‘Thank Providence for Beecham’: David Lloyd-Jones applauds a new biography of the legendary conductor

John Lucas’s engrossing new biography of Sir Thomas Beecham, Bart. (1879–1961) has been long awaited (I must declare an interest, having avidly followed its progress) and proves to be a masterly combination of elegantly presented research and keen insight. On the very first page of his Preface, he nails his colours to the mast by declaring that ‘Beecham is arguably the finest executant musician this country has produced. He was certainly the most influential’; powerful and challenging statements, but in no way exaggerated.