Sir John Barbirolli Conducts Bax - Symphony No. 4

William Alwyn, John Barbirolli, Arnold Bax, Edmund Rubbra and Bernard Stevens
SIR ARNOLD BAX Symphony No. 4 Hallé Orchestra SIR JOHN BARBIROLLI, conductor Recorded in the Whitworth Hall of Manchester University on 15 September 1965
Here's another extremely rare performance by Sir John Barbirolli and the Hallé Orchestra. Buried deep in the BBC archives details on this performance were difficult to find and the Gnome and I would like to thank our overseas correspondent for his help in locating the exact dates and times of the recording. Recorded live in the studio without an audience this finds Barbirolli and the orchestra in fine form after a very productive rehearsal just before the session. Bax was a composer Sir John admired very much having commercially recorded a couple of tone poems and only one symphony, the Third in a superb recording made in 1944.
This recording of the Bax Symphony No. 4 joins our other Barbirolli postings of HAROLD IN ITALY, the MESSIAH, the RESURRECTION SYMPHONY, the Bartok CONCERTO FOR ORCHESTRA and the TAM O'SHANTER OVERTURE as some important additions to Barbirolli's recorded legacy.
As little lagniappe, also included in the file is:

TALKING MUSIC A Half-Hour Talk Show Hosted by John Amos Featuring Julian Bream, Alec Robertson, Sir John Barbirolli & Humphrey Searle
This type of show is rarely preserved and hardly ever makes it over here to the Errant Colony. It is, of course, of specialized rather than general interest but there is always an entertaining nugget of information to be discovered and this show features a couple of performances in addition to the talk. Julian Bream plays a Pavanne by Dowland on the lute and Humphrey Searle introduces a performance of Macavity from his TWO PRACTICAL CATS.
Even if shows such as this hold little interest for you, everyone should listen to the opening if only for the cheeky theme music.