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Thomas Beecham: An Obsession with Music John Lucas Woodbridge, UK; Rochester; NY: Boydell & Brewer Press, 2009 ISBN 9781843834021 416 pp. $45.00
John Lucas's Thomas Beecham: An Obsession with Music is the latest addition to the already large number of books discussing the life and career of the conductor; such as While Spring and Summer Sang: Thomas Beecham and the Music of Frederick Delius by Lyndon Jenkins (2005); Beecham Stories: Anecdotes, Sayings, and Impressions of Sir Thomas Beecham, compiled and edited by Harold Atkins and Archie Newman with a foreword by Yehudi Menuhin (1979); Sir Thomas Beecham, Conductor and Impresario, as Remembered by His Friends and Colleagues, compiled and edited by Humphrey Procter-Gregg (1973); and Charles Reid's Thomas Beecham, An Independent Biography (1961). These are in addition to Beecham's own A Mingled Chime: An Autobiography (1943).
A look at John Lucas's earlier books confirms his fascination with orchestra conductors-men who seemed to have unlimited power in creating sounds. Thus he has previously authored two books on Reginald Goodall-The Genius of Valhalla: the Life of Reginald Goodall (2009) and Reggie: the Life of Reginald Goodall (1993)-and also completed Peter Heyworth's two-volume set Otto Klemperer: His Life and Times (1983-1996). After witnessing Beecham's conducting and often being present at his concerts, it was only a logical step for Lucas to research and complete a book on Beecham's musical legacy.
Lucas's meticulous research uses a large amount of written materials (letters, newspapers, concert programs, journals, writings, family photos, plus official documents from opera houses and orchestras in England and worldwide) and a vast number of music recordings.
In addition, he interviewed several hundred people around the world who could provide valuable information. The resulting book is organized chronologically into seventeen chapters and also includes a CD recording of rehearsals (containing music by Haydn, Mozart, Handel, Liszt, and...