Thomas Beecham

Pencil drawing by Otto Wiedemann of the conductor Thomas Beecham, 1930, signed by the artist and subject.

Sir Thomas Beecham (1879-1961) had a great influence on classical music in Britain, both as a conductor with the principal orchestras of the day and as an impresario. His achievements include the founding of the London Philharmonic Orchestra (1932) and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (1946). Taking over the management of Covent Garden in 1910, he extended the repertoire, presenting the first British performances of Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, and of Richard Strauss's Elektra and Salome. He invited a host of famous names to appear in London, including Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes. In 1912 he conducted for Diaghilev's company in London and also in Berlin, his Beecham Symphony Orchestra becoming the first British orchestra to play there.