Bax Symphony No. 6 Del Mar BBC SO 1957 broadcast

The BBC Symphony Orchestra performed and broadcast all the Bax symphonies during the 1956-57 season as a tribute to the recently deceased Bax. These performances have been much sought after and difficult to find but several of the performances remain close-to-definitive including Norman Del Mar's riveting performance of the 6th Symphony that precedes his Lyrita recording by nearly 10 years. In many ways, this earlier performance is superior to his commercial recording -- due to his more deliberate tempos in the first movement and faster tempo in the 2nd movement. The BBC SO plays brilliantly and while the 70-year old sound is less than ideal, it is certainly good enough to convince any sympathetic listener that this is one of the greatest performances of Bax's masterpiece.