Strauss asked his interpreters to play Salome and Elektra as if they were by Mendelssohn, Beecham, like Clemens Krauss, was one of the few conductors of his day to bring this kind of delicacy and lightness to Strauss's scores, nowhere more so than in Le bourgeois gentilhomme. When Quixote first appeared, LS spoke of it as ''an outstanding interpretation'' and was hardly less glowing about its companion. Edward Sackville-West and Desmond Shawe-Taylor in their celebrated Record Guide (Collins: 1951) thought it ''one of the finest orchestral recordings ever made; the performance is noble in proportions and full of exquisite detail''. Of course Tortelier went on to record it again with Kempe for EMI, first with the RPO (nla) and then the Staatskapelle Dresden (recently reissued on (CD) CDC7 47865-2, 8/88) but in some ways this performance is very special. It combines the youthful freshness of a young cellist with the wisdom and maturity of a lifelong advocate of the composer. When Tortelier and Beecham made this recording during Strauss's 1947 visit to London, the composer was present not only at the Quixote sessions but also during some of the movements from Le bourgeois gentilhomme.
Those who have the 78rpm discs of Quixote and Le bourgeois gentilhomme (which reappeared on a World Record LP—nla) will find the sound-quality vastly improved: it is remarkably good. The original 78s omitted three movements of the suite but, as on the LP, the ''Minuet of Lully'' which Beecham recorded on a separate occasion, is restored. The playing is pretty electrifying, with the newly-formed RPO on their best form. Tortelier had performed Quixote under Strauss himself and plays for all the world as if his life depends on it. There is also some delicious playing from the RPO's then leader, Oscar Lampe. EMI provide an excellent note by Lyndon Jenkins. Strongly recommended.'