Klarinet Archive - Posting 000844.txt from 1999/02

From: Ken Wolman <Ken.Wolman@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] Aida in Egypt, Aida in Italy
Date: Tue, 23 Feb 1999 08:06:51 -0500

leeson@-----.edu wrote:
>
> And did the live elephant perform the act that caused Sir Thomas
> Beecham to say, "Disgraceful manners, but a brilliant and observant
> critic!"?

Heh. I've heard that one too, only the animal was a horse. These
things get a bit distorted as legends grow. Beecham has been the
subject of some terrific "urban legends" over the years. One was that
he conducted Beethoven's "Fidelio" and inserted the Leonore Overture No.
3 between the prison and "liberation" scenes of Act II. At the end of
the overture, the audience began to applaud even though (so I
gather--I've not seen the opera) the overture goes directly into the
final scene with no break. People began to applaud in any case.
Beecham is alleged to have turned and shouted "SHUT UP!" at the
audience.

The other story is perhaps more reliable. The great Canadian tenor Jon
Vickers, early in his career, was contracted to sing the tenor music on
that idiosyncratic Beecham recording of Handel's Messiah that Beecham
did for Victor in the late '50s. Vickers was then still awed by some
conductors:-), and approached Beecham with something like fear and
trembling. "Maestro...you should know...I'm not an English tenor,"
Vickers is supposed to have said, almost apologetically. "Thank GAWD!"
cried Beecham.

Ken
--
Ken Wolman dbtrader Deutsche Bank, N.A.
1251 Sixth Avenue New York, NY 10019 212-469-6494

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