The present discs are a record of a unique event: Sir Thomas Beecham's 1955 Royal Festival Hall concert celebrating Sibelius's 90th Birthday. Sound is often rough, and the playing occasionally falters in the heat of the moment, but the conductor's conviction in this music is as consistent as ever. There is an incisive account of the tragic Fourth Symphony, still a "difficult" piece at this time, and a visceral reading of Tapiola--its starkness of vision all the more powerful for being the composer's last major work. Beecham enhances the impact of these works by alternating them with two of Sibelius's most attractive sets of theatre music--lighter in scale, but not, in the case of Pelléas and Mélisande, in expression, and sounding magnetic in these readings. As bonuses, a taut, rugged live performance of the Seventh Symphony from 1954 has been included, as well as a radio talk by Beecham on Sibelius--discussing the appeal of his music and its place in the European Classical tradition. Representative of a time gone by, this is a real slice of history, and a fascinating way of providing a context for some truly historic performances. --Richard Whitehouse