Celebrating 25 Years of Excellence

Playing for Beecham — 75th Anniversary Celebration

SOMM’s celebration album of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra’s 75th anniversary with the world premiere release of Sir Thomas Beecham conducting Sibelius’ Symphony No 1 with the RPO at the Edinburgh Festival also includes the first ever release of the same artists performing extracts from Sibelius’s Scènes historiques in a live concert and the first issue of a memoir feature in which former members of the RPO, Sub Principal Second Violin Raymond Ovens and Sub Principal Viola John Underwood, recall their experiences playing for Beecham. Some of the recollections in the memoir “Playing For Beecham” may reveal surprises for some listeners, and three extracts feature here: 

00’00” to 01’46”: Commentary from John Underwood, with an extract from the Overture to Haydn’s The Seasons

01’47” to 03’18”: Commentary from Raymond Ovens, then host Jon Tolansky, then John Underwood 

03’20” to 05’52”: Commentary from John Underwood, then Raymond Ovens, and an extract from Sibelius’ Symphony No 1