Tchaikovsky: Hamlet - Fantasy overture, Op. 67

Boult (1889-1983) was one of the most influential figures in British musical life in the 20th century. He once said that a conductor should ‘appeal to the eyes of the orchestra, and to the ears of the audience’. His reputation is as a conductor of great refinement, with particular attention to the architecture and structure of the music. The repertoire he recorded was wide ranging, from Baroque through to the 20th century, championing British composers such as Vaughan Williams, Moeran, Ireland and of course Elgar, but also making great recordings of Brahms, and arias by Bach and Handel with Kathleen Ferrier. Boult died in 1983, and made his last recording at the age of 90 – Parry’s Symphony No.5. One of the more obscure recordings of his Decca years (1950-66) saw him team up with the LPO for Tchaikovsky’s seldom performed 3rd symphony. Written in 1875, it is the most ‘classical’ of the composer’s symphonies, the influence of Schumann apparent in its five-movement form.