Although Sir John Barbirolli was famous for his interpretations of a wide range of repertoire, among the least-appreciated aspects of his programming was the championing of the music of Josef Haydn, at a time when the composer’s works were far less well-known than they are today. From a fascinating Henry Wood Promenade Concert, given by the Halle Orchestra under Barbirolli’s inspired leadership, we have extracts from Haydn’s The Creation alongside Brahms’s mighty First Symphony, which Barbirolli never recorded commercially with ‘his’ Halle Orchestra. This CD captures this well-loved conductor at his most inspiring.

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