born in london of italian and french parentage, barbirolli grew up in a family of professional musicians. after starting out as a cellist, he was given the chance to conduct, from 1926 with the british national opera company, and then with covent garden's touring company. on taking up the conductorship of the hallé he had less opportunity to work in the opera house, but in the 1950s he conducted productions of works by verdi, wagner, gluck, and puccini at covent garden with such success that he was invited to become the company's permanent musical director, an invitation he declined. late in his career he made several recordings of operas, of which his 1967 set of puccini's "madama butterfly" for emi is probably the best known.