Sir Thomas Beecham

Sir Thomas Beecham was born in Lancashire in 1879, the son of the pharmaceutical industrialist whose family wealth he later used to fund the orchestral and operatic ventures that defined his career. Largely self-taught as a conductor, he made his professional début in London in 1905 and within a few years had founded the Beecham Symphony Orchestra and the Beecham Opera Company, both vehicles for the repertoire he wanted to introduce to British audiences.

He founded the London Philharmonic Orchestra in 1932 and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in 1946, conducting both as principal for the remainder of his life. His repertoire was unusually broad — he championed Delius, Sibelius and Berlioz at a time when none was a mainstream choice in Britain, while also maintaining a long association with Mozart and the standard operatic canon. He was a regular guest at Covent Garden, Glyndebourne and the Royal Opera House and made extensive studio recordings from the 1910s through the late 1950s.

Beecham was knighted in 1916 and made a Companion of Honour in 1957. He died in London in March 1961. Music Preserved’s archive includes a range of his studio and concert work with the orchestras he founded.