Brahms 1948 cycle issue nr 1

[chez_toscanini]

Pristine has just begun the issue of the Brahms 1948 cycle. It will be produced in three volumes, as for the notes. The actual number is PACS701. It contains the concerts broadcast on October 23 and 30 with full commentary. The piano concert nr 2, with Horowitz was already remastered many years ago and published as PASC092, but technological evolution and a better source make the difference, a real improvement.The performance includes the Serenade nr 1.

The concert of October 30 includes the Tragic Overture and the first symphony. Here too we have a great sound, to my ears.

I hope to read your comments

Ezio

[largo_57]

The November/December issue of Fanfare magazine also has a review of Immortal Performances IPCD 1190-2, consisting of the NBC broadcasts of July 26 and August 2, 1952. This issue does not yet appear on the IP website, as far as I can tell.

[chez_toscanini]

Thanks for the news!

[chez_toscanini]

However on their web page they declared that from April 2023 Fanfare would have ceased to advertise IP issues.

I hope to see more Toscanini from Caniell: remastering may be not the top sometimes, but better than nothing

Ezio 

[largo_57]

Here is the review for those that do not receive the magazine:

TOSCANINI NBC SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA SUMMER CONCERTS • Arturo Toscanini, cond; NBC SO • IMMORTAL PERFORMANCES 1190-2 (2 CDs: 109:31) Live: New York 7/26/1952, 8/2/1952

THOMAS 1Mignon: Overture. LIADOV 1Kikimora. WAGNER 1Siegfried Idyll. PONCHIELLI 1La Gioconda: Dance of the Hours. SIBELIUS 1Finlandia. HÉROLD 2Zampa: Overture. CATALANI 2La Wally: Act IV Prelude. 2Loreley: Dance of the Water Nymphs. BIZET 2Carmen: Suite. HUMPERDINCK 2Hansel und Gretel: Overture. WEBER 2Oberon: Overture

Immortal Performances (IP) presents two concerts from the summer of 1952 by Arturo Toscanini and the NBC SO. After a NBC SO broadcast of February 17, 1951, Toscanini, suffering from a knee injury, was forced to cancel his remaining appearances for the 1950–51 season. Toscanini’s doctor advised the maestro to use a stationary bike to strengthen his knee. But Toscanini overexerted himself, and suffered a minor stroke. In April of 1951, Carla, Toscanini’s wife since 1897, had a heart attack, and died that June 23. Toscanini lapsed into depression, and the continuation of his long and storied career was in doubt. But the 85-year-old Toscanini soon found renewed purpose and energy. Throughout the 1951–52 NBC SO season, Toscanini pursued a demanding schedule, both in concerts and recordings. Following the conclusion of the regular season, Toscanini departed New York for his annual vacation in Italy. Toscanini returned to New York on July 8, ahead of schedule. As a result, NBC was able to program two additional broadcast concerts with Toscanini. They took place at Carnegie Hall on July 26 and August 2, 1952. Each program consisted of several brief orchestral works, many of the popular/lighter variety. Within a few days after each concert, Toscanini and the NBC SO made RCA commercial recordings of the featured repertoire.

Both the broadcasts and commercial recordings document Toscanini and the NBC SO in top form. Arresting precision of ensemble, kinetic energy, and gripping momentum—trademarks of Toscanini’s craft—are abundantly evident throughout. On a few occasions (for example, the Allegro con fuoco portion of the Weber Oberon Overture), the intensity and drive threaten to become too much of a good thing. But for the far greater part, the performances on these summer 1952 concerts are brimming with flexibility of phrasing, beauty, charm, delicacy, and humor. Those familiar with stereotypes associated with Toscanini’s preferences for fast tempos may well be surprised (and gratified) by the broad approach to the Wagner Siegfried Idyll, and the opening portions of the Thomas Mignon Overture and Sibelius Finlandia, to name just a few examples. Throughout, Toscanini’s attention to detail, and his ability to communicate the music’s narrative/dramatic import are the work of a master conductor who devoted his life both to the concert hall and opera house. And the maestro’s affection for each of these hand-picked works is always abundantly clear.

As one might expect, the concert performances and contemporaneous studio recordings bear a similar interpretive profile. But the concert broadcasts have a sense of occasion and energy that surpass the excellent studio efforts. The live performances have a frisson, concentration, and vitality that make them worth hearing, even if you already possess the official RCA commercial releases. IP’s presentation of the concerts includes broadcast host Ben Grauer’s commentary (he refers to the ensemble as the “NBC Summer Orchestra”), and generous amounts of audience applause. The sound of IP’s restoration of the broadcasts is competitive with the studio versions. The accompanying booklet includes Robert Matthew-Walker’s insightful commentary, and a lively eyewitness account by IP’s Richard Caniell of the featured summer concerts. This is a marvelous document of a conductor who, in the late autumn of his life and career, was still capable of delivering performances that radiated beauty and youthful exuberance. Recommended. Ken Meltzer

This article originally appeared in Issue 47:2 (Nov/Dec 2023) of Fanfare Magazine.

[Ezio Maria Ferdeghini]

Great! Many thanks

Ezio

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to a topic in the Google Groups "Toscaninifriends" group.
To unsubscribe from this topic, visit https://groups.google.com/d/topic/toscaninifriends/BC6rSB57zvg/unsubscribe.
To unsubscribe from this group and all its topics, send an email to toscaninifrien...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/toscaninifriends/fc3be208-c05e-48ab-8732-3ab8529ab690n%40googlegroups.com.