4 Thomas Beecham Quotes on Conducting

Thomas Beecham quotes on conducting

2. Asked if he had ever conducted any Stockhausen, he said, 'No, but I once trod in some.'

7. If I cannot sing a work, I cannot conduct it.

11. It is said that in one rehearsal he was unsatisfied with the performance of a female cello soloist, and so said to her 'Madam, you have between your legs an instrument capable of giving pleasure to thousands, and all you can do is scratch it!'.

12. He helped Walter Legge underwrite the creation of the Philharmonia Orchestra, and conducted its premiere concert on 25 October, 1945. Later, Legge raised the matter of Beecham's fee, to which he replied: 'The privilege of directing this magnificent consort of artists is such that my pleasure would be diminished if I accepted a fee. I would, however, gladly accept a decent cigar'