Arturo Toscanini

Arturo Toscanini (March 25, 1867 – January 16, 1957) was considered by many of his contemporaries — critics, fellow musicians, and the public alike — as the greatest conductor of his era. He was renowned for his brilliant intensity, his restless perfectionism, his phenomenal ear for orchestral detail and sonority, and his photographic memory which allowed him to correct errors in orchestral parts unnoticed for decades by his colleagues.

Recorded legacy

Toscanini was famous for his performances of Beethoven and Verdi. He made many recordings, especially towards the end of his career, many of which are still in print. In addition, there are many recordings available of his broadcast performances.

Related Topics:
Beethoven - Verdi

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By most accounts, his greatest recordings are the following:

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• Beethoven, Symphony No. 3 (1953, NBC Symphony; although some prefer the 1939 NBC performance)
• Beethoven, Symphony No. 7 (1936, Philharmonic-Symphony of New York)
• Beethoven, Symphony No. 9 (1952, NBC Symphony)
• Berlioz, Romeo and Juliette (1947, NBC Symphony)
• Brahms, Symphony No. 1 (1941, NBC Symphony)
• Brahms, Symphony No. 2 (1952, NBC Symphony)
• Brahms, Symphony No. 4 (1951, NBC Symphony)
• Debussy, La Mer (1950, NBC Symphony)
• Dvorak, Symphony No. 9 (1953, NBC Symphony)
• Puccini, La bohème (1946, NBC Symphony)
• Mozart, The Magic Flute (1937, Salzburg Festival; poor sound)
• Schubert, Symphony No. 9 (1953, NBC Symphony; although some prefer the 1941 Philadelphia Orchestra performance))
• Verdi, Requiem (1940, NBC Symphony; the sound is much better in the 1951 NBC performance, but some argue the 1940 broadcast version is far superior)
• Verdi, Falstaff (1937, Salzburg Festival; the sound of the 1950 NBC performance is much better, but the 1937 performance is often seen as slightly better)
• Verdi, Otello (1947, NBC Symphony; considered by many, including the conductor James Levine, to be the most perfect opera recording ever made)
• Wagner, Die Meistersinger (1937, Salzburg Festival; now available in good sound from the Selenophone sound-on-film recordings.)

There are many pieces which Toscanini never recorded commercially; among these, some of the most interesting surviving recordings (off-the-air) include:

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• Mendelssohn, Symphony No. 3 "Scottish" - NBC Symphony Orchestra, 1941
• Schumann, Symphony No. 2 - NBC Symphony Orchestra, 1946
• Mussorgsky, Prelude to Khovanschina - NBC Symphony Orchestra, 1953

Many hundreds of hours of rehearsal recordings exist, some of these have circulated in limited

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edition recordings. Moreover, his ten NBC Symphony telecasts survive. They were issued on home video in the 1990s and will be reissued on DVD in 2005. They further establish the passionate yet restrained podium manner for which he was acclaimed.

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