Forthcoming Immortal Performances release
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TOSCANINI/PHILHARMONIC SYMPHONY SOCIETY OF NEW YORK • Arturo Toscanini, cond; NYPSO • IMMORTAL PERFORMANCES 1192-2, mono (2 CDs: 136:49) Live: New York, Carnegie Hall 1/27/1935(1), 3/29/1936(2), 4/26/1936(3)
BRUCKNER (1)Symphony No. 7. STRAUSS (1)Salome: Dance of the Seven Veils. SCHUBERT (3)Symphony No. 9. SIBELIUS (2)En Saga
Over the years, Immortal Performances (IP) has done an extraordinary service by restoring many of the 1930s broadcasts by the New York Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra (NYPSO) and its music director, Arturo Toscanini. As I’ve written many times, the Toscanini/NY Phil broadcasts and studio recordings are a unique and indispensable treasure. Toscanini was in his 60s, at the height of his powers, and leading one of the world’s great orchestras. These recordings also find Toscanini willing to adopt broader tempos and a more liberal application of rubato than may generally be found in his more well-known recordings with the NBC SO. (I acknowledge that this is a generalization, and there are many performances that can serve as counter-examples.) The radio broadcasts (preserved by various enterprising private recordists) suffer from inferior sound. And on occasion, when the recordist wasn’t quick enough in swapping discs, there are performance gaps. IP has endeavored to restore the performances to a state that approximates what listeners heard when the broadcasts first aired. This involves painstaking work by IP’s Richard Caniell to ameliorate the sonic defects inherent in the source discs. Caniell also fills in recording gaps with independent source material—sometimes by the same artists, and sometimes not. A new two-disc set from IP includes performances from Carnegie Hall broadcasts on January 27, 1935 (the Bruckner Seventh Symphony and the Dance of the Seven Veils from Strauss’s Salome), March 29, 1936 (Sibelius’s En Saga), and April 26, 1936 (the Schubert Ninth Symphony). The source material for the Bruckner Seventh lacks the final seven bars of the opening movement, seven bars in the second movement, and 13 bars in the finale (the third movement is complete). The Schubert Ninth is missing 1:15 of music in the finale. As usual, Caniell has done a remarkable job both of synthesizing the various materials and of restoring the overall sonic quality to a degree that allows enjoyment and appreciation by all who are experienced in listening to historic broadcasts.
Toscanini conducted the music of Bruckner on five separate occasions. In December of 1896 in Turin, Toscanini led the Adagio of the Seventh Symphony in commemoration of Bruckner’s passing. In March of 1931, Toscanini conducted the NYPSO in a series of concerts featuring the complete Bruckner Seventh. Toscanini and the NYPSO performed the Bruckner Fourth in November of 1932 and February of 1934. (In a 1932 response to a questionnaire from the Berliner Börsen Zeitung, Toscanini revealed: “In recent years I have thoroughly studied Bruckner’s monumental symphonies.”) The January 1935 concerts included the Bruckner Seventh. The January 27, 1935 NY Philharmonic performance of the Bruckner Seventh is the only recording of Toscanini conducting music by the great Austrian composer. Pristine Audio (PA) previously issued a fine restoration of this performance (PASC082), favorably reviewed in Fanfare by Lynn René Bayley (31:5, May/June 2008) and Marc Mandel (31:6, July/Aug 2008). Unlike IP, PA does not fill in the source recording’s missing gaps. And, as I’ve mentioned, this IP release also includes three other Toscanini/NY Philharmonic broadcast performances. As such, the IP and PA issues of the Bruckner Seventh are two distinct entities. Readers may purchase either with confidence, depending upon their specific desires.
There is much to admire in Toscanini’s Bruckner Seventh. The first two movements exude the appropriate solemnity and expansiveness. Toscanini’s keen ear for a blended ensemble yields great rewards, especially when executed by the NYPSO at the top of its form. The contrast in the third movement between the churning principal scherzo and the calming trio is well judged. The finale is the one disappointment for me. Toscanini cuts a portion of the recapitulation and adopts a fleet tempo, which he maintains right down to the closing bars. This robs the final measures of their role as the work’s apotheosis, a majestic summation of the entire symphonic journey. Overall, I’m gratified that this recording is available, and in two fine restorations.
The January 27, 1935 concert, in addition to the Bruckner Seventh, included Respighi’s orchestration of the Bach Prelude and Fugue in D, BWV 532, not included here. Also on the program was the erotic “Dance of the Seven Veils” from Salome. Now, that’s quite the contrast to the Bruckner Seventh! And in this performance, Toscanini and the NYPSO mine the work’s seductive, insinuating qualities to the fullest. BMG’s Arturo Toscanini: The Complete RCA Collection includes a 1939 NBC Studio 8-H broadcast of the same work. The NYPSO Carnegie Hall performance is 30 seconds longer (10:15 vs. 9:44). Toscanini uses that additional time to apply a breadth and flexibility of pacing that make the earlier broadcast a clear favorite. Perhaps the sound on the 1939 8-H broadcast is finer overall, but the 1935 Carnegie Hall version is good enough, and the NY Philharmonic emerges as the far richer, more colorful ensemble. The contrast between the March 29, 1936 Toscanini NYPSO performance of Sibelius’s En Saga, and the March 15, 1952 televised broadcast with the NBC SO (Testament SBDVD 1007) is even more dramatic. The 1936 rendition is a full two minutes slower than the 1952 one (19:34 vs. 17:33). The NBC SO telecast performance is played with commitment, precision, and arresting momentum. But the far broader (and again, more flexible) approach in the earlier rendition yields considerable dividends. Toscanini and the NY Philharmonic are able to achieve a much greater sense of mystery, investing the contrasting martial episodes with far more impact. And again, the NYPSO emerges as the superior ensemble.
The April 26, 1936 Schubert Ninth offers no such grand departures from the three versions available in The Complete RCA Collection (Philadelphia Orchestra: November 16, 1941; NBC SO: February 25, 1947; NBC SO: February 9, 1953). A total timing of 1:41 separates the fleetest (1936 NY Phil: 44:01) and slowest performance (1953 NBC SO: 45:42) (an example of Toscanini actually broadening his interpretation over time). The overall approach remains consistent. Toscanini adopts a broad tempo for the first movement’s Andante introduction, allowing for a seamless transition to the ensuing Allegro ma non troppo. The movement’s concluding bars remain essentially in tempo, rather than imposing the dramatic allargando most conductors employ. The second movement is taken at a comparatively brisk march tempo. The third movement scherzo is propulsive. As with the Bruckner Seventh, Toscanini noticeably relaxes the tension for the lyrical trio section. The finale is athletic, swift, and shorn of sentimentality. The Schubert Ninth was a Toscanini favorite, and each performance is worth hearing. My preference is for the 1941 Philadelphia Orchestra account, in part for the orchestra’s gorgeous sound and in part for the moments of repose Toscanini injects on this occasion. The 1953 NBC SO sports the best sound, and is a performance of stature as well. The NY Philharmonic version is the fastest of the quartet, particularly in the final two movements. The orchestra is up to the task, playing with precision, fire, and beauty. Given the other available commercial recordings, all in better sound, this one is more of a specialty item, but still a valuable one.
Dewey Faulkner’s insightful comments on the repertoire and performances are always welcome, as are Richard Caniell’s “Recording Notes.” A brief amount of announcer commentary is included at the close of the Schubert Ninth. The Bruckner Seventh will make this a must for Toscanini afficionados, but I think the Salome and En Saga qualify as well, and the Schubert Ninth is a fine performance in its own right. Recommended. Ken Meltzer
