within six months of his return to britain in 1943, barbirolli resumed his contract with hmv, conducting the hallé in the third symphony of bax and the fifth of vaughan williams, followed by works by a wide range of composers from corelli to stravinsky. in 1955 he signed a contract with pye records, with whom he and the hallé recorded a wide repertoire, and made their first stereophonic recordings. these records were distributed in the us by vanguard records. a company was formed, named pye-barbirolli, of which he was a director: the arrangement was designed to ensure an equal partnership between the company and the musicians. they made many recordings, including symphonies by beethoven, dvořák, elgar, mozart, nielsen, sibelius, mahler, tchaikovsky and vaughan williams, as well as a few concertos, short orchestral pieces and operatic excerpts.