Do you know why conductors live so long? Because we perspire so much.

Many of Barbirolli's pre-war recordings for HMV were of concertos. His last two concerts were with the Hallé at the 1970 King's Lynn Festival. B.

His interpretations of other late romantic composers such as Mahler and Sibelius as well as of earlier classical composers including Schubert are also still admired. Both in the concert hall and on record Barbirolli was particularly associated with the music of English composers such as Elgar Delius and Vaughan Williams. Earlier in his career he was Arturo Toscanini's successor as music director of the New York Philharmonic serving from 1936 to 1943.