Sir Thomas Beecham, born near Liverpool, has been described as “the best conductor of French music the French never had”. His recording of Carmen remains a point of reference, and this programme of orchestral works by Bizet exemplifies his elegance and panache. Beecham conducts both the orchestra he founded in 1946, the Royal Philharmonic, and the Orchestre National de la Radiodiffusion Française. · "In Beecham's hands the Symphony in C is made to sound wonderfully songful and although the French orchestral playing is less than ideally polished, the joie de vivre of Beecham's performance is irresistible. What makes this disc doubly desirable are the marvellous RPO wind solos (and, of course, the haunting strings in the Adagietto) in L'Arlésienne. The performances of these two suites stand head and shoulders above present CD competition, their loving finesse mixes evocative magic (the 'Intermezzo' of No 2) with wonderful rhythmic vivacity (the closing 'Farandole'). The refurbishing of the recordings is remarkably successful, especially L'Arlésienne."——Gramophone, 2010.