This isn’t a great Fantastique, though it has its moments. Of course, at one point in his career Thomas Beecham probably was an ideal interpreter of this piece, and indeed his earlier mono recording, which preceded this stereo version by a couple of years (if memory serves), showed him in firmer command of his forces. Naturally there are wonderful bits: the deliberate griminess of the lower strings and winds in the March to the Scaffold, the characteristically elegant Waltz, and a slow movement that, although slow, maintains its flow. But elsewhere, for much of the first movement and finale, the performance simply hangs fire, and the rhythmic snap and lightness of touch so characteristic of Beecham is largely absent, the ensemble not so well coordinated as usual. The finale in particular is just plain dull.
About the other items, played to a fare-thee-well by the Royal Philharmonic, there can be no reservations at all. The Trojan March, Royal Hunt and Storm, and Le Corsaire all fly by with as much verve and spontaneity as anyone could possibly ask. Indeed, this performance of the Corsaire overture just might be the best ever recorded. Certainly it’s one of the swiftest, and it flies along as if self-propelled. Although they comprise a scant 22 minutes of music, I’m inclined to recommend this CD for the three “fillers” and for the good parts of the Symphony. Sonically, the Royal Philharmonic items sound fine–not much better than before, but a bit so, while remastering has certainly amplified some very strange extraneous noises in the symphony (such as that odd hissing at the opening of the second movement). A mixed bag, then, but a lovable one nonetheless.
