Ludwig van Beethoven: The 9 Symphonies - Arturo Toscanini / NBC Symphony Orchestra
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Free Music Notes for Ludwig van Beethoven: The 9 Symphonies - Arturo Toscanini / NBC Symphony Orchestra
Free Music Review: The Maestro's Summing Up
Hit: 5 Stars
Not that anyone's been waiting for it, but this apology comes 40 years late. In the `60s I bought the old Victrola LP set of these recordings because they were cheap and even a kid who knew nothing about classical music had heard of The Maestro. Soon after though I was seduced by Furtwangler and long believed he brought greater depth to these works. By comparison Toscanini seemed a ruthless martinet. Such perceptions were not uncommon among my generation. The Furtwangler revival, particularly in the U.S., was a youth movement of the '60s and '70s. Baby Boomers found the German conductor unbuttoned and spiritual and rebelled against their parents' icon, the hidebound disciplinarian Toscanini. But now, listening to these excellent (and, once again, ridiculously inexpensive) transfers -- listening past my prejudices -- has been a humbling, exalting experience. Take the Pastoral, hardly thought to be a Toscanini specialty, even in his gentler BBC recording. With the NBC Symphony there's no sentimentality, no nature painting or communing with the infinite. Instead we're given Beethoven the classicist, the architect and also, indeed, the tone poet. Thanks to Toscanini and his disciples I've come to realize that Beethoven composed before Wagner and Bruckner and that late romantic renderings diminish the music. Just one more thing: many Maestro Mavens insist his 1939 cycle, not to mention some still earlier individual performances, are even better than these because in the `30s Toscanini was more flexible and relaxed and employed more rubato. I disagree. Toscanini continued to the end to refine and purify his art. These recordings remain a cornerstone of any collection. Free Music Review: Third time is a charm!
Hit: 5 Stars
The very first classical record I bought was the Beethoven Seventh Symphony on RCA Victor's budget label,Camden. The orchestra was the New York Philharmonic and the conductor was Arturo Toscanini. Since then I have been hooked on both the Beethoven 7th and Toscanini. The Toscanini recordings released by RCA were nearly all with the NBC Symphony.These recordings have always seemed to me to be dry and stuffy, but I eventually owned most of them. When CD's were introduced I was hoping that RCA would "air out" the Toscanini recordings giving listeners a better sound in which to judge these later recordings. The Toscanini edition was [is?] a hit and miss endeavor, but I bought the Beethoven symphonies as soon as they were available. Then later on in a "new remastered" condition most of the recordings were released again. The sound was better but not quite what I had hoped for, but, for the second time, I bought the new edition of the Beethoven symphonies. Now, lo & behold a third version,"remastered", At Amazon's amazing price, I bought these symphonies a third time !
Well the third time was a charm! The recordings are much more "open & clearer" and the performances are still amazing. The 3rd {Eroica} is one of the great performances of that work and it sounds the best it ever has.Symphonies 1,2,4 & 5 all sound much better [Especially 5] and they are also excellent performances. The 9th is a monumental performance at bit controversial in its day but it is a commited, impassioned &life affirming. The problem is that these performances are so involved, if one listens to a number of the performances in one sitting, they begin to sound tense and a bit over the top.
If you like Beethoven,& wonderful performances by one of the giants of music in the 20th century. Get this set at the really unbelievable Amazon price. Any one need on of my older editions?
p.s.
I hope they release the operas individually.
Free Music Review: Toscanini's last Beethoven cycle -- a unique, bargain glimpse of the performing rite
Hit: 5 Stars
This set's insighful and irresistable, especially at the 'Amazon' price. 5 stars from me!
Imagine being able to hear works played by musicians with direct links to performers who've remembered what the composer wanted in performance of his/her works during his/her lifetime. Such opportunities arise through listening to recordings made by maestros like Arturo Toscanini (born 1867, began orchestra conducting 1886) whose musicianship -- not just in terms of scholarship and technical powers -- take us to a view of the contemporary Beethoven performing rite that seems to have dimmed with successive generations. Not that every Toscanini performance of a work is the same -- indeed there's noticeable evolution -- but his basic underlying approach remained sufficiently consistent for it to be captured in recordings, like this set, made quite late in his career (it ended in mid-1954, he died early 1957).
This Beethoven cycle is ADD mono and may not be any sonic improvement over either RCA's "74321", or "GD", series CDs of the same cycle; and it's unlikely to be sonically better than the superb LP transfers in the 100-disc set released (in the late 1970s) by RCA Japan (n.l.a.). But if you don't already own this latest RCA CD package, then, at the 'Amazon' price, it'll be an indispensible part of your Beethoven cycle experience.
The NBC Symphony is in great form (Toscanini reportedly said it didn't really become a top symphony orchestra until around its 1950 continental US tour and these discs are from that period) and the recorded sound, for the most part (say except for the Seventh's last movement) captures the dynamics and unique, chrystaline fabric of the Toscanini orchestral sound.
There's apparently some confusion over whether the set's 'Eroica' is the 1949 "studio" or 1953 "live" (broadcast) performance, but the insert-booklet's per-movement timings indicate it's the 1953 one (which is broader and differently inflected compared to the '49, and some earlier, Toscanini Eroicas; the 1949 one is included in RCA's "GD" CD series). Anyhow, this kind of issue is more for discographers than those out on a journey of important musical discovery.
Buy this set, especially at the price, the performances shouldn't fail to stimulate and inspire!
Some suggested references:-
'The Toscanini Legacy' by Spike Hughes (pub. 'Dover')
'Toscanini and the Art of Conducting' by Robert C. Marsh (pub. 'Collier Books') (in UK, titled 'Toscanini and the Art of Orchestral Performance' (pub. 'Allen & Unwin'))
'Arturo Toscanini - The NBC Years' by Mortimer H. Frank (pub. 'Amadeus Press').
Free Music Review: Classic circa 1950 Beethoven Symphony Cycle
Hit: 4 Stars
Toscanini was born in 1867, the same year as my great grandfather. According to RCA, his first gig as a conductor was in 1886! These recordings were made at Carnegie Hall between November 1949 and November 1952 except symphonies 4 & 5 which were taken from NBC broadcasts.
After seeing a great performance of Verdi's La Traviata, I bought Toscanini's rendition of the preludes from this opera. This was in 1978. Toscanini's music were on budget lps at the time. And being in college, I was on a budget. I have several of his budget lps plus this Beethoven Symphony cycle on the RCA plum dog label from the 1950s that I bought used. I have always enjoyed the performances and have always had misgivings about the at best AM radio like fidelity of the recordings.
Free Music Review: Beethoven's symphonies
Hit: 5 Stars
When the master conducts the master, you will get nothing but a superb rendition of excellent musice. A must for classics lovers