars the previous reviewer's opinion is essentially on the mark, particularly in regards to the earlier symphonies. It's remarkable to learn that those two works were very, very new in Beecham's repertoire at the time of recording (ca. 1952-53). His natural gifts simply abounded to Schubert's benefit.
I compared Beecham's 8th to several modern stereo versions (Sinopoli, Sawallisch and Abbado) and an LP mono version (Keilberth). I own (but have yet to listen to) the Muti, Marriner, and Kubelik full Schubert box sets, so this verdict is provisional, but it seems to me that Beecham does indeed stand toe-to-toe, interpretationally, with other versions of this work. Unless my unopened box sets reveal something earth-shattering, I'd have to agree with the previous reviewer once again.
Conclusion: buy this with your eyes open, but for those who can appreciate historic achievements despite the deficiencies of historic recording techniques and less-than-ideal modern processing and re-mastering, this can be recommended.
7 of 8 found the following review helpful:
Essential! May 23, 2004
What a wonderful Schubertian Beecham was! For me, these performances of the first two symphonies are simply unmatched by anything recorded before or since. They are the only versions you will want or need. The "Unfinished" is, of course, a more competitive field - but even here, this Beecham belongs among the very finest ever: Furtwangler, Mengelberg, Abendroth, and Fritz Lehmann (the latter has not yet made it to CD). And in the 2nd movement, no one has matched the hypnotic lyricism mined by Beecham. This is an indispensable disc!My only complaint: why on earth has Sony not released this in the United States? But then, even the premium price of this import is worth it in exchange for such vital artistry.
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