"Thomas Beecham was one of Britain's greatest conductors of orchestral music and opera as well as an entrepreneur and impresario of exceptional energy and wit. This new life untangles the web of his financial and musical adventures and corrects the stories and myths, many of them of Beecham's own making, that have grown up around this uniquely gifted and controversial figure. " "Thomas Beecham: An Obsession with Music will change the way we view this complex personality and remain the standard biography for years to come. "--Jacket.